Conscientious
Conscientious Ethical Fashion Magazine
What is 'ethical fashion'? That's a question for each of us to explore in our own conscience.
You are what you wear!
Ethical Labels
Do you know where your fashion comes from? Which fibres are natural? Which are biodegradable? Are they fitted and designed on people by orginal people? Or are they cut and pasted from photos of other people's work, rushed through assemble lines by underpaid, underskilled workers. QUALITY + CARE = ETHICAL FASHION If you look at the labels (what it made from, where it's made) and the seams and workmanship (are the seams reinforced neatly and sturdily, is it lined, are the pockets real or for show), you will learn a lot. The starting point is fabric awareness.
What is Jersey?
Jersey fabric is a knit machine-made textile made from cotton or a cotton and synthetic blend. Some common uses for jersey fabric include t-shirts and winter bedding. The fabric is warm, breathable, flexible and very soft, perfect for the layer worn closest to the body.
As cotton is a thirsty plant, doused in pesticides and toxins, traveling across continents to factories and often using child labour- make sure your Jersey is at least organic.
Stewart Brown Organic Jersey
What is Taffeta?
Taffeta was historically made from silk, but today can be made from many different fibres, including synthetic fibres like nylon, and engineered fibres such as rayon.
The term “taffeta” comes from the Persian words for “twisted” and “woven.” The fabric was commonly produced along the silk road; China, Japan, India, and Iran all have a history of taffeta production, originally on hand looms and eventually on modernized machine looms.
The best Taffeta is also the most conscientious- 100% silk, hand loomed and natural dyes.
Cambodia is a great source for high quality hand loomed Taffeta. By buying Cambodian silk you are also helping one of the world's poorest countries get back its financial independence.
Valentino Silk Taffeta Skirt
What is linen?
Read all the tags not just the "eco/green/fairtrade/certified..." tag. Don't take certification for granted, it might be paid for or a marketing tool.
There is usually a small tag on the right inside seam that will tell you the washing instructions, where it was made and the fabrics. This can be more telling than the 'eco tag'. Is the fabric biodegradable? Does it require gentle/handwash and ironing ?
(Handwash and gentle care are good- they mean no or less harmful finishes were applied and longevity. It will also be more energy efficient if you don't need to dry clean or use a clothes dryer).
Tulle (netting) is made from silk, rayon, nylon, or sometimes cotton. It is woven in a mesh pattern, and often starched so that it will be stiff. There are numerous uses for tulle, although the most famous are probably tutus, wedding gowns, and veils.
The name comes from Tulle, a city in the southern central region of France. Tulle was the center of lace and silk production in the 18th century. Tulle netting was used in Parisian ballet costumein the 18th C as seen in the painting of Monet. .
The majority of tulle is actually bobbinet, invented in Britain in the early 1800s. Bobbinet is made by wrapping the weft thread around the warp thread, creating a strong hexagonal design which tends not to twist or fall out of shape, because the wrapped threads maintain a state of tension. The result is tulle netting which is lightweight and surprisingly strong and durable for its weight.
Make sure your Tulle is 100% silk.
Jil Sanders has built her crisp, sophisticated image around linen. These pants are available to buy online.
ethcial fashion shopping, hemp designer trousers
hemp pants
for the ethical fashion shopper
Bamboo fabric is never organic! So is it Eco Friendly?
Beware of the 'green wash'. Organic cotton does not maketh organic if it is smothered in toxic dyes and finishes that flow into the rivers of developing countries. An approved chemical dye does not maketh 'green', it just means that it's not toxic.
Organic starts from crops and moves through non-chemical processing. You'd expect it would not be produced undersweatshop conditions and thoughtful with energy. Read the label thoroughly before you buy.
Find out more:
Bamboo plants requires little water, rarely needs replanting, produces a lot of oxygen and helps balance carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, is good for soil and has multiple uses from earthquake proof housing, food and fabric.
There are 2 types.
BAMBOO LINEN; a weave and uses little energy and almost no chemicals, but it is a difficult and expensive process.
The most common form being promoted by various 'eco ' labels is a form of BAMBOO VISCOSE. It uses a lot of energy and chemicals dangerous to the workers and environment if handled carelessly but as it is general 100% from China, unlike cotton, has a lower carbon footprint than some organic cottons. It is biodegradable.
The main chemical used in the processing is sodium hydroxide also known as caustic soda.(commonly used in food production, soap making, manufacturing of bio diesel, production of paper, and is used on nearly all cotton fabrics, including organic cotton, during wet processing). Caustic soda is approved for use on textiles under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
Some other manufacturers are Oeko Tex 100 certified which means there are safety standards for workers and the environement when handling the chemicals.
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Fairtrade vs fair trade?
'Fairtrade '(one word, capital letter) has the international certification, but two words 'fair trade' does not.
It is common for brands to use 'fair trade' while they are awaiting official certification so the products are worth considering. Also, certification can be costly and a project may prefer to put profits back into their community rather than paying a foreign organisation.
However, there is no legal standard to using this word so it could also be 'green wash'. Look at the products, where was it made, ask questions and use your common sense.
