Fashion Takes Action

In fact, when FTA is delivering our school program My Clothes, My World (now to more than 2500 students across Ontario), we encourage them to look up such corporate websites before they go shopping, and to see who is being transparent about their practices. Once they have their eyes opened to the human and environmental impacts of fashion, these young people desperately want to know how they can still shop without hurting people or the planet. A good friend of mine, who is an award-winning retailer and environmental pioneer, opened two green lifestyle stores 20 years ago. He recently closed up shop, but he isn't as hurt by that as you might think. Why? Because green lifestyle products are now mainstream. They can be found in just about every pharmacy and grocery store. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of big companies putting the small guys out of business, but in the spirit of mainstream sustainability, should this not be seen as a positive story? And is this not the goal for those of us who have tirelessly been pushing the sustainable fashion movement for years? My friend is thrilled to know that he played a role in making this all happen. He was a driving force that has led to increased awareness and the mainstreaming of green products. His work is done and he leaves behind a legacy. Fast fashion looks like it is here to stay. While it is not the way we all choose to shop, it definitely fulfills a need for millions of people who have nothing but affordability in mind. And if you look at it from that perspective, rather than the perspective of garments should simply cost more, doesn't it make sense to support efforts that are being made to reduce water, waste and use of toxic chemicals whenever possible? FTA's founding vision in 2007 was to see sustainability stitched into every garment, shoe and accessory. EVERY garment, shoe and accessory. Not just the garments created locally by small independent designers. And while I have a lot of respect for these small companies and the many obstacles and challenges they face to ensure that sustainability is ingrained in their business, they alone cannot make change happen on the scale it needs to. If we truly want to see this change happen, then we have to embrace and support all companies who are doing good things, and turn our attention to those whose heads remain in the sand.