The influx of fast and unethical fashion brands have completely engulfed the modern, western wardrobe. Although this phenomenon is currently threatening the nature of our planet, there are a few special people who are making it their mission to make a change, and it’s no surprise that these people are mainly women.
Aurora james
Aurora James is not just a 40-year-old Canadian-born activist, but she is also the head fashion designer for the sustainable label she founded in 2013, Brother Vellies.
James describes her brand as “redefining luxury.” They are able to accomplish this redefinition through “vegetable-tanned leathers, soling from recycled tires, hand carved wood, floral dyed feathers along with a collection of other by-product materials sourced from farmers across the globe.”
As a black owned and female led brand, it does not come as a shock that Brother Vellies aims to value those who are producing their products in places across the world. These places include “South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Italy, Haiti and at [their] home in New York City.”
Through carefully articulated and intentional adjustments to the process of production and consumption, James is able to keep “traditional African design practices, and techniques alive while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs.”
stella mccartney
The brand, Stella McCartney, was founded by another trailblazing fashion designer. Can you guess her name? It’s Stella McCartney!
McCartney claims that she is constantly aiming to “create the most beautiful and desirable products with the least impact on our planet.” Through this, McCartney’s brand has the ability to strip the common veil that many sustainable brands use to hinder transparency across supply chains. They accomplish this through procedures such as using “recycled and repurpose[d] material[s],” prioritizing raw materials grown by farmers, and by implementing sustainable collaborations including their “limited-edition collab of organic cotton pieces supporting the environmental NGO’s campaign to stop Amazon deforestation fuelled by industrial agriculture and meat production.”
The brand claims that they are “committed to always being responsible, honest and accountable, leaving a positive impact on our planet. We stand up and speak up for Mother Earth, our fellow creatures and in solidarity with all humans today in order to protect our better tomorrow.”
christy dawn
Christy Dawn is another sustainable fashion designer who was able to come up with an insanely creative name for her brand, Christy Dawn!
With the brand’s motto being, “Honoring Mother Earth,” it is not surprising that Christy Dawn strives for sustainability in all sectors of their production. Dawn has incorporated two tabs on her brand’s website that truly stick out when looking for sustainable products: ‘Farm-To-Closet’ and ‘Pre-Loved.’
‘Farm-To-Closet’ is an “invitation to wear your values.” When you purchase something from this section of the brand, your purchase “helps replenish even more soil and sequester even more carbon.” This section is made entirely from regenerative cotton, and because of this, has been able to “directly address climate change, successfully drawing down more than 2 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere.”
The ‘Pre-Loved’ section is a place where you can buy and sell previously owned pieces from Christy Dawn. This can be compared to a high-end consignment store that specializes in previously loved, luxury pieces. The brand describes how this process “is a great way to earn while doing the right thing for Mother Earth.”
It is constantly made clear throughout her brand that Dawn’s “goal is not only to create beautiful products, but also to inspire a greater awareness of our shared responsibility to each other and the planet.”
how we can improve
The biggest issue when it comes to sustainable brands is undoubtedly the pricing. Because the accumulation and production of sustainable, recycled, and raw materials is extremely expensive for most brands, the prices assigned to their clothing often seem inaccessible for many.
Though the recent rise of sustainable fashion has a crucial part in protecting our planet, the next step is to figure out how we can make sustainable fashion protect our wallets as well.