My primary cause as a changemaker is the cause for empowering women. This is precisely why I’ve also made a decision to champion ethical fashion and change the way I shop, because fashion largely affects women on both the production and the consumer end.

Women make up about 80% of garment workers worldwide, and are often some of the lowest paid workers in the world. In Bangladesh, women only make $68 per month (Source: International Labor Rights Forum).

According to this article by Mic, women are preferred at factories because of the following reasons: As Liana Foxvog, director of organizing and communications at the International Labor Rights Forum, explained to Mic, “Factory owners prefer to hire female workers because they believe that not only are they better suited for sewing with their smaller hands, but that they're also more docile and, therefore, willing to work longer hours for less pay, without organizing or trying to change their conditions.’”

On the flip end, women are also the largest consumers of fashion. This means that we women have the power to change the nature of the industry, buy casting our votes for fair trade fashion with our wallets.

Next time you consider buying something, ask yourself, who made my clothes?

To get you going on the ethical path, check out my article on NBC featuring women-owned, ethical brands.

More brands coming on the blog soon, stay tuned!

To shopping well, wise, and with women in mind,

Ruby

Curious about fair trade fashion and conscious consumerism? Let's work together to bring Glamourbaby Diaries to your school, organization, or venue this year!