Fashion Revolution Week::: Who Made My Jewelry?

April 23rd kicks off fashion revolution week. From the Fashion Revolution website,

'Fashion Revolution is a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. We want to unite the fashion industry and ignite a revolution to radically change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, so that what the world wears has been made in a safe, clean and fair way.'

Fashion Revolution asks 'who made my clothes?' (or bags, shoes, jewelry, etc) as a way to promote transparency in the fashion industry. Encouraging people to ask this simple question gets people to think differently about what they wear and buy. We are often very removed from the process that goes into almost everything that we buy. We only encounter the finished product presented to us in a perfectly arranged store. Asking who made my clothes is a way for consumers to become educated about what is involved in the production of the clothes and accessories we wear. With this information, we can make informed and morally guided choices about what we buy and what companies we choose to support. Is buying a new dress worth it if it means supporting a company with unsafe working conditions? Who doesn't pay their workers a fair living wage? Who's production process pollutes a nearby river?

     “The revolution starts with thinking differently about the clothes we buy and wear. To love fashion but to question why we feel compelled to shop. To be more mindful of the impacts of our shopping habits and the way we care for clothing.” -Fashion Revolution

As a jewelry designer, I believe in the power of fashion. The way you dress and accessorize yourself can make you feel beautiful and powerful and happy. This self expression is a chance to not only show off the colors and patterns and styles we love, but also to show off what we stand for and believe in. I believe that the most important thing is for every person to define their morals and values, and to really hold themselves accountable to that. If we aren't personally comfortable with the process behind everything we consume, whether that be clothing, food, or a new throw pillow, we should not be buying it. We should make choices based on what feels right and good in our hearts, and what we can be proud of doing. Each and every one of us can truly make a difference by 'speaking with our dollar' and choosing to support companies that align with our own moral values. It is an empowering feeling to know that ALL of the power for positive change is within every one of us. 

'Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.' -William James