What is the true cost of my fleekness?

Hello there Fashion Lovers!

As most of you know or might have seen on social media, it’s FASHION REVOLUTION week (#FashRev)!!! The founder of the organisation and movement is designer Orsola de Castro. Fashion Revolution is an organisation that was created following the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Dhaka (Bangladesh) which killed 1100 factory workers. Fashion Revolution week spans from the April 18 to April 24 and is a week to remember and honor the lives of the victims of the Rana Plaza. The organisation aims to structurally and internally change the dynamics in the fashion industry; emphasizing and demanding more transparency from the supply chain. What is meant by transparency is to inquire and be informed about how garments are produced,  conditions in which  workers are working and whether human rights and labor laws are observed in the wake of capitalism, high returns to scale and fast fashion.

Following the screening of ‘TRUE COST’ at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design, yesterday; my whole outlook on threads, garments, design, production, human rights and consumerism changed! Actually, my whole outlook on life changed, as I found myself questioning my consumption pattern! In the documentary, I got to be awakened to the alarming reality of the fashion industry, one that is most prevalent and ever growing under our watch ‘Fast Fashion’. Fueled by consumerism, condoned by capitalism, fast fashion is all garments sold by giant retailers and most probably made in China, Bangladesh or India. Most of these garments are shown in the display windows of outlets every other quarter, as ‘seasons’ change inviting a new batch of ‘trendy’ clothing often labelled ‘cheap’ in the industry.

Calling these garments ‘cheap’ has no derogatory intent; it’s the fact of the matter and the truth we cannot run away from. The prices of clothes have fallen substantially at the expense of mass production with a growth of 400% in two decades. For example, a retail brand outsources a factory in China and requires them to produce about a million pants for a price of 30US cents/pair and resells them for 30$US/pair. The profits made here are substantial but no one will incur the cost of misusing the human capital. As much as production increased, the quality of a lot of these garments, at times, leaves a lot to desire. With the continued decrease of these prices, the wages of the workers are continuously pushed down to satisfy the corporation’s hunger for profits and the consumer’s need to be on ‘fleek’ and ‘trendy’. Furthermore, this drastic change led to the extinction of many textile and clothing industries in a lot of countries with more stringent labor laws. 

Some could argue that it’s for the better: it makes clothes more accessible to those at the lower end of the income bracket, allowing them to dress well and feel good. And after all, it is creating job opportunities for those garment production workers and giving them means to survive. But is that the truth or the illusion we decide to preach to ourselves? At the end of the day, the race to remain trendy is a difficult one. You could never be trendy, if every other month you are required to revamp your wardrobe because seasons changed and ‘newly in’s’ are a must have!! Not only does it increase your expenses, it does so at the opportunity cost of investments or other things which are more important and have a long term use. As said in the documentary, fashion should never be regarded as disposable. Simply because seeing/thinking/making it disposable is an insult to the creatives and the creative process. So as consumers what are we condoning and nurturing, after all it’s our money that sustains the corporations? What is actually the real cost the garment we purchase for less than 5$US every other week?

Well, here is a wake-up call and the reality of life:

• 1.       Fast Fashion earns about 3 trillion $US/ year in sales from garments mostly made in China, Bangladesh and India.
• 2.       There is 40 million factory workers in the world, of which 85% are mostly women and young girls (as young as 12 years old) who are forced to work an average of 18 hours/ day for a wage of less than 3$US/a day to barely survive.
• 3.       While the sales numbers were at a record high in 2013, the Rana Plaza in Dhaka (Bangladesh) collapsed. This plaza was an 8-story building in a bad condition which collapsed leading to the death of 1100 workers. (At this point, don’t you think it is alarming? Is that new dress – is the slayage -really worth someone’s life?)
• 4.       Fashion Industry is the second polluting industry after the oil industry. The levels of pollution are so high in some of the areas such as Punjab (India), that the factory workers and farmers get ill due to the exposure to toxins. The type of toxins and pollutants they are exposed to, such as chromium, lead to skin cancer and other types of cancer, liver disease and cerebrally handicaps children, etc. So, the reality of the farmer or the factory worker is that they cannot progress in life as no healthcare is provided to them. So, all that they earn or can save goes towards healthcare expense. So now, how much economic empowerment or standard of living improvement is made from their job? Not much! They are left bankrupt and unable to survive.
• 5.       In terms of production, some of the cotton seeds have been replaced by genetically modified seeds such as Bt Cotton. In order to maintain a cotton farm, a farmer in India has to borrow money (the price of a seed increased by 17 000 times relative to pre-1950). The prices of the seeds are so high, that when the farmers are unable to pay back, the corporations take their land and flood them with pesticides. These pesticides are not only polluting the earth but the more a farmer uses them; the more they have to buy to sustain the high levels of harvest demanded by the factories. Some of the farmers unable to repay their loans resort to suicide, with a record of 200 000 suicides a year.

