Ioanna Sofra 4/28/21 Ioanna Sofra 4/28/21

Can ethical consumption exist in fashion?

I was preparing an Instagram guide the other day with several things I wish to own in the near furure. Things I thought might interest fasfem’s little community. While picking up staff, a feeling of frustration began to take over me. Because I was making the guide with the goal of ethical consumption in mind…But what does that even mean?

I paused the guide and did what I do most of the times when numb and indecisive. I googled.

Ethical consumerism: practiced through the buying of ethically - made products that support small scale manufacturers and local artisans, protect animals and the environment.

Yes, that was actually what I had in mind. To buy from brands that actually try to make things better or buy second hand. A form of BUYcott where I support those whose actions align with my ethics. A form of action through my wallet.

It is not unusal for a consumer nowadays to expect companies to have a purpose. According to the 2017 Weber Shandwick’s research, The Company behind the Brand: In Goodness We Trust, 46% of global consumers are increasingly buying from companies or brands that make them feel happy and good, and 30% are increasingly buying from companies that have a social purpose or strive to make a positive contribution to the world or market they operate in. You see consumers are in need to rise up and fix a broken world themselves. They also look up to brands who make a strong effort to be part of the solution. Because even when investors seem to decrease when a brand chooses the clear path, sales do not.

I am not alone for sure. As a woman, I even belong to the part of the consuming force who are more empathic and willing to buycott. So why don’t I feel like I am making an impact most of the time? Because I actually DON’T. There so many issues that remain unresolved in fact and in my mind.

Big supply chains, where the origins of goods are somehow lost until they are delivered, could be the first. Sometimes it is impossible to know who made our clothes and under which circumstanses. Brands on the other hand who claim to support charity have been exposed to use the cause as another form of marketing strategy. A strategy that can be enhanced by the smart use of social media platforms. Which surely I am not against at when it actually makes a difference. But in many cases the support is just a very pety amount of money in comparison to the actual profit from a product being labeled as ‘ethical’.

And then there is the paradox of higher prices. Due to raw materials quality, transparency in manufatcturing and distribution and small scale production, most of ethical choices are more expensive. I get it. But I can’t stop thinking about the fact that people of lower income are excluded from the so called ethical consumerism because they just can’t afford it. Is ditching a coat from ZARA in order to buy from a smaller sustainable brand just not possible for some? How can we reverse that just by changing shopping habits?

I know that there are no right or wrong anwers sometimes. There are a lot of things to take under consideration and lots of systemic issues to be examined further. I have decided to think things through on a personal scale. What is there possible for me as person to do in order to help? Educate myself better. Try and shop by people whom I look up to. Small scale businesses whose products are made with love and lots of effort. People I actually know personally sometimes. According to my income with no guilt. Take part in actions that lead to change. Support causes each way possible. Just do the best I can. Hope that in the post pandemic era the lessons are actually learned. And allow myself to take some joy while purchasing..

For some interesting views about ethical consumerism you can read here, here and here. For data about ethical consumerism in pandemic here. I leave you to go and finally finish my reading on Fashionopolis…

Credits:

Photographer Craig McDean captured the above picture for British Vogue February 2019. Styling by Grace Coddington.

Ioanna Sofra 1/23/21 Ioanna Sofra 1/23/21

Les Fleurs Studio

Captured by the thumbnail picture above? I myself need a few moments to pause and inhale its beauty…That’s the way I feel every time I get into Les Fleurs Studio universe. The colours, the light on the pictures, the music background on the videos, the curation of the editorials…yes Maria Bernard has made an entire universe all by herself.

A universe where diversity and the environment are well respected and celebrated. A celebration you definetely want to be part of. Les Fleurs has a collaborative nature and it evolved from a marketplace for products Maria has herself designed, to a collaborative social and retail platform. Designers and Maria are provided with visibility in order to communicate their sustainable message:

“ We don’t produce.
We reuse.”

