A Fashionable Fair Trade Journey

Standing before me was rack upon rack of discounted clothing. "30% off the ticketed price" they screamed. My brain was abuzz with excitement, I had to hold myself back from doing the magical discounting sums in my head. I could feign that my browsing was "keeping up with fashions" or "educating myself on styles, cuts and fabrics". But lets face it, my knees buckle at the sign of a sale and these bumper bargins were about to send my fair trade fashion resolution crashing to the ground.

I mustered all the resolve I could and marched right past the sales racks. Not without my right arm, apparently with a mind of its own, jumping out to touch the soft folds of an illict floral number as I passed.

This was my year of only Fair Trade Fashion! How could I come so close to being sucked in by a sales rack? It would have fullfilled my impulsive misguided need for variety in my cupboard for sure(forgetting the mountain of clothing I already have!), but still left me wanting.

My self control for purchasing only fair trade chocolate is going really well. When it comes to my self-control with eating it.....well that's another story. I think Chocolate is easy though. It's in enough major supermarkets that with a little effort we can find it. Convenience isn't an appropriate excuse for avoiding fair trade though. I very shamefully say that I have put fair trade fashion into the too hard basket. There are two shining lights of fair trade fashion in my wardrobe. Two white tops from www.onecolour.com.au . I brought them form Di at a Fair Trade market.

I was also deterred from purchasing because of the few companies that sell designer fair trade which has the designer price tag to go with it too. I don't think this is a representation of everything that's available though. Sacrificing quantity in my wardrobe so that I can have fair trade clothes is something I'm definitely willling to do. I don't think we really have an understanding of poverty in Australia. We have so much to be thankful for. I'm determined not to allow myself to become wrapped in the self centered lifestyle that the western world sucks us into. I will definitely choose to live a lot more simply if the result of that is freedom and a life lived by those that make my clothes.

I'm determind to research and find some great options for Fair Trade Fashion! I'll keep you posted on how I go. We're also looking at selling more clothing through our Fair Trade business. I'll let you know how that goes too!!!! I'm so excited!!!