ADVOCACY
Released in October 2015, True Cost Movie has been one of the driving forces behind educating the public on the environmental and human impact of the fashion industry.
The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? Filmed in countries all over the world, from the brightest runways to the darkest slums, and featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva, The True Cost is an unprecedented project that invites us on an eye opening journey around the world and into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes.
Watch the trailer or download the movie at truecostmovie.com
Fashion Revolution + Fashion Revolution Australia
Sparked by the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, Fashion Revolution is leading the charge for change by mobilising people to get educated and get active, and become a fashion revolutionary in their own backyards. For ways to Get Involved, a copy of their Fashion Transparency Index, Action Kits and to stay informed visit their website
“Both people and the environment suffer as a result of the way fashion is made, sourced and consumed. This needs to change.” fashionrevolution.org
Fashion Revolution Australia celebrates all those who are tackling the challenge of fairer supply chains, particularly local designers, producers and retailers bringing ethically produced fashion to the public and the educators and organisations working hard to make traceability an everyday reality in the fashion industry. For upcoming news and events local to Australia & New Zealand, stay tuned to their dedicated social pages on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Wardrobe Crisis – Podcast by Clare Press
Journalist & author of book Wardrobe Crisis, Clare Press delves deep into the world of ethical and sustainable fashion interviewing influencers, designers & innovators in the field. A well-known speaker and newly appointed Sustainability Editor for Vogue Australia, Press opens doors and minds with these thoughtful and immaculately presented 45 minute insights. For more about Wardrobe Crisis – How we went from Sunday Best to Fast Fashion book, continue to our reading list below.
REPORTS
Good On You App
First launched in Australia in 2015, the Good On You app is now available globally on iOS or Android. Their aim is to bring greater awareness and transparency to customers regarding a brand’s ethical and sustainability practices, and so created a method allowing them to rate any brand based on publicly available information. They then condensed this into an easy to use app helping consumers make positive purchasing decisions. Good On You currently rates more than 1,000 fashion brands. They describe their purpose;“to create a world where people’s shopping choices drive businesses to be sustainable and fair”. goodonyou.eco
The Ethical Fashion Guide by Baptist World Aid Australia
Baptist World Aid Australia is a not-for-profit Christian organisation committed to empowering the world’s poor to lift themselves out of poverty. The “Ethical Fashion Report” is published through their Behind the Barcode project, with the first edition released in 2013. The research provided by the report is designed to help consumers make more informed fashion choices and end worker exploitation by asking Brands for greater transparency in their supply chains. You can download the 2018 Ethical Fashion Guide and read their “Fashion Victims” factsheets here. Visit baptistworldaid.org.au for information about these and other projects.
CERTIFICATIONS
Fair Trade – Australia & New Zealand
Fairtrade advocates for better working conditions and improved terms of trade for farmers and workers in developing countries. Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand works directly with businesses, consumers and campaigners to make trade fair by securing a better deal for farmers and workers.
“Fairtrade is about stable prices, decent working conditions and the empowerment of farmers and workers around the world.” fairtrade.com.au
Visit fairtrade.com.au to discover more about fair trade products including cotton, or shop Fair Trade Certified products at Oxfam Australia
Fair Wear Foundation, based in Europe, works with brands, factories, trade unions, NGOs and governments to verify and improve workplace conditions. They operate in 11 production countries in Asia, Europe and Africa to keep track of improvements and share expertise, social dialogue and strengthen industrial relations. FWF’s more than 80 member companies represent over 120 brands whose products are sold in over 20,000 retail outlets in more than 80 countries around the world. Fair Wear Foundation believe “Change requires a major joint effort. We therefore invite companies to join FWF and make a difference.” For more information visit www.fairwear.org
BOOKS / MAGAZINES
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An exposé on the fashion industry written by the Observer’s ‘Ethical Living’ columnist, examining the inhumane and environmentally devastating story behind the clothes we so casually buy and wear. Coming at a time when the global financial crisis and contracting of consumer spending is ushering in a new epoch for the fashion industry, To Die For offers a very plausible vision of how green could really be the new black. Taking particular issue with our current mania for both big-name labels and cheap fashion, To Die For sets an agenda for the urgent changes that can and need to be made by both the industry and the consumer. Far from outlining a future of drab, ethical clothing, Lucy Siegle believes that it is indeed possible to be an ‘ethical fashionista’, simply by being aware of how and where (and by whom) clothing is manufactured. In this impassioned book, Siegle analyses the global epidemic of unsustainable fashion, taking stock of our economic health and moral accountabilities to expose the pitfalls of fast fashion. Siegle reveals the truth behind cut price, bulk fashion and the importance of your purchasing decisions, advocating the case for a new sustainable design era where we are assured of value for money: ethically, morally and in real terms.
