FASHIONABLE AND ETHICAL: Livia Firth, shown with husband Colin, appears at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2012 wearing a sustainable design from Giorgio Armani. (Photo: INFevents.com)
BY Starre Vartan
Here's a list of reasons this blogger thinks fair fashion is anything but frivolous.
Often enough, people ask me why I cover ethical fashion. With a hard science background and passion for a cleaner Earth, aren't there other aspects of environmentalism that are more important, and less frivolous, than fashion? My answer usually takes a couple of minutes, because answering this question requires an explanation of the hugeness of the industry, and the equally large footprint of our clothing, shoes and accessories.
What most people don't understand is the size and reach of the fashion industry: every single person on Earth — all 7 billion-plus — have to get dressed ever day, after all. And for those who suggest that all of us wear a uniform of sorts that could be endlessly recycled (this comes up quite often in these discussions), I would argue that dressing ourselves is one of human beings' oldest forms of expression, and one of the original arts in many cultures.
You don't get woven Mohawk tribal patterns, Peruvian embroidery, Irish donegals or African kente prints without thousands of years of human creativity. Do we really want to do away with personal expression? Having spent just one year wearing a school uniform, I'll tell you that the idea, while practical, is dehumanizing to many of us. What we can do is buy less clothing, shop vintage and ethical fashion, recycle and upcycle where we can, and swap clothes, instead of participating in the fast fashion junkfest.
Read the rest of this article: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/blogs/why-ethical-fashion-matters-hint-its-about-people
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