Who pays?

Have you ever thought about it?

Every piece of clothing that you wear is made by someone.

First there is the production of the yarn.

This is woven into fabrics.

The fabric is dyed.

Then patterns are made.

All pattern parts are cut from the fabric and then stitched together manually.

It seems to be a lot of work if you look at it that way. Every step is carried out by people.

How did it come that we no longer appreciate the clothing we buy and wear?

That we find it is normal that clothing costs only a few euros?

That we find it normal that there are new clothes in the stores every day or every week?

That we always want more?

More and cheaper?

Because, do you know…

Someone always pays the price …

Do you think it’s okay for someone else to pay for you? Someone you don’t know, living on the other side of the world.

That he / she pays with his/her life or health?

How little we know about the influence of ‘fast fashion’ on our planet and the people who work for it.

Or maybe we don’t want to know? What you don’t know doesn’t bother you.
Because knowledge gives responsibility.

You can ignore it, live with it.

Or you can use it consciously.

The prices of our bamboo clothing are remarkably higher than those of most fast fashion brands.

We cannot and do not want to compete with that.

The reason for this is that we only work with the best quality raw materials to make our fabrics and clothing. Our Jersey and sweater are made from 95% ecovero bamboo viscose and 5% elastane. Our satin is 100% ecovero bamboo viscose. These fabrics are fully recyclable and / or compostable.

We only work with heavy quality fabrics. The weight of our Jersey is always between 220 and 240 g / m2. That is a lot higher than the average jersey that is usually found in stores.

We deliver a fair product with fair prices.

Our entire production process is done in Portugal according to European standards.

Our spinner, weaver and dressmakers have a correct wage and paid vacation days. Just like we in Belgium.

Ask yourself the question: “how much do you want to earn per worked hour or day?”

That is why we are no longer a membe of Fair Wear Foundation (FWF).

What is a fair wage?

For this it is best to take a look in your own heart.

What do you want to achieve with the wages you earn?

For me, that means that my family an I can live in a decent house (bought or rented). With a bathroom, kitchen, living room and sleeping space.

That is normal in Belgium.

But that is not normal in many other countries.

And that is not what FWF guarantees. In many countries people still work for FWF-certified companies for € 150 per month.

I don’t think this is fair.

Many people in the fashion industry still work more than 8 hours a day and live with large families in one-room-homes without utilities.

Many companies in fast fashion are not (yet) concerned with sustainability and fair wages. They buy certificates such as FWF. This is not green fashion but greenwashing.

For my company I try to follow the road that feels good to me every day.

It’s about time that people get more appreciation for the clothes and other things they own. Quality must be put back above quantity. So that you can start to love your property again and enjoy it for years.

In what kind of world do you want your children to grow up?

Which norms and values ​​do you want to give them?

I made my choice years ago.

And you?

Written by Apr. Sofie Dierckx