Green is the New Black, Tamsin Blanchard 
From the truth about fast fashion to the best biodegradable shoes, from guilt-free spending sprees to the joys of swishing parties, Tamsin Blanchard is your guide to all things fairtrade and fabulous. She explains the principles of ethical fashion, from why it matters to how to do it. Offers tips for the aspiring green goddess: including how to knit your own scarf, seduction in eco-couture, the best places to shop for vintage sunglasses, and ethical bling. And includes fun facts and essential directories on every aspect of sustainable stylish living.
Slow Fashion offers creatives, entrepreneurs, and ethical consumers alike a glimpse into the innovative world of the eco-concept store movement, sustainable design, and business that puts people, livelihoods, and sustainability central to everything they do. This book curates pioneering people and projects that will inspire you to be part of the change. International names include Livia Firth, Zandra Rhodes, and Lily Cole. American change-makers include Andrew Morgan, filmmaker (The True Cost, a ground-breaking documentary that asks us each to consider who pays the price for our clothing), and Dana Geffner (Fair World Project). With full color photography and elegant design, Slow Fashion profiles the people bringing the alternatives to the mainstream: designers, labels, and eco-concept stores across the world; fair trade producers; campaigns that are re-designing the fashion economy; and the fibers and fabrics which are making a difference.
There are over 35 million people trapped in modern slavery today―the largest number of slaves in modern history. This is fueled by the global demand for cheap labor―which is what makes the fast fashion industry work. Slave to Fashion is a highly accessible book which uses brilliant design, personal stories, and easy-to-grasp infographics to raise awareness among common brand consumers.
Fair trade and sustainable fashion expert Safia Minney draws on her extensive knowledge and personal experience to call attention to the human hardship that goes hand-in-hand with producing our clothes, and highlights what governments, business leaders, and consumers can do to call time on this unnecessary suffering. The product of a successful crowdfunding campaign, Slave to Fashion celebrates those fighting for justice and the many initiatives that are taking place. It contains a practical toolkit that all consumers can use to demand change from the companies that produce our clothes.
Sustainable Fashion provides a unique and accessible overview of fashion ethics and sustainability issues of the past, present and future. This book is the first to situate today’s eco-fashion movement in its multifaceted historical context, investigating the relationship between fashion and the environment as far back as the early nineteenth century. Employing an expanded definition of sustainability that also considers ethical issues, Farley Gordon and Hill explore each stage of the fashion production cycle, from the cultivation of raw fibers to the shipment of the finished garment. Structured thematically, each of the six chapters is dedicated to the discussion of one major issue, from recycling and repurposing to labor practices and the treatment of animals. Including interviews with eco-fashion designers, Sustainable Fashion will appeal to students and scholars of fashion, as well as students of design, history and cultural studies.
How we went from Sunday Best to Fast Fashion: in Wardrobe Crisis, fashion journalist Clare Press explores the history and ethics behind what we wear. Putting her insider status to good use, Press examines the entire fashion ecosystem, from sweatshops to haute couture, unearthing the roots of today’s buy-and-discard culture. She traces the origins of icons like Chanel, Dior and Hermès; charts the rise and fall of the department store; and follows the thread that led us from Marie Antoinette to Carrie Bradshaw.
From a time when Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein were just two boys from the Bronx, to the world of the global fashion juggernaut, where Zara’s parent company produces more than 900 million garments annually, Press takes us on an insider’s journey of discovery and revelation.
Wardrobe Crisis is a witty and persuasive argument for a fashion revolution that will empower you to feel good about your wardrobe again.
Peppermint is an Australian quarterly print magazine focused on style, sustainability and substance. Covering slow food, ethical fashion, natural living, health and beauty, diversity, social entrepreneurs and more, it was created for the rapidly growing number of individuals who appreciate good design and creativity, but also care about social and environmental issues and things that matter. A woman after our own heart is their Founder & Editor-in-Chief, KELLEY SHEENAN;
“In the end, stuff doesn’t matter. The endless piles of clothes are only filling the space in our wardrobes; they aren’t able to fill the holes in our hearts.” KELLEY SHEENAN, Peppermint Magazine | peppermintmag.com
With the closure of Slow Made Magazine by Frankie Press, we are still grateful for a place to discover new artists and slow-made crafts & fashion.
“frankie magazine is a national bi-monthly based in Australia, aimed at women (and men) looking for a magazine that’s as smart, funny, sarcastic, friendly, cute, rude, arty, curious and caring as they are. We cover design, art, photography, fashion, travel, music, craft, interiors and real-life stories – we aim to surprise and delight readers with every turn of our beautifully matte pages, and have a good old laugh while doing so.”
We aim to keep this page updated with the most relevant resources to the Australian Ethical Fashion market. If you believe something is missing, feel free to Contact Us.