Working Conditions and Ethical Practices

This article proved to be eye-opening in highlighting just how many retailers have been involved with cheap labour abroad. What's even more shocking is that when retail giants such as Sir Phillip Green are confronted about these issues, their response always seems to conjure an excuse instead of a solution.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-real-cost-of-fashion-a-special-report-400611.html

I understand that due to geography the retailer can't be in the factory 24/7 and that when audits are carried out on factories a lot of time a majority of conditions are covered up.  However, I do believe that billionaire tycoons such as Sir Phillip Green do have a social responsibility as a public figure and someone with power to ensure that the worker's who are producing the clothing which ultimately uphold his billionaire status, are being paid and treated fairly. That working conditions are of a sufficient standard and that workers are not being overworked etc.

http://www.treehugger.com/style/are-these-unethical-fashion-brands-hiding-in-your-closet/page2.html
This article was essential in identifying the specifics about each fashion brand caught carrying out unethical practices. The real cost of fashion.

http://gleaner.rutgers.edu/2012/04/18/sweatshops-and-child-labor-the-price-of-fashion/
It is baffling that retailers such as NIKE and GAP have been found to be using workers as young as 10 in sweatshops abroad. This article was key in reinforcing the point that consumers seem to be shocked at the news but it is soon forgotten when we go to purchase clothes.

Proving how little money workers live on abroad

Just some of the issues workers are faced with

Superdry sweatshop in India
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBYwIsOVkHhCVzjZx6sdRIfLeRGpODcz-JvxK4a_RNA7WWhsW9dayAkrqr6bC_8PAb_bILgdYON4nqcPZaJw6HnXiKVYOJ9ExoZuzb2z7_UJGpFXd22zHYUQd946oXkIE4Z6ZW1zfJden/s1600/India-sweatshop.jpg

Chinese sweatshop
http://www.pubtheo.com/images/chinese-workers.jpg

GAP sweatshop in Bangladesh
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrvOljbfSxrVKpWuJpq2quVzpsIX2B5WD7ri4vqoAwaQDZxVFb3w

Faces of Sustainable Fashion

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG9941053/Livia-Firth-brings-glamour-to-Sustainable-City-Awards.html

Livia Firth is just one among many of ambassadors for sustainable fashion, using her platform to raise the profile and the issues surrounding Eco-fashion. Big names such as hers are hopefully guaranteed to increase interest surrounding the topic and ensure that consumers are more aware of where their clothing is coming from.

M&S won the award for most sustainable retailer, however other retailers seem to be following in their footsteps.

H&M are making a 'concious' effort to ensure that they are doing everything they can to carry out all of their processes in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability.html

By using high profile celebrities to advertise their concepts, Vanessa Paradis for Concious Collection and Beyonce for WaterAid it is once again raising awareness with the consumer.

http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Communities/Community-Projects/Water-Aid.html

http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability/HMConscious/Aboutconscious.html#cm-menu

Not only have h&m created collections for WaterAid and sustainable fashion, they are also taking measures to minimise the use of textile landfill waste by collecting clothes in store.
http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle/Garment-Collecting.html

(ALL IMAGES TAKEN FROM hm.com)

Eco Fashion Designers

Linda Loudermilk's is an Eco fashion designer creating haute couture collections proving that organic clothing doesn't have to be yoga wear and sportswear. In fact, the opposite her tireless campaigning has resulted in collections that are not meant for practicality but as art. Her Eco warrior nature has also turned the heads of many Eco aware celebrities e.g. Jane Fonda.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2NB4QpesTpbSOSxOThk43XgE7byM8BUO5RhX6Oerz7tbrn3cx

Spring's 2013 Estethica showcase revealed 'green' designers set to conquer sustainability within the fashion industry. Using this platform the collections they have created are an attempt to prove and show off to the world the use of sustainable materials and ethical practices within the fashion industry.

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/09/inhabitat-estethica-london-fashion-week-spring-summer-2013-1-537x402.jpg

Margot Bowman's SS13 Sustainable Swimwear Range
http://becauselondon.com/media/24299/fash_bowman_1.jpg

http://www.ecofashionworld.com/Designer-Profile/LINDA-LOUDERMILK-THE-PIONEER.html

The previous article led me to wanting to discover if using organic and sustainable materials prove to be cost effective and therefore can be filtrated through the high street by the conglomerate retailers.

http://www.cottonique.com/blogs/blog/7179924-the-high-cost-of-organic-clothing

So from this article I have learnt about all the different elements that make organic clothing more expensive to produce, the issue raised within the article that stands out to me the most is that a big part of paying more for organic clothing is the cut of cheap labour in third world countries which is often the reason retailers such as Primark  can afford to have such low prices.

