This is the last day of Fashion for Freedom. So now what?
I sincerely hope you’ve been inspired to take action this month. Change starts with educating yourself about human trafficking and ethical fashion, and I believe lasting change comes as the result of small steps with big impact. Here’s a few steps that we’ve discussed this month:
- I’ll look for fair trade products first.
- If a fair trade option isn’t available, I’ll look for a used item from thrift stores or eBay.
- If I can’t find it there, I’ll buy it from a company that has a higher Free2Work grade or is made in the USA/Canada/Europe.
- I’ll buy less so that I can buy better.
- I will invest in multi-tasking pieces and high quality ethically made products that will stand the test of time.
- I’ll continue to go through all of my clothes every season and objectively pare it down.
- My goal is to shrink my closet down to 100 items. I’ll continue to sell off and donate my clothing, anytime I buy or receive clothing as a gift, something else has to go. That’s going to be really hard.
- I will be a conscious consumer, thinking about the people behind the barcode who are affected by my purchasing decisions.
“I pledge to consume responsibly. I recognize that as a consumer, my buying power matters. I understand that each product I purchase plays a role in a larger narrative, affecting the life of an individual. Because of this, I will do my best to purchase products that have been made by hands that are treated fairly. I will seek to support supply chains that treat farmers and workers fairly and demand the assurance that items I buy have been made responsibly from start to finish. This means no tolerance for child or slave labor, dangerous working conditions or substandard pay. I will no longer support systems of oppression and will insist that companies I trust operate with a conscience.”
In conclusion, there are several people I’d like to thank.
- Marisa, from Live FashionABLE
- Melissa and Emily from Stop Traffick Fashion
- Nicole from Radiant Cosmetics
- Whitney from Noonday Collection
- Cameron from Raven+Lily
- Tara, for letting me bounce ideas off of you, telling everyone about the series, and your real life support, encouragement, enthusiasm, and friendship.
- Natalie, Viviene, and Matilda Joyce, for faithfully reading, leaving encouraging comments, and sharing the series with others.
- My sister Elissa, for your enthusiastic texts, emails, phone calls, comments, Facebooking, and help this month. And Evi, I love you too!
- Bailey, for your sweet email that brought me to tears more than once.
- Natalie A., for all your tweets, favorites, and retweets. Thank you for your support!
God is good! See you next month!
