The Ethics of Fashion

In 2013, the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1000 workers and raised serious questions about the safety of those factories built to fulfill the needs of multinational mass produced “fast fashion” firms.

In India, China and other Asian countries, poor pay is coupled with unspeakable working conditions are very common, as well as child labor, use of toxic synthetics to produce low-cost fabrics, chemical wastes, and absence of audit by corporate companies.

Because we want more for less, this is how we can buy a $1,50 tee shirt today. We are willing to disregard how developing countries are exploited and damaged to satisfy our consumer needs.

So now we are left with two choices, we can ignore the prominent issues and keep buying unethically produced fast-fashion, or we can do something substantial that has a  positive impact for society and purchase clothes made in countries that respect their workers, environment and fashion.

France being one of them, it is still apparent that we must be careful with “French brands” who claim to be French but have their clothes made in places such as Bangladesh. These brands act no differently than the others and they often price higher with decent fabrics but still are the result of child labor, health hazards and low wages.

So, in France, there are authentic French designers, new artists, visionaries and passionate people who work very hard to find their place and make a stance in this fast fashion world living by trends. They conceive, they sew, they embroider, they tan, they color, they print, they assemble. All with love, all in France and all in excellent working conditions.

They might not have that tee shirt for sale at $1.50 but they do have authentic pieces created in small editions with quality fabrics. They are also at the cutting edge of French fashion, combining elegance and timeless style. Try them, love them, and spread the word!