When I launched The Fashion Advocate in 2014, I had a pretty big dream and a pretty bold mission: to change the fashion industry for the better.
Now, as we move into our sixth year, three runways later, a few awards in the mix, a pop-up (and another coming soon), and a reach of over 40,000 across our digital network, I am so damn happy with what we've built as a team and community - but we have so much further to go.
Our Australian and New Zealand fashion, beauty and lifestyle labels work their butts off with the same goal in mind - to create positive change - but we need more awareness, more people talking about climate change, and more people switching to better alternatives if we're going to move the mountains we want to move.
If you want to help, the first free thing you can do, is to share this post with a friend and start talking about the sustainable changes you'll make this year, and the next time you shop, shop locally, ethically, and sustainably. You can also reuse, reduce and recycle at home and at work, and give single-use plastics the flick - they're one of the largest contributors to climate change.
For The Fashion Advocate, 2020 will be our most sustainable year yet, and it will be our last year selling virgin polyester too. Put simply, polyester sucks. It's made from carcinogenic chemicals, and it releases plastic microfibres every time its washed. Polyester is a synthetic, petroleum-based fibre made from carbon-intensive, non-renewable resources, and 70 billion barrels of oil are used to make the world's consumption of it every single year. It's not natural, it's not bio-degradable, and it's not sustainable, so, we're doing something about it.
Yes, we'll lose a few labels from our existing community and we'll lose the potential of welcoming a few more brands too, but we'll be fixing a global problem in the process, and that's worth more than money than me.
We have nothing to hide, only goodness to give, and good vibes to share, and we are continually striving as a community - for better. Striving for better sometimes means making hard choices, but if I'm going to change the fashion industry on the scale I really want to, reducing the sale of polyester clothing is a great place to start.
If you want to learn more about sustainable fashion, head to our values page for an easy introduction. We also list our brands' values on every item we sell, and every single one of our brands adheres to our mission statement, ensuring that all workers are paid fair wages, offered safe working conditions and ensured workers' rights throughout the entire design, sourcing and manufacturing chain, to maximise the benefits to people and communities while minimising the impact on the environment.
Join me in making a positive impact in 2020, and start your sustainable journey here.
The Fashion Advocate x
