For Fashion Revolution Week, Variously & Supernatural will be presenting a Trunk Show exclusively at Orleans + Winder in Detroit. 

Variously will also be showcasing its new short documentary ‘Confluence' at K.OSS Contemporary Art Gallery, which has been selected for Official Screening at Los Angeles Fashion Film Festival 2019 as well.

The short documentary called Confluence has been made by Studio Variously to showcase stories of artisans & handloom weavers in Nepal and their quest to keep their heritage craft alive. It is also a celebration of cross cultural design collaboration between Detroit + Nepal.

Orleans + Winder is Detroit based purveyor of the finest slow fashion & high design.O+W was created via Erin Wetzel’s passion for quality, old world production techniques, sustainability, and changing the status quo of the industry from fast fashion to patient design. @orleansandwinder

K.OSS Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery based out of Detroit. @kossartgallery

Variously is a sustainable design brand based out of Detroit area founded by Anjali Purohit, to create capsule collection of scarves & textile based accessories by partnering with artisans globally. @studiovariously

Supernatural is a luxury lingerie boutique in Birmingham, emphasizing exceptional design and ethical and eco-friendly production practices. As a multi-brand shop, Supernatural is proud to carry independent, designer-led labels that celebrate modern femininity and personal style, and push the boundaries of “underwear” and “outerwear.” @supernaturallingerie

Details:

Where: Orleans + Winder 1410 Gratiot Aveue Detroit, MI 48207

When: April 27th, 2019 from 12-4pm

Cost: Free

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trunk-show-at-orleans-winder-for-fashion-revolution-week-tickets-57760364806

What is Fashion Revolution? 

Fashion Revolution is a global movement made up of designers, writers, retailers, makers, garment workers and various people who love fashion. Their mission is to make the fashion industry more transparent, and to bring the different people who participate in the production and consumption of fashion together to change the way we think about fashion. This requires a radical change in the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed. Fashion revolution seeks to make the supply chain cleaner, safer and more fair. 

Fashion Revolution is action and solution based company. They say “We try to always be bold, provocative, inquisitive, accessible and inclusive. We tend to avoid negative protesting, victimizing and naming and shaming. We do not target specific individual companies because we believe that the industry’s problems are bigger than any one company’s actions. We do not advocate boycotting simply because we don’t see it as an effective way to achieve systemic change.” 

What is Fashion Revolution week? 

This is a week where various makers of ethical fashion celebrate Fashion Revolutions #whomademyclothes campaign. It runs concurrently with the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse that killed over 1,100 and injured over 2,500 in Bangladesh on April 24th in 2013. They encourage brands to respond with #imadeyourclothes in encourage transparency. 

Clothes go on a long journey,  before they hit our backs. They start with cotton spinners, weavers, dyers, sewers, etc. 75 million people in the world are garment workers and 80% of these people are young women between 18 and 35.

What is the change that needs to happen? 

Fashion Revolution believe 3 things need to change in order to see a more ethical and sustainable future: Model, Material, Mindset

The model of fashion is crazier than ever. Because of little national manufacturing, clothing prices are higher than ever, but cost next to nothing. 

The materials and the processes used to make our clothes are more dangerous than ever. Not to mention the people who  make our clothes rarely work in a safe environment, and are seldom paid a livable wage. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing a year. In 2012 alone, the EPA estimated that 84% of unwanted clothes ended up in either a landfill or an incinerator. 

The mindset of consumption has also changed in recent years, too. We buy more and more clothing but spend less and less on it. The average american household only spends $1,803.00 where a century ago we spent almost half our income on food and clothes, but we purchase 400% more clothing than we did 20 years ago. We must buy less, take better care of our clothes, and buy better quality. 

Fashion Revolution's manifesto:

1. Fashion provides dignified work, from conception to creation to catwalk. It does not enslave, endanger, exploit, overwork, harass, abuse or discriminate against anyone. Fashion liberates worker and wearer and empowers everyone to stand up for their rights
2. Fashion provides fair and equal pay. It enriches the livelihood of everyone working across the industry, from farm to shop floor. Fashion lifts people out of poverty, creates thriving societies and fulfills aspiration.
3. Fashion gives people a voice, making it possible to speak up without fear, join together in unity without repression and negotiate for better conditions at work and across communities.
4. Fashion respects culture and heritage. It fosters, celebrates and rewards skills and craftsmanship. It recognizes creativity as its strongest asset. Fashion never appropriates without giving due credit or steals without permission. Fashion honors the artisan.
5. Fashion stands for solidarity, inclusiveness and democracy, regardless of race, class, gender, age, shape or ability. It champions diversity as crucial for success.
6. Fashion conserves and restores the environment. It does not deplete precious resources, degrade our soil, pollute our air and water or harm our health. Fashion protects the welfare of all living things and safeguards our diverse ecosystems.
7. Fashion never unnecessarily destroys or discards but mindfully redesigns and recuperates in a circular way. Fashion is repaired, reused, recycled and upcycled. Our wardrobes and landfills do not overflow with clothes that are coveted but not cherished, bought but not kept.
8. Fashion is transparent and accountable. Fashion embraces clarity and does not hide behind complexity nor rely upon trade secrets to derive value. Anyone, anywhere can find out how, where, by whom and under what conditions their clothing is made.
9. Fashion measures success by more than just sales and profits. Fashion places equal value on financial growth, human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
10. Fashion lives to express, delight, reflect, protest, comfort, commiserate and share. Fashion never subjugates, denigrates, degrades, marginalizes or compromises. Fashion celebrates life. 

