Natalie Lambrelli
As Women’s Month comes to a close, we’re celebrating brands whose ethical sourcing, manufacturing, and donation practices empower women in the fashion industry! Women are fundamental to the industry, undertaking the majority of production roles that are vital to its functioning. Choosing ethically sourced and produced clothing gives consumers power to support the women who work to keep the industry running every day.
As an “anti-fast fashion” brand, Maria McManus carefully sources their recycled and biodegradable materials to ensure that they meet global production, recycling, and textile standards. They are committed to making their production processes traceable and directly supporting the communities they source their organic materials. This ensures that all of the women involved in production are “treated with dignity and paid a fair living wage.”
Maria McManus has also partnered with third-party organizations, like Every Mother Counts, that work to empower women outside of the fashion industry.
By advocating for a “technology-based circular economy” and providing education about ethical supply chain processes, AnotherTomorrow aims to promote and improve the health of humans, animals, and the environment. They know that “although women represent around 80% of the workforce in the garment sector worldwide, they are concentrated in the lowest-paying, lowest-skilled occupations.” To ensure proper treatment of their majority female workforce, they update their living wage policy annually and consistently monitor their suppliers for safe and comfortable working environments.
Outerknown is serious about taking action to make fair labor conditions the fashion industry standard, rather than the exception. They are regular donors to the Fairtrade Premium program, where a fee is added onto the cost of goods sourced from Fairtrade suppliers. These fees are accumulated into a “communal fund for workers and farmers to use-as they see fit- to improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions.” The funds have been used for a variety of projects, including initiatives to improve housing, farms, as well as to fund education and sustainability projects.
Like other brands named here, Everlane maintains a relationship with their suppliers and conducts annual audits to ensure that standards for living wages and fair working conditions are met. What’s more, they work to ensure that all of their suppliers have implemented worker wellbeing programs “that go above industry standards.” This way, they foster a working environment with equal opportunities and equal pay for their female workers.
Ninetey Percent donates 80% of their annual profits to 5 charities, while the other 10% goes to support garment workers within their supply chain. One of the charities they donate to annually is Building Resources Across Communities (BRAC), which aims to empower “women in poverty to reach their potential.”
LemLem exclusively employs women in Ethiopia who work as traditional weavers, hand weaving and spinning yarn to make a variety of ready-to-wear pieces. Investing resources into these women helps them to break the cycle of poverty and jump-start their career in the fashion industry. LemLem also works with third-party organizations to support training initiatives geared towards preparing women in Ethiopia and Kenya for jobs in garment production.
Thank you, AnotherTomorrow and Maria McManus for working with us as brand partners!
Shop Repurpose is proud to empower women in the fashion industry by providing job readiness skill training and career mentorship. We are so excited to launch the RENEW Workforce Development program this July- click here to give and support the next generation of young workers.