If you bought it, you bought everything that goes with it. What does that even mean? It means we directly support all the hidden costs bundled into the $10 spent on a “cheap” t-shirt.
Read More
When we buy items from companies whose products are manufactured by people in sweatshops, we are condoning their practices. As a consumer, it’s difficult to know which brands we can support with a clean conscience.
Read More
Mikoleón is a clothing and shoe store striving to preserve Guatemalan textile and cobbling traditions using naturally-sourced material. The mission of the company is to provide an option for shoppers who want beautifully-crafted fashion without ruining the planet. Additionally, her business model offers highly gifted artists a platform on which to sell their fashionable art while making a good living.
Read More
Fair Indigo employs small organic cotton farms in Peru as well as small workshops and cooperatives that provide fair wages and safe environments for their employees. I had the opportunity to speak with Fair Indigo’s co-founder Robert Behnke who explained what separates Fair Indigo from other fashion brands; “We really really strive to build clothing that will wear beautifully for several years - using super premium fibers like organic Pima cotton and alpaca. We try to keep our prices as accessible for as many people as possible.”
Read More
I’m not going to lie, my first thought when scrolling through KNOWN SUPPLY’s website was, “Does Brené Brown know about this?” It is clear that KNOWN SUPPLY isn’t just any other clothing company seeking to make the world a better place (although being B Corp Certified is a plus!).
Read More
Mata Traders is a fair trade company championing the cause of sustainable business practices which fight to end global poverty. The company, founded with a buying trip inspired by a passion for travel in 2005, is the embodiment of ethical fashion.
Read More
Take a look at how I took on the challenge of using just one dress to create twenty different outfits that span across all four seasons (five outfits per season). I’d also like to give a special thanks to my roommate for serving as our beautiful model!
Read More
KnowTheChain is a project undertaken by Humanity United in partnership with the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Sustainalytics, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Verité that acts as a valuable resource “for companies and investors to understand and address forced labor risks within their global supply chains.”
Read More
Matr Boomie translates to “Motherland” in Hindi. With that being the name of their organization, they very clearly value their motherland, and show that love by honoring their roots through connecting people in order to make sustainable, unique and ethical items for people all over the world. Matr Boomie is a Fair Trade brand that strives for a more compassionate, kind and connected world through empowering and educating disadvantaged artisans. Not only do they pay fair wages, but they also invest in development projects, healthcare, education, skills training, loan programs and scholarships for women, minorities and people with special needs.
Read More
DoneGood was born out of the idea that this purchasing power could be harnessed and used to create good for people and the planet. Through aggregating data from ethical certifiers like Fair Trade and B Lab, as well as conducting research of their own, DoneGood discovers ethical brands and features them and their products on the DoneGood platforms. Schwarz says their goal is to “create a one-stop shop” where consumers can go to find an ethically-produced version of whatever it is they’re looking for. In the four years since DoneGood started, they’ve partnered with over 300 ethical brands and helped divert over $500,000 of consumer dollars to them.
Read More
Sela Designs is a nonprofit jewelry company which donates 100% of its profits back to charity, each piece of jewelry created from ethically sourced materials and made entirely by hand in the United States.
Read More
Elegantees, the marvelous company we know and love for its amazing annual Dressember collection, is drawing men into the fight in a creative way. FPR, which stands for: “Fight, Protect, Restore,” is a new line of men’s tees introduced in 2018 with the purpose of including everyone in the war against human trafficking.
Read More
What started as a single collection of scarves, handmade in Ethiopia by women overcoming prostitution, has evolved into an ethical lifestyle brand carrying everything from leather goods to handmade jewelry, apparel to footwear. Headquartered in Nashville, TN with operations in Ethiopia, Mexico, and Peru, ABLE is rooted in its core mission of ending generational poverty by providing economic opportunity for women.
Read More
The following are name brands I have shopped in the past couple of years because of their response to the rising tide of conscious consumers.
Read More
The number of people in slavery today is colossal. It’s daunting. It hurts. And yet, we sit here, reading these articles on our phones or computers––in America, in Canada, in Europe, everywhere across the globe––with anger brewing inside of us. And we stay seated. Why?
Because we are the consumers of the slave industry.
Read More
If you’re still not sure what you want to be when you grow up, I have a suggestion for you: you want to be Elle, creator of the ELLERALI fashion brand. Creative, driven, intelligent, and sincere, there is so much to admire about this LA-based marine-biologist-turned-upcycled-fashion-designer. I had the privilege of having a conversation with Elle recently and learned just how much she and her brand have to offer the world.
Read More
I am about to tell you something about my story that, literally, maybe five people know. It will be surprising to most, and may possibly make you see how traffickers really do use any means to get what they want.
Read More
At Dressember, we’re into making powerful purchases, which is why we partner with companies that are changing the fashion game for good. Meet Purse & Clutch (P&C): an Austin-based company specializing in accessories with an impact. Through providing beautiful, ethically made handbags, they are ending the cycle of poverty for artisans in Guatemala and Ethiopia.
Read More
How many of you are like me and started your day with a cup of coffee or tea? If you lived in Cambodia, you probably just spent your entire daily income on that beverage. According to ECPACT (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism), more than 70% of Cambodians live on less than $3 a day. Poverty is one of the factors that make individuals vulnerable to human trafficking, which is a serious problem in this Asian country. Women are particularly endangered due to gender inequality and lack of education. Dressember brand partner Malia Designs is working to change that by providing economic opportunities for both women and those with physical challenges.
Read More