Bringing Social Justice to my Closet --Part 4

At last!  I am getting the last post in my "Bringing Social Justice to My Closet" series!  Two weeks ago I started my fall semester of college at North Iowa Area Community College (you can read about my experiences as a non-traditional student here (Random Thoughts From the Road Less Traveled).  Getting back into school mode has taken up most of my time during the week, so my post is a little overdue, but better late than never!

For the final post in this series I wanted to take a look at different places to buy ethical fashion choices.  I still need work on filling in basic pieces for my French Five Piece Wardrobe and am also starting to look at the five new items for the fall/winter season.  The vendors I've highlighted here are just some of the many out there attempting to do business in an ethical way and I am enjoying the search.

First of all, I'd like to point that it is always a good idea to buy second hand.  When you buy something used, you are supporting the person selling it to you, it no longer benefits the original supply chain in any way.  If it's a private person at a garage sale, or a store like a consignment shop you are just supporting your local people and local economy.  Second hand stores, like the Salvation Army Stores, and Goodwill support their individual charities and are always great places to check out.

Sometimes, you can't find something secondhand, and then it's time to try and find ethical companies, and goodness knows that can be quite the task.  The supply chain involved in the clothing industry is very difficult to follow.  (As shown by the report from Made in a Free World that I posted on part 3 of this series)  I've done some research and I have found what appear to be some great ethical retailers with amazing clothing.  I would like to introduce a couple here as well as some awesome pieces I'll be adding to my wardrobe soon.  :)

The first company I'd like to talk about is Indigenous.  According to their website their clothing items are both organic and fair trade.  They work with fair trade artisans in the poorest regions of South America to help them preserve their cultural way of life and elevate them out of the poverty they have come from by paying a fair living wage.  One item that I love in particular from Indigenous is their EZ skirt, pictured here.

EZ Skirt from Indigenous

I love how flowing and soft it looks.  This is an item I can't wait to add to my wardrobe!

The next company I'd like to talk about is TOMS.  In 2006, the founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, found that children he met in a village in Argentina did not have adequate shoes to protect their feet.  He started TOMS with a "One for One" program.  For every pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child in need.  In 2011 they expanded their program to eyewear helping to restore sight to people in need.  Finally, this year TOMS Roasting Co was founded.  With every bag of coffee purchased, TOMS will provide one weeks worth of clean water to someone in need.  One pair of shoes I have my eye on to add to my wardrobe this fall is their Taupe Suede Women's Desert Wedges.  

Taupe Suede Desert Wedges

The next company on my list is UK based Annie Greenabelle.  In 2007 Annie Greenabelle was started as an ethical brand in which the use of organically grown fabrics would be combined with recycled and reclaimed fabrics.  They have many lovely clothes, but I especially love this Curved Block Dress.  

Curved Block Dress from Annie Greenabelle

Next up, Elegantees.  Elegantees is a New York based company that helps restore women who have been victims of violence or sex trafficking by providing sewing work for them to help them get back on their feet.  They state that by giving them a positive source of income they are able to help renew their confidence, independence, and a healthy self image.  I am seriously considering hosting one of their "trunk shows" (just like jewelry, or pampered chef, or Tupperware party) here locally.  You can also shop online.  I love how soft and flowing their clothes look and can't wait to order.  I felt they are also very reasonably priced.  I especially like this "Isabella" top.  (My six year old, Isabella really liked it also since she shares the name.)  

Elagantees Isabella top in Orchid

And the final company I'd like to put on my list for today is Nomads.  Based in the UK, Nomads has been a retailer of fair trade clothing since 1989.  They describe their selling policy on their website as, "bringing you clothing without compromise."  The founders of Nomads believe in a policy of "trade not aid" which means they believe that adhering to fair trade guidelines is what will maintain a sustainable and profitable living, both for the producers of the clothing, and for the company.  They have many beautiful pieces, but I fell in love with this embroidered top as soon as I saw it.  

Nomads Embroidered Top

I have had a lot of fun doing this series on clothing.  I hope that it has shown some ways that you can be more conscientious about your wardrobe choices in the light of shopping ethically.  