Usage of pre existing materials, reconcepting the vintage tailoring and curating edits of archive and vintage are few of this brand’s actions that pave the way to reclaiming the term sustainability. Here is a small collection of their products to pure enjoyment of your senses:

I find what Maria does so promising in addition to its artistic allure. Here we have a gorgeous 25 year old lady with a huge following on social media. She could just relax and enjoy styling her selfies wearing the tons of free staff that influencers of her magnitude receive every day. Instead she chose to leave Madrid - Maria is Spanish - move to Paris, design her on line and create a space for real aspiration and connect with her peers, giving them the oppurtunity to reach out to a bigger audience. People who are true artists and have strong work ethics inspite of their smaller following on social media…

Would love to see more of that in the next years in fashion world, especially in my country Greece, where so many talented young people - women ever more maybe - remain in the shadow. It reminded me one of the reasons fasfem was created in the first place. Do you agree with me?

Credits :

If you wish for more information about Les Fleurs Studio and Maria Bernard you can click here, here and here.

Ioanna Sofra 2/21/20 Ioanna Sofra 2/21/20

Let’s talk about Copenhagen Fashion Week

What is the first thing that comes on your mind around fashion weeks?

I, for instanse, develop mixed up feelings and thoughts. This hasn’t always been the case…you see I used to anticipate fashion week months, especially the January shows ( I love winter style! ). I felt so lucky to live in the era of on line, live presentations of fashion shows. To be able to become an actual viewer of this creativity parade while it was taking place. Then scroll down the street style photos for tons of inspiration. And follow insta stories for a sneak peek from backstage or the aftershow parties, dreaming to be part of all of this someday…yes I got excited. Some times I still do. For a moment or two. And then it hits me…

Alongside colourful textiles and extravagantly embodied designs walk some tough to consider issues. Fashion industry is known to have exploited badly human labor and the environment. Technology and globalization has led to an enormous growth. But in terms of fast fashion and profit gaining this translates to abuse. On people and the planet. We are ‘in dire need for an entirely new human-scale model’ as Dana Thomas claims in her investigative book Fashionopolis.

So how could an affair like fashion week fit into such new model? The tons of waste, the carbon footprint from all the travelling, the exploitive business plan that most of these brands respond to, the encouragement to overconsume, the peacocking around the streets alongside homeless people… . Can this on going game of seasonal presentations be sustainable?

People behind Copenhagen Fashion Week believe it can. They actually came up with an action plan to help push the industry to accelerate necessary and comprehensive sustainability efforts. The plan has two parts :

Part 1: innovation of the event in order to minimise climate impact.
Part 2 : sustainability requirements in order to push for change as the brands who wish to participate in 2023 affair would have to meet 17 standarts and their work would be guided by three main pillars :

Reduse

Innovate

Accelerate

Those pillars are created according to The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12, 13, 17 which reflect standarts and agreements on human rights, environment, climate and sustainable development.

As Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, eloquently points out :

Fashion weeks are a symbolic, cultural focal point of the fashion world, a platform where new visions, trends and talents emerge. I therefore believe they hold tremendous potential to drive change and, if we dare to be bold, we can change how business is done.

All of the above have been unveiled in 28 January 2020 as the new Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022: Reinventing Copenhagen Fashion Week – Reducing negative impacts, innovating our business model and accelerating industry change. Just before fashion week began…

As all of this sounded promising and hopeful, we, here at fasfem, decided to follow @cphfw. We were very happy to see Carcel do the opening show of the Copenhagen Fashion Week AW20 and brands that promote upcycling clothing, like Rare Review, thrive. Moreover, food provided by Cofoco Food throughout the events was sustainable, vegeterian or even vegan. And klar delivered a range of sustainable cleaning products to all brands backstage.

Not much you think? Well, it is a start. A fine one as far as we are concerned. Whether the plan will reach its goals at the given timeframe is remained to be seen. For now let’s explore CPHFW AW20 from our point of view….

Here are some fasfem approved trends for AW 20 which one could replicate at home with what one has :