Fashion

Immigrant-run sewing co-op aims to end fast fashion culture, starting with Muslims

CHICAGO (RNS) — Perhaps no item of clothing so immediately expresses a person’s values as a hijab. Why then, asks Hoda Katebi, do American Muslim women not take care to wear a hijab that is in line with their thinking about human rights and worker exploitation? “Our clothes are so intimate to our bodies,” said Katebi, 24, an Iranian American …

Justice & Ethics in a Capitalistic World: How Your Spending Affects the Rich and Poor of the World

Today, accumulated wealth sits in a small number of pockets around the world and the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. More than 82% of wealth created in 2017 went to 1% of the world’s population. Half of the world is still living in poverty while a relative handful reaps excessive wealth. The trillions of dollars spent …

The Social Enterprise Industry Needs More Muslim Fashion Brands

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In 2013, the fashion industry saw one of the worst tragedies in history – the Rana Plaza complex, a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed and took the lives of 1,134 garment workers and injured 2,500 more. The factories operating in this building made clothes for well-known international brands. This devastating incident accelerated the rise in a new movement — the …

From Vulnerable Communities to Powerful Artisans // Interview with Sarah’s Bag Founder, Sarah Beydoun

A social enterprise born out of a research project for Sarah Beydoun’s Master’s thesis in Sociology in 2000, has gone onto become one the favorite brands carried by celebrities and royalty like Queen Rania, Frieda Pinto and Amal Clooney. Items from Sarah’s Bag has been featured in literally every fashion magazine you can think of – Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, Stylist, …

Financial Independence for Survivors of Abuse // Interview with Fair Anita Founder, Joy McBrien

Joy McBrien is the founder of Fair Anita. Fair Anita sells fair trade jewelry, accessories, and clothing that provides financial security to 8,000 women in 16 countries. Joy has previously worked for a variety of nonprofit organizations, but always ran entrepreneurial initiatives on the side. She started her first jewelry business when she was 15! We at UpEffect love Fair Anita, because …

Extraordinary jewellery, bags and shawls, ethically handmade by artisans in developing nations.

Artisan and Fox works to bridge artisans in developing nations that are unable to access the international market independently to socially conscious consumers worldwide! Their aim is to raise artisan incomes, reduce gender inequality in patriarchal communities, and preserve cultural heritage — all the while through ethically fashionable pieces that fit contemporary trends. We caught up with cofounder Jaron Soh, …

This street fashion entrepreneur is making an impact through ethical clothing

Adam Khafif is the Founder and CEO of LisnUp Clothing. In this interview with UpEffect, Adam shines a light on his entrepreneurial journey including wins and failures and how over the last six years he’s made LisnUp Clothing the go-to streetwear brand for Muslim influencers and socially conscious fans.   Just like any other kid, at 15 years old, Adam …

Converting storytelling artwork into ethical clothing

Thraedable is a social enterprise that aims to raise awareness about social issues that suffer from invisibility or misrepresentation and to raise funds for grassroots organisations that offer sustainable solutions to those issues. We are an ethical fashion brand, currently producing t-shirts and bags inspired by drawings made by people who face little-told social issues; as well as an online …