The fashion industry is marred by constant controversy. We've all heard about the environmental damage caused by fast fashion, but the truth is the scope and depth of the problems in the fashion industry are much worse than most people realize.
Luckily, these issues have sparked movements aimed at creating better ways to make the clothes we wear. Ethical fashion is one such movement. It pushes back against the idea that the price of looking good is doing bad things and that a company can't do well while also doing good.
Ethical fashion lacks a single, definitive definition. While one person may think leather is produced ethically, others may believe no animal products can ever be ethical. Herein lies the difficulty in pinning down a definition. However, the basic idea involves minimizing harm to people and the environment. This includes ideas like sustainably made clothing, fair trade practices, safe working conditions, and paying everyone involved in the supply chain a living wage. Cultural respect is also a vital component.
All too often, huge brands steal ideas from creative people in marginalized communities, selling them for millions without giving credit or compensation to the people who created them. To add insult to injury, they also commit acts like pollution, creating unsafe working conditions, and engaging in forced labour that harm the very people they're stealing from.
That's why marginalized individuals often lead the way in ethical fashion. It's also why many place importance on uplifting those groups. We believe uplifting women, Indigenous and other marginalized designers in Canada is a vital element of ethical fashion. Let's dig a little deeper.
Why Ethical Fashion Matters
In a recent report, EarthDay.org exposed the extent of the problems rampant in the fashion industry. It's having huge negative impacts on every sector of the environment and the people at every link of the supply chain. Fashion hurts people at every stage, from depleting vital resources and causing cancer via pollution to deadly working conditions, poverty wages, and even forced child labour.
Ethical fashion is all about making clothes that make a fashion statement, as well as a political one. It centers on vital concepts such as sustainability, positively impacting local economies, and ensuring that human rights are respected.
There is also unique value in culturally rooted and community-led fashion. For so long, the same marginalized communities have had their land, resources, culture, personhood, and bodies disrespected, pillaged, ignored, and abused.
Then, elements of their fashion are divorced from the cultural importance and context in which they were created and sold by and to people who don't understand their significance. Culturally rooted and community-led fashion takes back the power and meaning behind these elements, allowing them to benefit the people who created them, both financially and personally.
People underestimate the value of ideas like representation. However, seeing yourself and your culture reflected in all areas of society, including fashion, makes people feel seen and important. Diverse designers challenge Eurocentric beauty standards, providing people of all backgrounds with the opportunity to see themselves reflected in high-fashion designs.
This sends the message, "You are beautiful. Your unique features, traditions, cultural practices, and identity are valuable and desirable." A privilege that white communities have always had and take for granted.
The Role of Women in Ethical Fashion in Canada
Women have always been at the centre of the fashion industry. Unfortunately, while women make up the majority of workers in garment manufacturing, often in unacceptable conditions, and are the primary target audience for most fashion advertising, they're rarely found in leadership positions that make the big decisions and reap most of the profits.
Women are 85% of fashion consumers buy two-thirds of all clothing and accessories, yet only 14% of the big fashion brands are run by women. At every stage of the supply chain, women are being mistreated, overlooked, and held back.
So, instead of politely waiting for the industry to allow women to rise to the top, it's about time we put real effort into actively uplifting them.
Since women disproportionately face the most harm from the industry's unethical practices, like dangerous labour conditions, financial hardship, unrealistic beauty standards, and lack of career advancement, these are feminist issues.
Numerous women are leading the ethical fashion movement, pushing back against fast fashion. With Canadian women-led brands, you can look good, feel good, and do good. While many sustainable and ethical brands are struggling (and need your support), there are some notable examples of Canadian women designers and founders making it work.
Eliza Faulkner has built a seven-figure business by doing everything ethically but not making that the focus of their messaging. She prioritizes fashion, and people are responding. The designs are so amazing that even consumers uninterested in ethical fashion are drawn to them.
Ai Toronto Seoul is a family business founded by a mother and her three daughters. They create vegan luxury items, such as designer bags. This brand is making it clear that while luxury always comes at a cost, pets, people, and the planet don't have to be among them.
Canadian women are stepping up to make real change and are looking good doing it.
Honouring Indigenous Designers and Traditions
Cultural authenticity and representation are essential in fashion. Fashion often has deep cultural roots, traditions, and stories. Misrepresenting them by taking pieces and divorcing them from the people and contexts that created them can lead to harmful stereotypes, belittle the people who are part of those cultures, and exploit them for financial benefits that those people will never experience.
In Canada and the US, in particular, a significant amount of wealth and success has been built on the aesthetics of Indigenous fashion. At the same time, the people who inspired them are actively marginalized, discriminated against, and held back from even a taste of the benefits that the use of their cultures has brought to others.
More brands should collaborate with the numerous amazing Indigenous-led fashion brands and designers in Canada, including Lesley Hampton, Section 35, Mobilize, and Tania Larsson, among others, rather than appropriating what amounts to their ancestral intellectual property and retaining the profits for themselves.
Allowing the people and communities who created the fashion to benefit financially would help remove some of the barriers that Indigenous designers face, such as a lack of access to funding, retail spaces, and industry networks. The fashion industry needs to start working with Indigenous designers to help them showcase these works of art.
How Consumers Can Support Designers Ethically
When it comes to ethical fashion, it's all about the source. Where did the materials come from? How were the clothes made? Are their production and labour practices ethical? These are questions you should know the answer to.
To uplift women, Indigenous and other marginalized designers, go to the source. Buy directly from women-led and Indigenous-owned brands. Seek out brands led by BIPOC founders. Use your voice and platforms to follow and amplify marginalized designers on social media, promoting education and cultural appreciation over appropriation.
Question brand diversity and inclusion practices and look for actions and results, not just media releases about initiatives that never get initiated and goals that are never met. Attend Indigenous fashion events, such as Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, and support initiatives like Toronto Fashion Week's diversity efforts.
Spotlight: 6 Ethical Brands to Watch
If you're looking for some specific, pre-vetted designers and brands to support, here are six of our favourites.
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Lesley Hampton: Body-positive, Indigenous-led designs
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Bethany Yellowtail (B.YELLOWTAIL): Indigenous heritage and storytelling
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Odeyalo: Minimalist, slow fashion from Montreal
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Evan Ducharme: Métis designer, merging heritage with high fashion
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SheNative: A leather accessory and apparel brand that empowers Indigenous women through design and manufacturing, creating collections that reflect strength and resilience
Ethical Fashion is More than a Trend. It's a Movement.
If you care about making progress toward more ethically produced fashion and supporting women, Indigenous, and other marginalized designers, taking this action is a meaningful and tangible step you can take today. The choices you make about what to buy matter. They make a difference. It's up to you to decide if it will be a positive one.
True ethical fashion must address both environmental and social justice. They are intertwined. You can't do one without the other. Building an inclusive fashion industry reflects Canada's multicultural values. Let's demonstrate that we can embody those values.
At GreenBirdi, we are revolutionizing ethical retail through our proprietary CURESG Framework, which uniquely integrates cultural sustainability with traditional ESG metrics, reflecting the highest global standards. We bridge the gap between the growing desires of online shoppers and the demand for ethical lifestyle products. Find out how we are doing our part at www.gogreenbirdi.com/greenbirdiapproved.
