Our Blog | Love Linen The Label — Fashion Revolution

Fashion Revolution week 23rd-29th of April marks the 6th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more in 2013, millions of people are now encouraged to ask brands #whomademyclothes and demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain.

This revolution is a global movement calling for greater sustainability and ethics within the fashion industry.

Part of our passion is this movement which encourages more sustainability to change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, and ensuring #whomademyclothes are subject to a fair wages and safe working conditions. 

This year there are much greater things at hand than just the Fashion Revolution - there is a current revolution of awareness of how we are living and consuming. This all goes hand in hand. We are waking up and it takes times such as these to do so.

The fashion industry is rife with fast fashion following short term fashion trends at super-low prices. It does come to a point that we have to consider the real cost of this out-ways a cheap price tag.

You are deciding which you are supporting every purchase you make. Quality over quantity is key here, having a high quality wardrobe that not only looks amazing, it will not fall apart after a few washes and you will not be contributing to the masses of landfill and subjecting people to unfair working conditions.

Shop YOUR VALUES, Shop local, shop small and ask #whomademyclothes?

We are so proud to be a part of what this amazing woman has created, spreading the word about supporting locally made sustainable and ethical fashion. Please see Claire's story below, we are so lucky to be involved in this shared vision. 

"I am a fashion blogger, an avid clothes lover and an advocate for the Australian fashion industry, but first and foremost, I am a conscious consumer."
It was from my front row seat at A.F. Vandevorst during Paris Fashion Week in 2014 that I decided I would wake up every day in the name of fashion. As Sherry Qiu bound down the runway through a sea of smoke, everyone else was looking left – and I was looking right. I found myself completely absorbed in the menagerie of photographers before me, stacked on top, around and underneath each other, elbow to elbow and cheek to cheek in a silently understood mess. They were still, with only the movement of fingers on cameras and only the sound of fluttering lenses, synced in a frenzying harmony with every step each model took. Pose, snap snap, pose.

These were mere outfits on the runway to some, but moments in time to me. Each different angle became infinitely worthy to be captured, lusted over, longed for and needed. As crushed khaki linen layers and scarlet silks marched down the barrel of the runway, I was mesmerised, I was captivated, I was inspired. I decided then and there, that fashion would be the one thing I would always pursue, on a constant hunt for moments that move me. It is one thing to know trends, it is another to understand the feeling of fashion, and I felt it running through every vein in my body.

I now devote The Fashion Advocate to sharing meaningful content, focussing on Australian fashion, beauty and lifestyle labels that share my ethical and sustainable values. What started as a digital diary of my fashion musings has now grown into a community of likeminded individuals who are designing for positive social and environmental change.

If I can encourage just one reader to support the Australian industry and choose ethics over trends, my job here is done.

Now is the time to look deep down into the bottom drawer, into the darkest corners of our wardrobes, and think seriously about the impacts of our consuming habits. Your wardrobe and your home should reflect who you are and what you stand for, and mine reflect my ethics and values. I could reference Chanel, Anna Wintour or Alexander McQueen, who have all coined some of the most memorable quotes in fashion history, but I agree most with Alber Elbaz, who said, “Fashion is pure, intense emotions. It’s not about design. It’s about feelings." Feelings are what make us human, but somewhere along the way, we've lost our values and fast fashion has become a monster. 

I want to slow things down. I want to remind people of the true value of their clothes and teach shoppers to respect the people who make them. I work every day on my quest to inspire people to think consciously about their wardrobes, because every garment counts.

– Claire Goldsworthy - founder of The Fashion Advocate 

After Fashion Revolution week 23rd-29th of April last month marking the 5th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more in 2013, millions of people are now encouraged to ask brands #whomademyclothes and demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. This revolution is a global movement calling for greater sustainability and ethics within the fashion industry.

Part of our passion is this movement which encourages more sustainability to change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, and ensuring #whomademyclothes are subject to a fair wages and safe working conditions. 

The fashion industry is rife with fast fashion following short term fashion trends at super-low prices. It does come to a point that we have to consider the real cost of this out-ways a cheap price tag. You are deciding which you are supporting every purchase you make. Quality over quantity is key here, having a high quality wardrobe that not only looks amazing, it will not fall apart after a few washes and you will not be contributing to the masses of landfill and subjecting people to unfair working conditions. Shop local, shop small and ask #whomademyclothes?

Slow Fashion essentially opposes the fast fashion model that emerged around 20 years ago when world wide production of clothing increased tenfold, most of which has made it to ever increasing landfill.

Slow Fashion is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.

Pre-industrial revolution, garments were locally sourced and produced. People would buy durable clothing that could serve them for a long time, or make their own from the textiles and resources available to them. Clothing even reflected the place and culture of the people wearing them.

We think it is time to return to this frame of mind, the good news is Slow Fashion has seen increasing support in the last few years, with an awareness from consumers demanding higher sustainability and ethical standards. In Australia we are lucky enough to have Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA®) which is an accreditation body working collaboratively with local textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) businesses to ensure their Australian supply chains are legally compliant.

Currently we are pleased to advise our own accreditation with ECA is pending and we look forward to joining other Australian brands who value these ethics of production and manufacture particularly in an industry known for it's misuse of human and natural resources. 

This week is Fashion Revolution week, held from the 23rd-29th of April. This week marks the 6th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more in 2013.

We are encouraging millions now to ask brands #whomademyclothes and demand greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. This revolution is a global movement calling for greater sustainability and ethics within the fashion industry which is renowned for the exploitation of human and natural resources. 

Part of our passion is this movement which encourages more sustainability to change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, and ensuring #whomademyclothes are subject to a fair wages and safe working conditions. 

The fashion industry is rife with fast fashion following short term fashion trends at super-low prices. We have to consider the real cost of this out-ways a cheap price tag. Decide which you are supporting every purchase you make. Quality over quantity is key here, having a high quality wardrobe that not only looks amazing, it will not fall apart after a few washes and you will not be contributing to the masses of landfill and subjecting people to unfair working conditions. 

Shop local, shop small business and ask #whomademyclothes?

The production of clothing worldwide has increased 50% since the year 2000 increasing over 20% each year. The overproduction of cheap quality garments produced at next to nothing to keep up with fast and faster fashion contributed to more than 500,000 tonnes of textiles and leather sent to landfill in Australia alone. Customers are getting their fashion fix fast – but then they’re binning it. This increasingly disposable nature of fashion is causing huge problems for the environment.

Unfortunately cheap fashion has become a definition for value, a T-shirt for under $10 - that's value. When you consider for example, it takes 2700L of water and over 120 days to grow enough cotton to make a T-shirt, this is becoming a massive problem. 

We need to slow down, we need to consider how long something will last before we purchase and hold brands accountable for this excessive over-production. You decide with where your dollars are spent.

Fast fashion is pushing all prices down to the bare minimum, which is also terrible for those who depend on the industry for their wages. An Oxfam report found that just 4% of the amount Australians spend on clothing goes to the garment workers. This is appalling. It's time to consider #whomademyclothes and what conditions these people are working in, not to mention the ecological impact this fast fashion is having on the world. 

Shop slow, shop sustainable, shop ethical - shop local.