FASHION
FAIR @ SQUARE
FASHION
of fashion is ethically produced in the Himalayas
by Tibetan refugees. Pure
Pod is ethically Australian
made with eco-friendly
textiles and trims. And
Bachhara creates unique
and exotic feminine dresses. It was founded to empower mothers of disadvantaged slum children in
Bangladesh.
The host for these fashion
shows, Lara Shannon of
Eco Chick, remarked, “Attending the inaugural Ethical Enterprise Awards on
Friday night and hosting
the Fair Fashion parades
at Fair@Square this weekend reminded me of all
the good things that are
happening to promote
sustainability, ethical and
fair trade practices in Australia and all around the
world.”
L
ast month, Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia played host to Fair@Square, the
nation’s biggest fair trade and ethical festival. This free public event, put on by Moral
Fairground, celebrated ethical and sustainable consumption and provided fair trade purchase options in time for the holiday season. It was kicked off by the announcement of the
winner of the Ethical Enterprise Award, Western Desert Dialysis. Following this, two days were
filled with activities including live cooking demonstrations, fashion shows, music, children’s
activities and creative displays.
Six pop-up Fair Fashion shows took place over the weekend with items by Lauren and Angie, JETS, Bhalo, Eternal Creation, Pure Pod and Bachhara.
Lauren & Angie design and create eco-friendly clothing from certified organic cotton and
other eco-friendly products, and aim to educate the wider community about sustainable
fashion. JETS Swimwear is an Ethical Clothing Australia accredited premium luxury swimwear
brand. Bhalo works with fair trade producers to create limited edition designs from ethically
handwoven and naturally dyed cottons and silks. Eternal Creation’s fair trade certified range
Organizer Susanna Bevilacqua told Parvati Magazine, “Having traveled
and having seen first
hand the harsh reality of
consumerism and the effect it has on producer
countries, I realised that
without even knowing it I
was partly responsible for
some of the big global
social issues, like unethical employments conditions, child labour, poverty. I realised that just
like me there were many
people out there that did
not know about these issues and also people that
felt powerless and did not
know how to go about
making change. I wanted to create someting
that inspired, educated
and empowerd people,
so the idea of the festival
was born. A festival is a
great way of interacting
with many people, and
providing information in
a fun and creative way
to showcase how easy
and how beneficial this
change is.”
She added, “Free public
events like Fair@Square allows a wide range of people to learn about ethical
fashion. It can take a bit
of time to change the
way things are done, in
particular in the fashion
industry. Of course, consumers play an extremely
important role. The more
consumers buy ethical
fashion, the more large
retailers will see the benefit in stocking these items.”
We asked Susanna how
sustainable fashion can
become more mainstream. She responded, “I
think that there has to be
a much more bigger focus at the tertiary education level. Fashion design
courses should not only
teach sustainability and
ethics as an add-on. Tt
should be embedded in
the teachings. Of course
governments have also
a role to play. Incentivising ethical production
in some form or another
will help businesses in the
fashion industry to make
the change. Th ere has to
be a shift in values and
what we feel is important.
A lot of the time, this is
influenced by the many
messages we receive
every day via all the marketing and advertising.”
For more information
about Fair @ Square,
please visit
moralfairground.com.au.
Parvati Magazine is managed and written by volunteers who give their
time and talent to help build a regular source of information and inspiration
for all who seek to live an awakened life, whether through personal
development, spiritual practice, engaged activism or simply some fresh
perspectives on arts and current affairs.
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