So what exactly is Ethical Fashion and how is Africanism involved ?
I have started to know the world of Fashion basically through big Chains like Zara. I always enjoyed shopping there because no one is chasing you and you have your own pace to shop. You have anonymity there. I had known no other way of shoppping until I started travelling and observing how most of the World shops.
When we were in India I was thrilled when I realised I could choose my fabric from the Market and actually take it to the tailor, see his/her working space and take part in the process of making my salwar kameez.
After this experience, and as I continued to explore the World, we were in Africa when I realised that this way of sharing the clothes, directly from the tailor to the wearer, should be preserved as a way to give more value to who made our clothes and also to regulate how many clothes we consume. All this was part of the base of my idea to begin Africanism Collection.
However, things in the world continue to be difficult for all those involved with Ready made fashion and also for the Environment.
Here are the most significant impacts Fast Fashion has on the Planet.
Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000.
While people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, they only kept the clothes for half as long.
In Europe, fashion companies went from an average offering of two collections per year in 2000 to five in 2011.
Some brands offer even more. Zara puts out 24 collections per year, while H&M offers between 12 and 16.
A lot of this clothing ends up in the dump. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.
(source from World Economic Forum)
So as I started searching to define the story of Africanism, i bumped into the idea of Slow Fashion.
Slow Fashion is an awareness and approach to fashion which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It advocates for buying better-quality garments that will last longer and valuing fair treatment of People, Animals and the Planet.
It seems like being responsible consumers is the best way of making a difference in the fashion industry.
Shop small, shop responsibly, reuse, repurpose.
But is this enough? The side of the Brands needs to change too.
Fashion shouldn’t cost people their lives. We need fairtrade, ethical and sustainable clothes and this means respecting people who work for the Fashion Sector.
What makes me even more passionate about Africanism Collection is to really meet the wonderful Artisans that make this continent special and together make this world more colourful.
I don't like though to express this as I "help" people in disadvantaged communities. This is not expressed right. Their talent and their passion for life in there and has always been.
As Nigerian American creative director Alexander-Julian Gibbson is quick to point out, Africa is having its moment. As African colours, models and fashion gain international traction, Africa’s long heritage of richness that has always been present, regardless of recent trends. I understand him when he says "I feel like we’re in a time right now where everybody in the mainstream fashion world is like, ‘O-M-G, Africa is the thing, the new thing.
"They’re finding all these African accounts, this new African designer, this new African model. And I’m like, ‘If only you guys knew that these people are not new. The talent has always been there."
So, for me being behind Africanism Collection, Ethical fashion comes down to one universal need. To respect every living soul. To really want to Preserve Nature, to get involved in beautiful traditions and become part of the exchange of culture between different places of this world.
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To make known and loved all positive and beautiful things created and manufactured in Africa.
To create jobs and opportunities for small scale business owners and local communities in African nations by working in partnership and mutual growth.
Already,the Products of Africanism Collection are created, produced and/or hand picked by me to assure best quality and value.
Also very proud to say that through our work with Wheeling2Help,we are also committed to community and sustainability development projects especially in Tanzania in Collaboration with SANA Saving Africa's Nature NGO.
My dream for the future is to be able to do more with artisans from all around Africa and TOGETHER we can all create more for a more fair world with opportunities for everyone !
Dora from Africanism Collection
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