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Ethics in the Textile World

Ethics describes a behavioural code that is based in one's morals, behaving in a way one believes/knows to be morally right, to the benefit (or at least not to the detriment) of the people, animals, and environment around one.



'Ethical' label suggestions from Dreamstime website


The Oxford Cambridge Dictionary defines ethics as "a system of accepted beliefs that control behaviour, especially such a system based on morals."  


In terms of the textiles industry this can relate to a range or topics, such as fair wages and safe working practices for all workers, reducing the cost to or not harming the environment/humans/animals whilst producing your textiles, re-using pre- or post-consumer waste in textile production, and investing in more circular ways of working.


How and where can we see this in action, and how could we incorporate such ideas into our own artistic or textile practices?


I've been following Orsola de Castro for some time, enjoying her personal ways of re-using clothing, mending, repurposing, etc., and recently investigated her work further.  Orsola co-founded Fashion Revolution, along with Carry Somers, partly in reaction to the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, when more than 1000 workers lost their lives in a factory collapse.  The incident highlighted even more the unethical (and some would say downright dangerous, illegal, and ultimately fatal) working practices sometimes found in many parts of the world.




The organisation describes itself as "a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit," and constantly strives to improve everything about the fashion industry.  They aim to bring about cultural, industry, and policy change through their methods of working, via collaborations with multiple groups, improving visibility in all areas of the industry, conducting research into negative impacts of the current systems and also into newer, less impactful or negative methods, and also advocating for policy change at the highest political levels. 















Anon, (n.d.). The Fashion Revolution | Model Students. [online] Available at: https://modelstudents.co.uk/blog/the-fashion-revolution/ [Accessed 19 May 2023].


Cambridge Dictionary (2019). ETHIC | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Cambridge.org. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ethic.


Fashion Revolution (2018). ABOUT - Fashion Revolution. [online] Fashion Revolution. Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/.


‌Fashion Revolution. (n.d.). Interview with Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution Day. [online] Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/uk-blog/interview-with-orsola-de-castro-co-founder-of-fashion-revolution-day/.


www.dreamstime.com. (n.d.). Eco Friendly Manufacturing Fashion Logo. Icons, Badges For Natural And Quality Recycling Clothing, Ethical Fabric, Slow Fashion Stock Vector - Illustration of business, quality: 248038252. [online] Available at: https://www.dreamstime.com/eco-friendly-manufacturing-fashion-logo-icons-badges-natural-quality-recycling-clothing-ethical-fabric-slow-fashion-eco-image248038252 [Accessed 20 May 2023].

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