Parvati Magazine February 2014 - Sobriety | Page 24

FASHION

SOBRIETY IN FASHION

FASHION

T

he fashion industry is
a powerful one. Think
about it; if it weren’t for
the fashion industry we’d
all be walking around naked all the time! This powerful industry has created
countless jobs. It took
women out of suffering
by getting them to work
during the war which
brought them to a level of
independence never experienced before.
The 1920’s were an era
where women were suffering. Fashion’s response
was the flapper; with her
pixie crop hair and trousers, this was true reflection of the radical changes that enabled female
emancipation. That is
the beauty and power of
fashion.
Clearly, our earth is being
destroyed. They say that
money does not grow
on trees. But our current
banking system creates
currency far faster than
trees can actually grow.
It seems to me that greed
and ego are at the core
of all of our problems. It is
possible that ethics and

glamour can come together to achieve great
things in this world. There
seems to be a universal
recognition for the need
for more care and consideration for ethical fashion.
We need to fix the bloated nature of the fashion
industry that creates a lot
of waste with too many
products that end up in
landfills on one end, and
too little pay for those
who labor on the other.
When harmful chemicals are improperly disposed of, our water and
air is negatively affected.
Even natural cotton is
dyed with chemicals that
cause damage to the environment.
The working class in the
fashion industry often isn’t
paid well, and I am not
just talking about China,
India or Bangladesh - I am
referring to countries like
Canada!

has the power to bring
about huge change. We
all wear clothing; therefore, we all buy clothing.
If everyone were educated on how making different choices can make a
difference in the world,
they would make different choices.
With the popularity of today’s internet, information on this topic can
reach millions. It has already started with designers turning towards
organic materials. Thanks
to high profile, famous designers such as Stella McCartney, more and more
people are hearing about
eco fashion.
I have heard about what
is called the three R‘s of
eco fashion; reduce, reuse and recycle. You are
only in charge of yourself,
and every moment is filled
with a choice. Knowing
this, maybe you can keep
this in mind with your next
fashion purchase.

Can fashion change the
world? Yes, I believe it
can! Because fashion is
such a huge industry, it

Renia Pruchnicki is the owner of a company called Truth where she designs
a line of vegan fashion accessories made in Canada. She also works as a
designer of soft-sided coolers and lunch carriers for a Canadian company
called California Innovations.

For more information on Renia, please visit www.truthbelts.com