Zara fiasco and how you can combat fast fashion

How often do you think about the true cost of fast fashion?

Probably not often right?

Racked.com reports that unpaid Laborers are slipping tags into Zara clothing that say “I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn’t get paid for it”. This is reported in Istanbul.

So Zara is a company with 69.8 million in annual sales and 2200 stores worldwide. The owner Amancio Ortega is the world’s richest man.

Zara has gotten ahead by turning a blind eye to dismal factory conditions, ripping off runway designs, and causing colossal environmental damage.

They have been accused of both slave and child labor. The most dramatic was a dead rat found sewn into the hem of a dress bought in a Connecticut store.

Personally I remember when I visited Zara for the first time when I lived in France in 1996 and was impressed by the quality of the garments. Now it’s 2017 and the company has grown massively.

Ok so you understand the problem right?

How can you do your part so that you don’t support companies like Zara who don’t pay their laborers?

The good news is that you get to choose who you spend your dollars with.

No one holds a gun to your head to shop at Old Navy.

For example, this dress is handmade by a friend of mine Selma Karaca who works out of Beacon and does all production here. She sells directly at artisan fairs.

(TURN ON VOLUME TO HEAR THE TALK)

There are tons of other artisans you can find on Etsy if you choose to support an artist.

Support companies who have better business practices like:

• Fair trade and ethical
• Karen Kane who is made in the US and does wonderful comfy knits including plus size
• Ariana Rockefeller who is made in New York
• Encirlced who makes great convertible travel wear
• Alternative Appael is a certified Green business in LA
• Fair trade winds
• YSTR

This is just a few. There is a bigger list of 35 ethical designers here.

It seems there are a lot of casual, knit-wear weekend type looks. What is missing is the ethical lines for the working women.

Donate the stuff you aren’t wearing directly to the person who will wear it. So much ends up in garbage.

Or organizations who need it like Dress for Success and Bottomless Closet. Read the fine print about what they are looking for so it doesn’t end up being thrown away.

Become a more conscious shopper. Break the habit of walking into a cheap store for one thing and walking out with 12 items. So buying only what you need.

The average woman is wearing only 20% of her closet. So you have two choices. You can start actively wearing more of your closet or you can purge your closet and only buy things you know you will wear.

So the secret to only buying things you will wear is a product of deeply and intimately knowing yourself, your life, your style and what colors and shapes flatter your body.

OOOO this is such a juicy but challenging one.

So when you know what red makes your skin glow and what neckline flatters your bust it makes shopping so much easier.

But today so few women know this about themselves. We don’t get style education in our schools, so this is why stylists like myself can help you love what you wear.

When we work together we sit shoulder to shoulder to co-create a new look that feels 100% authentic and stops you from buying things you don’t wear.

This has been so much fun and if you want to love what you wear everyday, check out my latest book. I’m gifting you all a copy.

<<<Get yours here>>>

Thanks for tuning in and have a stylish day!

Xoxo
Alexandra