Sweatshirt: Alternative Earth | Jeans: NY&Company | Purse: Unknown | Necklaces: James Avery, Forever 21, and Silver Insanity
As I mentioned earlier this week, my family has been battling colds off and on during October. After a busy, exhausting week, a sweatshirt feels like the perfect uniform. I wore this while hanging out with my little boys yesterday, then added some extra jewelry and make-up for a girls’ night out.
Alternative Apparel is interesting to me. They aren’t fair trade certified (few US apparel companies are), but they seem to have a strong commitment to social responsibility. My first choice right now is to buy from a fair trade company, but when I couldn’t find a sweatshirt I liked from People Tree or another certified company, I turned to Alternative Apparel. This shirt is in their Alternative Earth line, which uses low-impact dyes and a mix of organic and synthetic fabrics. I love the feel of this sweatshirt. I’m wondering if I need a smaller size, but I’ll wait and see how the fabric reacts to washing.
The cute purse in this picture was a gift, and I believe it was made fairly in Nepal, but no promises.
What does it take for you to consider a company sustainable? Show me your favorite sustainable styles with a link in the comments or by hashtagging an Instagram or Twitter pic with #fairfashionfri. Happy weekend!
Also included in that alternate list are companies that give back to the community.
For example: Publix has given generously to the area schools by donating bags for reading teachers to give to students to keep their reading books accessible, providing food for teachers on inservice days, and making specific supplies available for special projects or needy kids. Target and Chick Fil A provide school supplies and scholarships. You are right, it is good to check a companies practices in giving and protecting…
Agree that can be nice, but as I just commented on with an H&M campaign, companies that are doing massive amounts of damage to hundreds or thousands of people with poor working conditions and/or near slave-labor can ‘green wash’ by making donations to nice sounding causes, motivated in no small part by their accountants pointing out the tax benefits of donating to non-profits, together with the PR it gets them.
Not saying Publix is one of these companies, but being someone who is in marketing I can tell you that it is much easier to get a picture taken with big oversized checks to local schools and charities than it is to really change corporate policies and processes.
Fair trade isn’t the be-all, end-all. But sometimes getting a certain certification isn’t the answer either. As the link in the post points out, Alternative Apparel isn’t fair trade, but they do promise: No Forced Labor, No Child Labor, No Harassment or Abuse, No Discrimination, Health and Safety, Collective Bargaining, Wages and Benefits, Hours of Work and Compensation, Environmental Protection. The details are more vague than would be nice, but a commitment to those things in writing is better than 95% of companies out there. Especially those who do business overseas and most especially in the textiles and clothing industries.