editor’s letter
hello FLORA: The plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period. Issue 02 of The Fashion Advocate is all about ethical and sustainable fashion. We head back to basics and dig up the dirt on fashion, uncovering the stories of the individuals who are changing the industry for the better. Once upon a time, we lived in timber shacks, milled our own wheat and cooked our own bread, grew our own cotton and sewed our own clothes – but not any more. We live in a world that produces over 67 million tonnes of clothing each and every year, and it’s a world that finds it easier to throw away and buy new, than to make a sustainable decision in the first place. When you dig deep the fashion industry is not pretty. It is responsible for an alarming amount of pollution and waste, but I don’t want to bog you down with the depressing details. Instead, this issue of The Fashion Advocate aims to encourage you, to inspire you and to help you understand the power of your fashion choices so that you can be the change. Our interview with Edda Hamar of Undress Runways on Page 8 is a testament to the power of people who care; each and every year as Edda ships her travelling runway around the country, she gets closer and closer to a world where sustainable fashion is the norm. On Page 22, Colour Technician Craig Hislop shares the ins and outs of De Lorenzo, revealing the company’s surprising and incredible commitment to sustainability and 4
ethical business practices. Lois Hazel shares her story on Page 34, opening up about the struggles and strengths of being a ‘transparent label’ in an industry that is famously misleading, and on Page 42 I share Emma Gaffy’s story, who may possibly be the world’s first ever one-armed female DJ. But the most inspiring story of this issue, is about Melbourne-based label Cameron & James on Page 48. Designer Cameron Dixon explains his love/hate relationship with the fashion industry and how from an organic self-taught beginning he has struggled, triumphed and achieved with his ethical and sustainable menswear label. This entire issue looks beyond the detrimental environmental impacts that the fashion industry is responsible for and instead promotes the individuals who advocate for positive change. Although we may take small steps when we stand alone, as a collective we can make a difference. Start small, shop local, choose sustainably and think ethically. If you personally wouldn’t work for an unfair wage in unsafe conditions, don’t wear the clothes that have been made in that reality. Sustainable and ethical fashion choices are easy; take the time to understand the process, to research where, how and by who your clothes have been made, and acknowledge that you are just as responsible as every other person on the planet to make a difference. Claire Goldsworthy.