The fashion world hasn’t always had the best reputation when it comes to charitable activities. With industry giants such as Nike, Zara, and Victoria’s Secret being associated with child labour and unfair employment practices in the manufacturing of cotton, it’s difficult to know who you can trust as a consumer. As much as we love the prices in Primark, it’s not hard to guess who’s losing out when we pay so little for the clothes – unfortunately it’s probably the labour forces. Yet when there is a charity event such as the AMFAR 2013 Gala it’s always very much in the spotlight. We’re often left wondering if the high profile guests really care about the charity, or if they’re just jumping on the celebrity bandwagon and attending for the exposure. We don’t see many of them in developing countries putting their name to a cause. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s hope for the fashion industry as several big names are trying to make a difference in a big way, and show us they care about more than just what’s skin deep.
Lulu Guinness and Stella McCartney are lending their designer services to the annual Comic Relief event on March 15th. If you’ve always wanted to own a McCartney piece and help a cause at the same time, her Red Nose Day T-shirts are worth getting hold of. They feature new takes on iconic images of likes of Marilyn Monroe, Kate Moss and The Beatles and are chic and charitable. The fabulous Kate Moss T-Shirt is £14.99, made from 100% Fairtrade Organic Cotton, and at least half of the price will go to Comic Relief.
And if you’ve ever wanted a Lulu Guinness handbag now’s your chance, because she has collaborated with Sainsbury’s to create a new line featuring her iconic designs for only £5. All the proceeds go to Comic Relief charities, so get one while you can. If you’re looking to get involved within the University, look no further than Exeter’s own ‘Be the Change’ society. As well organising events, they are selling 100% organic ‘Trade Not Aid’ bags, made by employees of Teddy Exports based in Southern India. They cost just £3.50, and the profits are donated to its health clinic and school so it really deserves your support. Make sure you head to the forum between 11th to 15th March to get your hands on one of their handy and fashionable bags.
Not convinced by fashion’s charity credentials yet? Michael Kors’ new partnership with the UN and the World Food Programme will undoubtedly impress you. The designer is at the forefront of the new campaign ‘Watch Hunger Stop’ in which he is getting involved in the battle to combat world hunger. He gave us a taster of what’s to come with a short YouTube video, which informed us of the shocking fact that 870 million people in the world go to bed hungry. Makes you feel guilty for not finishing a meal right? Through a series of campaigns, events and fundraisers Kors will help raise awareness and money for the cause. So how can we help? True to his day job, Kors will be selling two unisex watches. The profits of each one sold will feed 100 children in Africa. His long term partnership with the UN and the WPF will bring critical attention to the cause and hopefully encourage others to follow.
Also leading the way is clothes giant H&M and it’s collaboration with the WWF, in a 3 year programme implement a new corporate water strategy. By evaluating their water consumption in 2012, they want to revolutionise how they use this resource in manufacturing and promote sustainable practices. They will be involving their 750 suppliers, and 94,000 employees to educate them about the water strategy. This focus on water is the first of its kind in the fashion industry, and H&M hope to have implemented their strategy by 2025 with the help of the WWF. They will also be bringing attention to the conservation projects in Bangladesh and China involved in the preservation of river basins. It’s fantastic to see designers trying to make difference to world issues, and using their fame and profile to raise awareness.
So hopefully Her Campus has convinced you that some key players in the fashion industry do care about charitable causes, and aren’t just ruthless profit-seeking machines (well some of them anyway.) Finally, you’ve been watching the Baftas, the Grammys and are eagerly awaiting the Oscars, but you may have missed The Peta UK Fashion Awards. This charity is dedicated to showing the ugly truth of where leather, silk and fur comes from. So next time you’re shopping bear in mind that retailers such as Topshop, River Island, H&M and New Look were all winners, so even in buying clothes from there you will be helping promote good manufacturing practices. Perhaps the fashion world isn’t so bad after all? We’ll leave you to decide.
Picture credits
http://ldnfashion.com/london-fashion-news/stella-mccartney-launches-comic-relief-2013-t-shirt-range/