Blog Action Day: Outfit Post

It's Blog Action Day 2013 and this year we, as a collective, are focusing on human rights. As an ethical fashion blogger I've looked at the Rana Plaza factory collapse in my previous post and now I'm doing an outfit post to show you how you can use fashion to promote the proper enforcement of human rights.

In this picture, I'm wearing a top and a pair of boots both bought from Oxfam. Buying from Oxfam not only promotes the reduction of consumption and waste in the fashion industry but also gives to an incredibly good cause. Oxfam is committed to reducing poverty around the globe and promoting human rights. This top is actually originally from Edun- an ethical fashion brand which uses Fair Trade in its supply chain and promotes use of the African fashion industry. Fair Trade strictly promotes human rights in its labour policies. 

The skirt is from People Tree- pioneer of ethical and Fair Trade fashion and the first fashion brand to be accredited by the WFTO. People Tree is committed to providing long term jobs to those who need them most and creating beautiful items of clothing in the most human and environmentally friendly way possible.

By choosing to shop from ethical, Fair Trade, second hand and charity fashion brands; we can make a positive difference to peoples lives around the world and throughout the supply chain. Our purchasing power should not be over looked. As consumers we hold immense power over fashion brands; their supply meets our demand- if we demand better, they will have to provide.

Join the debate on twitter : )

@onegreendress  |  @MrsWandas  |  @BlogActionDay12  |  #BAD2013  |  #HumanRights

Blog Action Day: Rana Plaza

The Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh opened up the worlds eyes to a problem that has been ignored for too long. The garment industry has been employing labourers around the world without being fully aware of how human rights are being enforced or simply disregarded. This is mainly due to fashion brands out-sourcing labour and refusing to own the factories that produce their garments. In the past, this has relinquished them from any responsibility for factory safety upkeep and working conditions but now people are starting to question this chain of accountability. 

The fashion industry's supply chain is notoriously long and complicated; spanning many countries and cultures, travelling thousands of miles, passing through countless pairs of hands. This is where the problem of accountability and responsibility arises. Who do we look to, to enforce human rights throughout the supply chain? 

Fashion brands? Consumers? Governments?

Well I think that we all need to chip in. When a person's human rights are denied, we have a collective responsibility to speak up. Governments around the world should all be moving towards introducing not only minimum wages but living wages. There are some fashion brands that are already providing this for their employees around the world and I hope to see others follow in this vain. As consumers, what can we do? Well, we can demand more. We can call out the retailers that are disregarding human rights, we can promote the ones that are enforcing them and we can cast our vote with our money by letting our purchasing power do the talking.

After the Rana Plaza disaster, the 'Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh' was drafted by Uni Global Union, IndustriALL and NGWF. It was put forward to all the fashion companies producing garments in the city. Under the accord, garment workers can refuse to work in unsafe conditions and must continue to be paid under these circumstances until the issues are resolved. The fashion brands were not eager to sign, with some major hesitations from; Matalan, Edinburgh Woolen Mill, J D Sports and River Island. We are still waiting for Peacocks and Sports Direct to sign.

The fashion companies complicit in the Rana Plaza disaster were invited to Geneva to discuss setting up a fund for the victims. Of the 29 companies involved, only 9 turned up and only Primark contributed to the fund. It's time for us to call upon these fashion brands to become accountable to their workers. You can call on Peacocks and Sports Direct to sign the Accord via the See Through Fashion campaign here. You can also chose to cast your consumer vote wisely by shopping for clothes using ethical fashion brands that enforce living wages and by buying second hand from charity and vintage shops.

Learn more about human rights and ethical fashion by following the debate today on twitter

#humanrights | #BAD2013 | #ethicalfashion | @blogactionday12 | @MsWandas | @onegreendress

Picture from: Business of Fashion

Vintage Style with Oxfam

As the seasons change we inevitably end up looking into our wardrobes and altering them to fit in with the new nips and chills that we are challenged with daily. Autumn is probably my favourite season. I love the colours that are thrust upon us in the turning of the leaves; I love how crisp the mornings become with dew and mist and fog. I love seeing my breath in front of me. 

But most of all I love the change to my wardrobe. First of all there are the knits; the woolies, the chunky knits, the bobbly jumpers, the teacher cardigans, scarves, hats and gloves. I love how a knit can be thrown on top of everything else altering the entire outfit or artfully layered to merely enhance ones current look. In my mind, the best knits are vintage 80's- this is the only way to get the best classic vibrant chunky mohair designs that are synonymous with that period of time...

Autumn Knits Vintage by ameliaglynn featuring vintage oversized sweaters

Then of course we have the anticipation of the party season. You know it's coming; it's just a hop, skip and a jump away from halloween. Time to crack out the party dresses- 50's style prom being my winter party favourite, harking back to school discos, slow dances and bowls of punch....

Party Season Vintage by ameliaglynn featuring vintage shell jewelry

And then there are the grey days. Days where one look out of the window makes you want to bury your head under the duvet and never leave. On these days I go with the flow and let the weather guide my wardrobe with greys, blacks and whites to reflect the stormy skies outside...

Monochrome Vintage by ameliaglynn featuring long gloves

All of the above pieces can be found on the Oxfam Online Shop. What does your vintage winter wardrobe include? What are your favourite autumn pieces? Let me know in the comment section below or tweet me @onegreendress : )

You can also find this post on the Oxfam Fashion Blog

Style Post: Peopletree & Komodo

This was taken before the rains came.... Seriously weather- what are you playing at?! But when it was warm enough to go outside in a skirt, sans tights and thermals, I wore this to dinner and drinks with my lovely housemates. My new Komodo jacket has proved its worth by being just as fabulous teamed up with a skirt as it is with jeans due to its perfect cropped length. I've gone with my Peopletree jersey skirt which is an absolute staple in my wardrobe- so easy to wear and the stretchy waistband is a winner when your scoffing down copious amounts of chinese food with friends! Bag and shoes both picked up from Brighton charity shops for under £3 each and the crop top too which was once a full length tank top which I chopped up to fit in with this summers stomach bearing trend.... Brave indeed!

All in all a thoroughly ethical outfit combining charity shop and Fair Trade fashion followed by a fabulous evening with friends : )

Oxfam Blog Post: July

What does fashion mean to you? It's a big question and the topic of discussion in my most recent blog post for the wonderful Oxfam. Check it out here : )

Reading into Ethical Fashion

Want to find out more about ethical fashion? Enjoy a good book? Then look no further! I have written a blog post for the Oxfam Fashion Blog about my favourite ethical fashion reads. Click here to check them out : )

Second Hand Shoes

Shoes shoes shoes. Ethical shoes are often seen as being a bit of a nightmare to find but recently I have had quite a lot of luck with them. In the last two weeks I have found a new pair of Cowboy boots to replace my old ones (see my article for Oxfam Fashion Blog about them here) and also found this beautiful pair of Gucci shoes for the bargain price of £20 at a junk shop in the Isle of White. Win!

Check out the Oxfam Fashion Blog post here : )

It's that time of year again folks...

So it's definitely warming up to that time of year again...Christmas. This pre-Christmas time slot just stikes fear into my heart because of one reason only- Christmas shopping. Erugh! The mayhem! The panic! The pre-Christmas sales!!

You can find out how I'll cope with this years Christmas shopping panic, right here, at the Oxfam Fashion Blog