There’s much talk about the fashion industry being frivolous, fake and fussy. But if organised correctly, it can prove to be an effective tool for social change. The artisan craft industry is the second largest employer in the developing world and both fashion businesses and shoppers need to take responsibility. Contrary to what we might like to believe, most of us are ignorant and don’t bother about our consumption habits and their impact on the world. The ruinous effects of fast fashion are surfacing each day, be it the exploitation of underprivileged people or the environmental damage. Which really begs the question – are we ready to risk our planet and innocent lives, just to look good?
Well, we don’t have to! Social entrepreneurs are adding soul to fashion and creating products that make us feel beautiful, inside-out. Here are some game-changing brands that we ought to know and must buy:
1. A Peace Treaty – Founded in 2008 by Dana Arbib & Farah Malik, A Peace Treaty’s mission is to make artisanal products fashionable, while empowering women along the way. The brand operates across 10 developing countries and employs marginalized female artisans to make handcrafted scarves, bags, dresses and jewellery. Based in New York, the company advocates slow fashion and believes in ethical production/consumption. Focusing on regions struggling with socio-political conflict, the label sets up intervention projects with local village artisans, kick-starting the stagnant economy. The label was included as a member to the prestigious ‘Council of Fashion Designers of America’ in 2016.
2. Studio One Eighty Nine – Agents for social change, Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah started their label in 2013 after being inspired by a ‘women empowerment’ workshop they attended in Africa. What struck them was that these women were survivors of violence and yet they were able to turn “pain into power”. Studio One Eighty Nine is a social enterprise that was started to support these women and artisans in the African continent and uplift them. They hope to celebrate the heritage and traditions while employing age-old crafts and skills to make products that are relevant to today’s consumer. Going beyond fashion, they are trying to build a sustainable future by promoting education, providing skills training and supporting companies with marketing and communication services. Studio One Eighty Nine has received various awards like the ‘Martin Luther King Jr Social Justice Award’, the ‘MOCADA Social Justice Award’ and the ‘Design Miami Visionary Award’.
3. Soko – Gwendolyn Floyd has been awarded as an emerging global leader by the World Bank, SXSW, Vodafone, and USAID. Catherine Mahugu has received global recognition through her features in ‘Forbes 30 Under 30’, ‘Forbes Africa’s Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs’, ‘BBC 100 Women’ and ‘World Bank’s Top 11 Inspirational Women’. Ella Peinovich is an Ashoka Fellow and a recipient of The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) Global Forum and World of Difference Award. And together these women refer to themselves pioneers of ethical fast fashion and have built their brand based on this very concept. After recognizing the potential of emerging markets and toying with the desire to improve the lives of underprivileged communities, they launched Soko as a way to engage remote neighbourhoods and a means to pull them out of poverty. Their main aim is to bridge the income gap and give the artisans a fair share of the profits; otherwise absorbed by major corporations. Keeping with the times, they’ve embraced technology and created a mobile commerce app that connects independent artisans to Soko. While the company’s roots are in Nairobi, in 2015 they established their US Headquaters in San Francisco.
4. Muzungu Sisters – After completing a master’s degree in human rights, Dana Alikhani wanted to make a real difference in society by promoting non-discriminatory labour and fair wages. So together with her friend Tatiana Santo Domingo, they launched Muzungu sisters as a way to showcase talents from underserved nations. With production capacities across 4 continents, the brand observes the authenticity of indigenous designs and does not dilute the craft. The brand received the ‘Fashion for Development Award’ by UN NGO Women Together at the United Nations Secretariat in 2014.
5. Thinx – Miki Agarwal’s company is trying to change the world by making you change your underwear. If you’re a woman, it’s impossible to have gone through life without worrying about period stains. But what we don’t realise is that there are millions of girls around the world who don’t even have access to sanitary napkins. Thinx is a revolutionary undergarment that is created with a special patented technology which makes it leak-proof, absorbent and anti-microbial. While this is great for us, it also great for the millions of poverty-poverty-striken girls because, for every underwear purchased 7 Afripads (reusable cloth sanitary pads) are donated. Allowing these young women to be productive members of society. Agarwal was nominated for a Shero Award at the first-annual Women’s Choice Awards, holds the title of Inc.’s Most Innovative Women in 2016 and was honoured as 2017’s Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
