Fashion Revolution Week is all about awareness. The #whomademyclothes campaign runs from April 23-29 each year, falling on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse which killed 1138 people in 2013. During Fashion Revolution Week, brands and producers are encouraged to demonstrate transparency in their supply chain, and it’s something we’re more than happy to do at The Fashion Advocate.
The information surrounding ethics can be overwhelming and convoluted, which is why we’ve created The Fashion Advocate Transparency Guide – a series of simple posts to unpack the supply chains of the Australian designers and labels in The Fashion Advocate community. Over Fashion Revolution Week, we'll be sharing the stories behind each one of our labels, and answering questions about manufacturing and ethics, to drive change and push for improvement in the fashion industry.
As a community, we take responsibility for the impact that our industry has on people and the planet. Lucy Traner-Wissemann is at the forefront of this revolution, and as the Founder of I Found Lucy, she’s passionate about ethical manufacturing.
Lucy first launched her label six years ago, and now spends up to six hours on each delicate garment - designing, cutting and hand sewing from start to finish in her Brisbane home studio. She describes her label as a 'beautiful balance between old fashioned details and the modern world, designed for the creative woman who is unapologetically feminine.'
Fashion Revolution Week is all about transparency. Who makes your clothes?
I do, I’m the five-trick pony! I design, drape and draft the patterns, I make the samples, and I fulfil the orders. I’m grateful to have a local seamstress on hand for extra work loads or when I’m balancing multiple projects.
Why are ethics important to you as a designer?
I want the process of garment making to reflect the beautiful outcome. I feel drawn to the craftsmanship of fashion and design, even though it can be a little daunting in the face of the huge fast fashion world. When you’re wearing an ethically made garment, you can wear it with pride, which says more than just wearing a big name. Ethics are a form of health and well-being too; what you put on your body says something about the kind of person you are.
Fashion has the power to drive global change. How are you changing the world for the better?
It has been quite a journey for me in discovering how much fashion has had to do with social evolution! Now that I fully understand that with maturity, I’m excited, and I feel very empowered to be part of the positive change. I Found Lucy is planting little seeds, and it’s giving women the confidence to know that femininity is a source of strength, not a weakness. I’m passionate about creating a feminine brand and community, all the while changing the stereotype of what it means to be ‘girly’.
Images shot in Toulouse France by Celine Urena with Ornella.
The Fashion Advocate x
