Why Ethical Fashion? I would ask, why not? In the last few years, we have read, heard and talked a lot about how bad “fast fashion” is, and how important it is to support “ethical fashion.” That’s because it has a huge impact on us even if we don’t see it. When I was at university, for my final exam I decided to create a sustainable fashion guide for the city I was living in at the time, Milan. In that period fast fashion was actually the trend and we were all buying new clothing every week. I remember spending hours in shops trying on so many things, constantly trying new styles, and in the end getting the same t-shirt in three different colours. All of this because it was cheap and “normal”. I was caught for many years in a cycle of consumerism, never thinking of the negative effects of my excessive, compulsive shopping.
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When I started researching what goes on behind the scenes in fashion, I was shocked to discover how the glamorous world was so lacking in basic ethics and humanity. The environmental impact, and the human cost, were staring right at me, telling me that every choice I make will have an impact — positively or negatively — on our planet and on real people. Talking about the impact of fast fashion with friends, I remember their reactions were always the same: “Eeek.” Yes, because at that time the only famous brand with a focus on sustainable fashion was Stella McCartney. Definitely not that affordable for young students. So, I concluded in my guide that the easiest option to have a sustainable wardrobe was buying VINTAGE! Sounds great, except that in Milan it wasn’t that popular yet.