Sustainable Beachwear

As I am hoping to create a sustainable beachwear range, I found this article very useful in discovering a blended variety of fabrics which would be suitable and wearable within a beachwear  range. Linda Loudermilk, MAE Couture and Meadow have collaborated and created swimwear designs made from wood pulp, bamboo and up cycled factory materials.
http://hautenatured.com/2012/07/sustainable-swimwear-to-debut-at-fashion-week-swim-in-miami/

(IMAGES TAKEN FROM trendhunter.com)

I also came across the brand Bubululu Malibu who are a Mum and daughter team who have created a line of beachwear made only from organic fabrics such as bamboo, soy, and organic cotton blends. 

http://www.bubululumalibu.com/about_bubul.html

 

(IMAGES TAKEN FROM bubululumalibu.com)

Another brand I discovered to have created a sustainable beachwear collection is Reve en Vert. 

http://www.revenvert.com/story.html

(IMAGES TAKEN FROM revenvert.com)

Winslow Clothing offer a variety of sustainable and organic products throughout their collections.

http://www.winslowclothing.com/#!info

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ2NB4QpesTpbSOSxOThk43XgE7byM8BUO5RhX6Oerz7tbrn3cx

I was intrigued to learn further about the use of bamboo as a fabric, its sustainability and effectiveness as a beachwear fabric.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGdMTIxU9Uc

This video which I found on YouTube was very helpful in understanding the conversion process of bamboo to clothing and the different properties of the fabric which make it so ideal for the use of as a sustainable fabric. It also takes to easily to natural dyes ensuring that the entire process is eco-friendly.

Bamboo properties which it make it an ideal fabric for a beachwear range

Sustainable Fabrics

This article summarises and identifies the more sustainable fabrics available to minimise environmental risks through the production of fabrics in order to encourage ethical fashion. Cotton is a natural fibre but the production process involves harmful chemical and pesticides, Organic cotton aims to reduce the use of 'chlorine bleaches and synthetic dyes'
http://www.greenchoices.org/green-living/clothes/more-sustainable-fabrics


'What's the most sustainable fabric?' highlights the pros and cons of different fabrics including polyester and cotton and how to make those fabrics more sustainable. Also discussed is the idea of shopping v swapping in order to minimise textile waste. An environmental committee discovered that textile waste at landfill sites rose from seven to thirty % over the last five years. M&S are the leading innovators on the high street supporting the swapping ideology with their Shwopping campaign.
http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/clothing/268798/whats_the_most_sustainable_fabric.html


LAUNCH System 2013 offers a collaboration by NIKE, NASA and the U.S Agency for Development in an attempt to create new sustainable fabrics. The technology used by NASA and the retailing brain of NIKE look set to be a good partnership with the aid of the U.S Agency for Development, funding will be on their side and hopefully they will innovate new sustainable fabrics.
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2013/05/07/nike-joins-nasa-usaid-develop-sustainable-fabrics

SUSTAINABLE FABRICS

Organic Cotton:
-Relies on crop rotation
-Uses natural enemies- ladybirds
-No pollution
-More expensive to produce
-More difficult to spin
-Grown in approx 20 countries- Turkey is the primary producer
-Resistant to insects, needs less water
http://www.peopletree.co.uk/content/32/organic-cotton-fibre

http://www.organic-cotton.us/organic-cotton1.jpg

Hemp:
-4x stronger than cotton
-Hypo allergenic and non-irritating
-Softens with age
-Bast fibres
-World's most versatile fibre
-Can be blended with other fibres
-Enriches soil
http://www.sativabags.com/hemp_information/

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJ9-CwYKRQXsPdzgOWcwxghv6NjKqu4xRtIX2nxxRJ2eAryH-MHg

Bamboo:
-Fast growing
-Bast fibres
-Naturally converted into cellulose for processing into fibre
-No need for pesticides/chemicals to grow
-Naturally biodegradable
http://www.greenearthbamboo.com/Organic-Bamboo-Fabric-Facts-s/89.htm

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTHkGsaa9sgqu5nwp5bm_xjRHE2i5oMrn0etKoXOUqwIiRHy2fjsw

Soya:
-Renewable botanic protein fibre
-Moisture absorbing
-Slight sheen
-Dye's easily
-Can be blended with other fibres
-Derived from tofu waste
-Biodegradable
-Doesn't pollute
http://www.climateclothing.ca/why-wear-soybean-fabric.shtml