More about Me

I've started a new blog over at WordPress that is just about me and my random thoughts.  So, if you are interested in finding out more about who I am, you can check it out at thoughtsfromtheroadlesstraveled.wordpress.com

Bringing Social Justice to My Closet--Part 3

You may have been wondering during my last two posts, what me re-vamping my closet and wardrobe has to do with social justice and human trafficking.  Here is the post that connects my desire to change the way I dress with my drive to promote social justice.

When I started looking into the issue of human trafficking I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem.  It seems to pervade every area of life, hidden just under the surface.  Modern slavery lurks just far enough out of the way to make it easy for most people to turn their head and not see.  However, if you choose to open your eyes and look, you will find it, and it is indeed involved in the fashion industry.

Tracing the involvement of human trafficking through the supply chain of fashion retailers is an extremely complex undertaking.  The following information came from the Free2Work.org report on apparel trends from 2012.  Free2Work (a project of www.NotForSaleCampaign.org) assessed 50 companies that sell clothing and fashion items and rated them in regards to their social responsibility practices.  This is the link to the report.

Free2Work.org Apparel Trends 2012

I read through the report and for this post I am just going to highlight two of the areas it investigated regarding injustice in the clothing industry.

First, there is the issue of using children and/or forced labor (slavery) in the clothing industry.  Thanks in large part to increased awareness, the use of children as slaves in the clothing industry has declined over the past 2 decades.  There are still six countries that are known to use forced and/or child labor.  These countries are Argentina, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, China and India.  China and India are among the top 10 global exporters of clothing.

Secondly there is the issue of making a living wage.  A living wage is defined as a wage that is high enough to support a normal standard of living.  This is not talking about luxuries or frills.  Living wage is about being able to provide food, shelter, water, clothing, education, and transportation ect... In the 2012 report, only 2% of the companies assessed assured that the workers in the supply chain at the cut-make-trim level receive a living wage.  Not a single one of the companies assessed get their textiles and cotton supplies from suppliers that provide a living wage.

The first time that I looked into the issue of human trafficking in the fashion industry I was so frustrated by it that I just quit looking and turned the other way for a while, ignoring the intuitive feeling I had that something was not right.  That nagging sense of something being wrong stayed with me until I could no longer ignore it and realized that action was required of me.   It was time to stop going with the everyday flow of consumerism and take the time to really assess what I was supporting with my dollar every time I bought an article of clothing.

Clothing shopping has always been tough for me.  As I explained in my previous posts in this series I am "fashion challenged".  I have always found clothing shopping frustrating, so I tended to stick with what was easy.  I also have 4 kids, so added to the easy part, I was most likely to stick with things that were cheap.  I was always on the lookout for a good deal.  I never stopped to consider who was paying for my good deal.
You see, its true that there is no such thing as a free lunch.  Someone has to pay.  It's just a question of who that someone is.

Gradually, as I became more aware of social justice issues it became clear who was paying the cost for my great deals on clothes.  Whether in the form of ridiculously low wages paid to workers in the garment industry or straight out slavery involved in making them, people along the supply chain were paying for my deal.

The following quote really hit home for me, I'd ask you to consider it for a moment:

The long and short of it for me, is that it is time to put my money where my sense of morality is.  Time to act justly in the matter of my clothing shopping.  For me, acting justly in this matter meant to look beyond the deal I was getting by buying inexpensive, easy to acquire clothing, and to consider the cost to others that go into providing me with the deal.

So, what can we do.  Here are a couple action steps you can start with:

1.  Contact retailers you shop from and let them know that you do not want lower cost if it means that those cost cuts are paid for with someone else's misfortune and misery.  

2.  Find retailers that share your values and support their business.  Let them know you appreciate the effort they are making to do business with social justice in mind.  It is not easy for retailers to keep watch on everything in their supply chains.  The supply chains are very complex and it takes great intentionality on the part of the retailer to provide ethically produced goods.  Support them with your money, and support them with a call or note of thanks that you appreciate the effort they are making.  

3.  Boycotting is not always effective for this problem.  From all the reading I have done on the issue it seems that boycotting most of the time hurts the workers at the bottom of the supply chain rather than hurting the industry owners and people who make the decisions.  There are also items that are almost impossible to find with fair trade and social justice in mind.  For those things there are still some things you can do to make a difference.  When you buy, let the store know that you would like to see them make efforts to promote social justice in their supply lines.  Then, buy less, and buy quality so that you are not having to constantly replace the items. 

