Into 'the know'

Today I looked at ethical fashion brand business opportunities which demonstrates the steps in order to bring an ethical fashion brand into ‘the know’. What was being explained was that people starting up the brand will have to pay extra attention to where they manufacture, and what types of fabrics they are going to use to produce their clothes. I learnt that for a new ethical fashion brand they have to seek recycled and retrieved materials, because of their relatively small budget. I also did some research on French-based Ambrym, which uses overstock from Parisian couture houses to make their line of eco-friendly clothing. Furthermore, I discovered that 50% of reusable clothes that the UK disposes can be used by new ethical brands to get their business up and running. Moreover, I also discovered that there is an alliance of companies which was forged to comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative, which companies are working side by side to bring equality to workers globally.

In my opinion, although I think ethical brands are being noticed by top end fashion designers; when they first start they are at a disadvantage. My thoughts expanding upon this are that ethical fashion designers have go out their way so they can get their hands on eco-friendly resources, whilst normal brands can use all sorts of materials. Another reason on why they’re at a disadvantage is because not many people will be too keen on the clothes when they hear the words ‘reuse’ and ‘recycled’. This is why again top end fashion designers desperately need to lend a helping hand so more people can be aware of the idea. All this information is all relevant to me because according to industry reports the most important thing is the quality of the designs and the manufacturing of the design. Since ethical fashion brands are not household names this aspect needs to be strong in my final piece. However, manufacturing in London is popular for ethical fashion so it does help living here. By taking everything into consideration I will use this information to create my final piece by selecting prices that matches street retailers such as: Zara and H&M so if customers do want clothing that is ethical, instead of going to their normal retailers they have this option in their disposal at the same price range.

Ever wondered what happens to your textiles when they are recycled? This video from BCR Global Textiles provides a fascinating insight into the textile recycling process from start to finish.

Peace