After these 5 points, you could argue that I am shooting myself in the foot as a fashion blogger and aspiring designer. But I think that above all else, caring and being concerned about the life of others comes as a top priority. We are on this earth to make it a better place and be of service the best way we can, with the little we have. So it’s important to implement the change even if we are alone and on a small scale, talking about these things is crucial for the sustainability of the environment and the well-being of a fellow human being.

What now?

• 1.     SHOP WITH PURPOSE: buy things if you really believe that you need them. By need them, I really mean ‘need’ them (Yes, I am also talking to myself).  As my aunt once told me, not all the things on sale are a sale or helping you save. If it wasn’t part of your budget or expenses and planned for in the first place, well it is not a sale it is an impulse purchase. Since fashion is not disposable, let’s think about why we are buying things.
• 2.   SUPPORT LOCAL DESIGNERS: if you are able to afford it, at least their production process is transparent, as you are able to obtain information about how and who makes the garments and assess whether someone’s life improves in the process.
• 3.   LEARN TO MEND YOUR CLOTHES and not just throw away the garments you purchase from retailers, which are mostly made out of polyester and thus not biodegradable.
• 4.   If you are ABLE TO DESIGN YOUR CLOTHES, you could empower a local tailor by having bespoke creations made for you.
• 5.     MAKE YOUR OWN CLOTHES OR COLLABORATE WITH ANOTHER DESIGNER OR GARMENT CONSTRUCTOR to reduce the cost of production and make ethically produced garments more accessible.
• 6.      Another option is to organise CLOTHES SWAPS with your friends or your community.
• 7.    Lastly, THRIFT SHOPPING OR SHOPPING AT A VINTAGE STORE is very much a thing. At least those clothes are of a better quality if they lasted through time. It is really the only redemption and way to remain timelessly stylish and trending.

LET’S BE CONSCIOUS BUYERS, CURIOUS ABOUT THE CLOTHES WE WEAR AND PURCHASE. LET’S BE AWARE OF THE REALITY OF THOSE WHO MAKE THEM. RESPECT THEM ENOUGH BY BUYING ON PURPOSE AND NOT MERELY PURCHASE THINGS TO QUENCH CONSUMERISM ‘NEEDS’ AND ‘WANTS’ OR JUST HOPPING ONTO THE BANDWAGON EFFECT OF CAPITALISM. KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING, INQUIRE AND KEEP EDUCATING YOURSELVES AND THOSE AROUND YOU. TELL YOUR TRUTH THROUGH YOUR STYLE, SOME OF THESE TRENDS BLUR OUT YOUR INDIVIDUALITY IF NOT CAREFUL!

Dress: Designed by me and made by a Rwandese Tailor (Made in Rwanda)

Pants: Brett Robson (Made in SA)

Sandals: Masai Sandals (Made in Kenya)

Thread necklaces, earrings and bangles: Inzuki Designs (Made in Rwanda)

Beaded necklace: KZN jeweler (Made in SA)

Blazer: Thrifted

Love and Light

Lessons I learned from the "Power of Fashion Blogging"

Hello there lovelies!

Following my attendance of the “Power of Fashion Blogging” workshop at the Cape Town Fashion Council. I thought I could share some pointers, tips and lessons of what I gathered at the workshop. 

1. Presentation

As a fashion or lifestyle blogger, the gold is in your presentation. To cut it short the ‘VISUALS’.

One thing that was emphasized at the workshop is the blog's presentation. Obviously, as creatives we all have our own way to present our blogs, depending on one’s preferences, artistic expression and other things. However, a minimalist, clean template is always a good thing to have; as you would not want the template to be too busy, distractive or potentially eclipsing your content and pictures.

Secondly, it was highly advised to have clear pictures. Too pixelated does not make your pictures exactly appealing, visually. Let’s not lose ourselves calling it a new form of art; because really it is not one. A picture is great when it tells a story, but a good story is best told when it is relatable and reflecting the reality. A tip: remind your photographer to wipe their lenses for better visibility and clearer pictures and shooting between 5-6PM get you the best lighting.

Thirdly, uniformity when using filters. Obviously, it is no secret by now; all bloggers or most use filters or some other sorts of app to edit their pictures. I have also made some mistakes before when editing and the pictures did not really look the same at the end. Well it’s a big no-no; it doesn’t look tidy or professional. Ideally when using filters or editing, using the same filter is better than using a different filter per picture. 