 I love this image I found on Pinterest from thebeautifulthink.com.au (the link did not work when I clicked it from Pinterest, so I can't give you the original web link)  

My last post in this series will highlight retailers that I have found that offer ethical clothing choices.  I'll share with you my search for the perfect Little Black Dress to fill in my basic capsule pieces for the French Five Piece Wardrobe as well as my search for my 5 new pieces for Fall/Winter.  

Bringing Social Justice to My Closet--Part Two

This is part 2 in my series on bringing social justice to my closet.  As I explained in part 1 of this series, I started off my clothing overhaul with a closet inventory and then purged out all the items that I honestly did not wear.  The next step was to decide what I really wanted in a wardrobe.  There were a couple things that I knew absolutely for sure:

1.  It has to meet the KISS standard.  That's right "Keep it Simple and Straightforward".  I'm getting ready to be a full time student added to my already full time Mom and full time wife, I don't have time to be a full time "fashionista".  :)

2.  I want to stick to classic staples, not trends that come and go.

3.  I want my clothes and the choices I make about them to be a visible "emblem/billboard" of my beliefs about social justice.

I was so completely lost on where to start "finding my style".  I took to Pinterest to find the answer.  I might be a little addicted to Pinterest, but I can quit anytime I want,... as soon as I scroll to the bottom of the page.... ;)  After a lot of searching through a lot of style boards (and a little bit of getting distracted on humor and book boards) I found a style concept that totally appeals to me and fits all my criteria:  The French Five Piece Wardrobe.

The French Five Piece Wardrobe is a concept where you build a basic capsule wardrobe of classic items, and then you only purchase 5 items that have more personality (or, for Wicked fans, are more swankified) each fashion season to augment the basics.  The whole idea is that instead of haphazardly buying random clothes, you are forced to carefully consider what you really want and then make intentional purchases.  Exactly what I was looking for!  There are five basic rules:

1.  Basics don't count and are always allowed (ie, if you need to replace your white t shirt because your five year old dumped a red Slushie on it and didn't tell you, you can replace it without counting it as one of your five items)

2.  Accessories don't count (Which gives me the freedom to continue my love affair with scarves)

3.  Shoes DO count

4.  Socks and Underwear don't count

5.  All the rest counts

 I totally fell love in love with everything about this wardrobe plan.  Especially considering I just purged out a closet full of items where nothing matched.  To start myself off, I needed to assess what I already had for basics, and what I needed to look for.  The basics list varies from source to source, so I made a compilation based on what works for me, and then added a few items that I felt necessary due to where I live.

The basics:

(Items I added for my individual lifestyle in italics)

Tops

Black, grey, and white t-shirts

Black, grey and white tank tops

White blouse

Little Black Dress

Blazer

Cardigan

Black, grey, and white long sleeve shirts 

(I added this because I live in Iowa and it gets cold here in the winter.)  

Black, grey, and white sweater 

(Again, IOWA.  Seriously, it gets cold here.  Like -60 with windchill cold, layers are vital)
3 Basic dresses
(For church)

Bottoms

Black Skinny Jeans

Boyfriend Jeans

Black pencil skirt

Black trousers

Leather trousers

A complete black suit

Outerwear

Leather Jacket

Trench Coat

Wool Coat

Once again due to my geographical location I added the following

Snow Pants

Heavy Winter Coat

Bear Suit

Shoes

Black Pumps
Nude Pumps
Summer Sandals
Mid-heeled ankle boots
Sneakers
SnowBoots
Warm Winter Boots

This wardrobe concept fits all my criteria! First of all, it gives me a great classic wardrobe of items that I can mix and match with no problem.  Secondly, because of the emphasis on buying quality items that comes from only purchasing 5 items I can be truly deliberate about what I buy and spend time researching to make sure the items are fair trade.  This whole plan greatly encourages shopping with a purpose.  

I have been so excited to get started on this.  I wish I had taken a before picture of my closet, but I did not.  Trust me when I say it was overflowing.  This is a shot of my basics now.  

