2019-08-01 Essence

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
SUSTAINABLE STYLE

fast-fashion brands due to the depleting of resources, which
has become more of a concern,” says Bracken-Ferguson.
Meanwhile, indie designers are stepping up. Archel
Bernard, owner of The Bombchel Factory and Mango
Rags boutique in Monrovia, Liberia, graduated from Geor-
gia Tech in Atlanta and wanted to give back to women
affected by Ebola in Liberia. “Rather than donating to
charities, which can sometimes create a dependent soci-
ety, social entrepreneurship allows us to foster indepen-
dence,” she reflects. “When I opened my first boutique,
fashion brought countless opportuni-
ties for me, and I saw it as my duty to
create opportunities for other women
to grow and thrive as well.”
Bernard believes that it’s time for
companies to focus more on being
honorable than on being fashionable
at any cost. “A dress can’t be beautiful
unless it’s kind,” she says. “Second to
oil, the clothing and textile industry is
the largest polluter in the world. Add
to that, most clothes on the market
are made in countries where workers’
rights are nonexistent. Ethical sourc-
ing is usually not the most affordable
way to grow a business, but if brands
can pick at least one way to make a positive impact, we
can all move fashion in a better direction.”

Human and Environmental Implications
In a 2017 report, the Copenhagen Fashion Summit found
that the fashion industry consumed nearly 80 billion cubic
meters of fresh water, emitted more than a million tons of
carbon dioxide and produced 92 million tons of waste. Yet
so many of us never consider that the mere manufacturing
of clothing has an impact on the environment. Projected
to grow 63 percent by 2030, garment production utilizes
resources that simply can’t be replaced. But 40 percent of

all fashion companies haven’t started to implement sus-
tainability measures. Among the biggest players that make
more than $10 billion in revenues each year, the pace of
improvement has basically stalled.
Then there is the human cost. Luiz Machado, tech-
nical specialist on forced labor in Geneva, believes
more people should be concerned about this aspect of
fashion even if they don’t think it affects them. “It’s all
linked to human trafficking,” he points out. “If you are
exploiting forced labor, you are not paying taxes, not
paying proper wages and end up
having a product that might cost less
to the consumer, but the issues of
exploitation are hidden within this end
price. No worker should suffer this
kind of exploitation.” Machado cites
resources, like the nonprofit organi-
zation KnowTheChain, that can help
companies and their investors under-
stand and address forced-labor risks
within their global supply networks.
“Basically, companies should freely
provide information to consumers
on who their suppliers are,” he says.
He also suggests that countries in
which foreign brands have production
interests should make it mandatory for those brands to
monitor the environmental and social impacts of their
supply chain. One way to enforce brand accountability
is to force companies to pay a hefty fine if they fail to
do so. Perhaps then we might start seeing the change
socially cognizant consumers are calling for. The plan-
et, our lives and the dignity of our fellow humans are
depending on it.

Nzinga Christine Blake is the creator of fashionambassadors
.com, an ethical-fashion company. Yesha Callahan is the edito-
rial director of news and politics at ESSENCE.

An
artisan in
Nigeria
working
for Cee
Cee’s
Closet
NYC

Everyone deserves to
be paid for their work, not
given a handout or
paid a percentage. We need
to treat everyone equally.
Otherwise, we keep
broadening the divide
that separates us.”
—STELLA JEAN

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ESSENCE.COM I 86 I SEPTEMBER 2019

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