Margaret Mead was the one who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
It’s a bold statement, but it’s true. One person can make a positive impact and change the world, and when a group of like-minded, passionate people work together, anything is possible.
I advocate for ethics and sustainability in my industry, and I’m active in the local fashion scene. The more people I meet, the more honest conversations I have about the state of our industry, and one thing is clear: the fashion industry is changing, in some ways for the better, but in many ways for the worse.
The fast fashion system is beyond repair. To wake up and say that fashion is one of the most polluting industries, is not only gut-wrenching for me, but it's something I can't live with. It means that something is going seriously wrong. Something we’re doing is not working. Pollution and slave labour is not what fashion should be known for or be about – yet that’s the reality of the system we’ve built.
For so long I have been fighting a system that alone I cannot change, so I’ve realised; instead of trying to fix an industry that is broken, we need to focus on building a new one. Passionate people need to come together, and we need to innovate, we need to develop ethical and sustainable systems, and we need to pave the way for a better fashion future.
As a community, The Fashion Advocate is working towards a new way of doing business, a new way of making, and a new way of valuing what we buy. When we all realise how good it feels to do good, we can move away from the old system, and we can embrace the system that has a positive impact on the lives of those employed by it, and the resources that make it a possibility.
The old fast fashion system is obsolete. It's still operating, it's still there, it's a monster, but it's not working. It's not doing anyone or anything, any good. We need to change our fashion ways and work towards better.
It’s something I can’t do alone, but I know that my readers, my followers and my community are just as passionate as I am about creating the kind of world I want to live in. Sometimes, some of us just don’t know how to do it, so today I’m launching my CHANGE campaign. We can change the trajectory of the fashion industry, and we can create a better one, but we need to do it together.
It’s time to #advocateforbetter.
I’m starting small, but ripples create waves. If you head to my Instagram feed, you’ll notice a new story highlight called CHANGE, which you can follow to help me advocate for better. I’ll be posting links to petitions, campaigns, causes and charities that advocate for positive change on a local, national and global scale.
Fashion is my passion, it's what I live, breathe and love, but as an industry, it's responsible for mass pollution and inequality, so it's time to reverse the damage we've done and ensure a future for our planet and its people. We need to fight to save the ocean, fight to pay living wages, fight to protect our planet and advocate for better.
The Fashion Advocate x