 And here is a shot of my pared down scarf collection

Quick shot of some the extra clothes I kept (TaeKwonDo uniform, Red Cross vests, t-shirt for my daughters softball team and a couple "flashier" dresses and sweaters to start off with until I begin buying the 5 items for each season) 

And, finally, what I kept for shoes.

And that is everything in my closet!  It feels so great to have it be so organized and clean.  :)

Now I get to go on to the fun part of filling in the rest of the basics, and deciding what I want my five pieces of fall/winter clothing are going to be.  I have two posts to conclude this series in the works right now.  One will cover why this all matters and how slavery exists in the clothing industry.  The other will highlight some fair trade clothing stores I have found and the items I'm considering adding to the closet.  

Bringing Social Justice to My Closet--Part One

Trying to bring all areas of my life within a socially just arena has been an ongoing process.  I remember when I first started looking at the issue of human trafficking, it just seemed too big, too complicated to even begin to advocate for change, and trying to figure out how to begin change with me overwhelming to say the least.  Over the past year I've taken one step after another, and am now ready to take a huge lunge ahead by jumping headfirst into college life again and prepare to make social justice advocacy my full time occupation.

I've chosen to double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy.  It's been a very exciting process of getting back into the groove of being a student.  During all the hustle of signing up for classes, and financial aid, and buying books, etc...One deficiency I have in particular has stood out glaringly,... I need new clothes.

I've been a stay-at-home Mom for almost 8 years.  It has been all too easy hang out in sweat pants and t-shirts (some days totally in PJ's to be honest).  Even before that, I have never been able to find a style that really fit me.  I have a closet full of clothes where I can never find anything that goes together.  My fashion sense is is something that I have yet to find.  Clothes shopping is something that has always seemed to be a maze patterns and fabrics and trends that I just don't know how to navigate.  I do know one thing,  I want my entire life to be a statement of what I believe about social justice.  That means being intentional in every area of life.  My clothing should reflect that intentionality as well.

So, where do I  begin to find a style that reflects social justice?  I had to start somewhere, and it seemed to make sense to start with what I already had.   My overflowing closet is full of items that  I do not wear, I need to pass things along to someone who will use them.

So, my first step was to do a complete clothing inventory and closet purge.  I ended up with three bags full of clothing that I honestly never wear.  We took them to the local Salvation Army store and donated them.

Now on to the process of replacing things with clothes that I will wear.  I will chronicle that part of my clothing journey in my next post.

Use today!

Right now, we have an opportunity to use today and do something that will matter.  H.R. 2283, the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act is headed to the house floor for a vote this week.  Call your representative and ask them to vote yes on this legislation.

What does H.R. 2283 do?  Here is a brief summary:

It will change the name of the TIP (Trafficking in Persons) office to Bureau, and it will change the title of the person who heads it from "Ambassador-at-Large" to "Assistant Secretary of State".

Why is this important?

The reason it is important is that by elevating the TIP office within the State Department it will allow the head of the office, Ambassador Lou CdeBaca, the opportunity to contribute into decisions that are made that affect the fight against human trafficking.  As it stands now, Ambassador CdeBaca is left out of the discussion when key decisions are being made concerning U.S. Diplomacy in countries where human trafficking exists.

It only takes a few minutes to pick up your phone and call your representative and ask them to vote yes.  You can find a script to use along with more information on the bill at this link

The Freedom Commons--IJM

Use your voice today to help those whose voices are all too often unheard.

Getting the Blog up Again

Blogging regularly, like any other habit, I suppose, has been a difficult discipline for me.  I have so many ideas floating around, but actually sitting down and typing them out is something that has been all to easy to get away from.  So, after nearly four months away from my blog, I am back and hoping to make a regular habit of it.

If you wonder what I've been up to in the meantime,I have been keeping pretty busy.  I have been training with the Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team volunteer.  And I have enrolled in 2 college classes (Cultural Anthropology and Microeconomics)  for the summer session to get me back in the groove of being a student for this fall.  I had an amazing meeting with the Midwest Coordinator of Volunteer Advocacy from International Justice Mission today and I am looking forward to sharing more about that in another blog post.

In any case, while I have taken time off from the blog, life has moved swiftly onward.  I just need to take the time to remember to pause and chronicle it.  :)