2.       Content

Keep it Current and Topical. The content of a blog differs depending on the type of blog one has. However certain things are obvious, you cannot call yourself a fashion blogger if you are going to blog about pets most of the time and post your Christmas outfit every other year. When it comes to timing, for example: if it’s close to Valentine’s Day, an ‘outfit inspo’ post has to be published a few days before the D-day, not on Easter. The same thing applies to your purchases. If you buy something that is currently in store, do not make a post about it 6 months later. It does not work in your favour. Another little tip is to use holidays for content inspiration.

God is in the detail. No matter what type of blogger you are, ensuring that there isn’t spelling mistakes is very important. Obviously no one is perfect, and sometimes some silly spelling mistakes slip through our fingers. But double checking those little details will always come in handy. TAKE YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK SERIOUSLY, before everyone else takes you for a joke.

 3.       Collaborations and how to make your blog lucrative

Do not lose yourself-stay hungry, honest and humble (3H).

One fact is that building an audience takes time and patience. Do not lose patience or yourself in the process.  In order to ensure that your audience grows is to remain consistent in terms of the post frequency. Obviously, the more you post the better. However it should never be at the expense of the quality of your pictures and content. It’s important to create ‘your own signature’, something that sets you apart from other bloggers, do not jump on the wagon of following and replicating whatever else is done by every other blogger. STAND OUT!

When your following is still low, it is okay to do product reviews or other collaborations for free. It’s humbling to do something for free while you could get paid; but exposure serves when your following is still relative low. This really applies when the brand’s following is 10,000 times higher than yours. In order to get paid, you need to be bringing something to the table too. Once you get paid and start  receiving free things , do not take anything for granted or grow an ol' big head. A nasty attitude is never pleasant or helpful. 

It’s important to stay honest to yourself, brands and the audience. Your audience has to coincide with your lifestyle and your visuals. For example if you always shop at the lower end of the retail chain, do not expect the high end brands or boutiques to jump at your proposal or e-mail. Simply put, dissonance was never cute. If your audience does not relate to the brand, their customers or their mission statement, it should not shock you if you do not get more than a tap on your Instagram picture (from the brand).

Stay hungry and passionate. Keep on telling your story, keep on doing your research, keep on being YOU most importantly. Do not compare yourself to other bloggers (yes am also speaking to myself here). Do not compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20. Some of the reasons why you should not compare your blog are: people blog for different audiences and for different reasons, resources vary and it is the quickest way to kill your creative self. So keep on keeping on, no matter how slow the growth of your audience is. Keep your work excellent, authentic and timely.

Lastly, if you have established a substantial following and you post frequently (as in not on a quarterly basis); do not be afraid to approach brands. Approach them with a precise, concise and innovative proposal. In terms of billing, it differs according to the type of blog one has. For example, if you are promoting a clothing brand. You calculate the total cost of taking pictures (how much you paid the photographer), the outfit (if you were not sent the merchandise), and transportation if you had to go to a far off location and labour (the time taken to write the post or shoot the video). This is applicable to brands which have marketing departments and promotion budgets, of course. 

Style Section: I wore this mosaic print-burgundy- wrap dress to a wedding. I was channeling the 'Bay Area Bohemian' to spice things up. What I love about wrap dresses, they are the best silhouette for an hour-glass shape. A wrap dress holds what needs to be held and accentuate traits I want accentuated like the waist. A maxi dress is obviously the warmer option for a wedding in the fall, paired with ankle boots to  compliment the front slit. In order to integrate the 70s look into your wardrobe, you could get accessories such as a choker and a bucket sling bag with fringes. 

Wrap dress: Legit (in store)

Choker and earrings:Women Street

Rings: FIX

Sling Bag: Mr Price

Ankle Boots: Forever21

When I look to the light

Hey There!!!!!

Still in the Easter mood or nah? Well, personally I am. Hence this post is inspired by my best memories of Easter , growing up,  and spirituality all together. 

Growing up, Easter was a really big deal. My father would want to see all of his children dressed in white. Everyone had to be wearing a white top, shirt or dress. We would all 'pack up' in the car and off to mass. After mass, we would go to some nice restaurant for lunch. Those were the times!

Every time I asked my father why we had to wear white for important events, he said that white represented godliness and clarity. My interpretation of such a holy celebration is such that a royal blue garment is a must wear. Royal blue represents all things royal to me, but also harmony between my physical and spiritual selves.  And darling, these high-waist pants made by Brett Robson (http://shopbrettrobson.com/) are everything honey! There is nothing more elegant than wide leg pants. When the pants are royal blue, it reads daughter of the King all over you!!!

Top: Fix

Pants: Brett Robson

Hand Made Woven Set  (earrings and a bangle):  Inzuki Designs (http://www.inzuki.com)

Love and light!