How does all of this relate to Supernatural?  

We only work with brands that share a sustainable vision, like us. 

La Fille d’O, Dora Larsen, Only Hearts, Kent Woman, Taryn Winters, Yolke, Sleepy Jones, Fortnight, Else, Adina Reay, Bordelle, Paloma Castille, The Great Eros, Marieyat, Swedish Stockings, Fraulein Kink and Opaak are all brands we stock in the store. Let's dive into some of the practices of a few of our beloved brands: 

1. La Fille d’O: a Belgian brand made in Belgium. Close proximity to factories ensures low emissions waste and a closer relationship from designer to maker. Their factory name is Quality Consult, and is located in the city of Kemmel.  Their fabrics are made from recycled yarns, and they produce collections made to order, to cut down on waste. Their mission is little to zero waste. Lycra usually only lasts about 6 months, but La Fille d”O has a repair program. Some fast fashion brands make up to 50 collections a year, La Fille d’O does one collection a year. La Fille d’O works by the OEKO-TEX standard, so no harmful dyes or coats will be going on your bras. Their polyester is also OEKO-TEX standard and is made at Liebaert in Deinze.Their silks are produced in France at a factory called Perrin. Viscose, also known as artificial silk, is a biodegradable fibre drawn from beech wood pulp, a European-sourced waste material. And their offices are green too!
2. Dora Larsen: Dora Larsen is a small family run business. They have an excellent commitment to high labor standards in their Chinese factory. All their fabrics are locally sourced and produces in small quantities to reduce waste. Each year the factory is audited by a third party. This ensures the factory reaches the requirements for ethical standards with regards to supply chain visibility, workplace conditions, environmental performance, fabric quality, social attributes and managing product quality and safety. Their technical team also visit the factory several times a year. Dora Larsen's factory also follows the ETI base code. The requirements for this include the right to unionize, working hours, no child labour, no forced labour, no discrimination, health and well-being and communication of employment. The workers are also paid on a monthly basis, in accordance to UK/EU laws. Their factories and local mills follow EU regulated REACH standards. REACH promotes human health and the environment from risks posed by chemicals as well as promoting alternative methods for assessing substances.
3. ELSE Lingerie has always been made by women for women. From an early age, our founder and creator, Ela Onur, had a curiosity and awareness of the fashion industry, having grown up around skilled artisans and designers in her family’s lingerie business. She has a keen understanding of the importance and necessity in knowing the origins of materials used, as well as labor conditions and opportunities offered. ELSE is committed to educating women in our community in the art of lingerie making, giving them the skills to earn their own living. We have also begun incorporating waste-reducing processes in our supply chain and creating products with sustainable materials. Through Fashion Revolution we can continue to unite and educate our community and beyond to work together towards changing the industry for the better.

I have been working since I was 16 so it’s been almost 20 years in the fashion industry. As an uneducated woman, working gave me the chance to become independent. I earn my own money, I’m able to take care of myself and have the respect of my family and friends. Most importantly, I respect myself. — Huriser

 

The conditions of the fashion industry in Turkey are not bad. We don’t work incredibly long hours, and when we do, we are paid for that time. However, we are aware that this isn’t the situation for all around the world. Women, who have better conditions should speak up for others and share their stories to inspire, to show how the conditions should be. – Gülay

 

There is equality at ELSE. We are all treated equally within the company; we all share the same food together, we share the same space. We are a community, and we respect each other.— Cem

 

The products are made from the hands of experienced people of the industry with attention and detail. The adventure of an ELSE piece starts with the quality control of each material and each detail. The employees take the lead in the design and production of ELSE pieces, which motivates and excites us. The most satisfying aspect of the job is that the pieces we create, positively impact the women who wear them. — Çiçek

To see more employees photos and to find out what it’s like to work at Else, visit https://elselingerie.com/pages/fashion-revolution

Ways to participate in Fashion Revolution:

1. Attend our event! 
2. Send an email to a brand and ask them #whomakesmyclothes?
3. Write or tweet to a brand and ask them about their sustainable or ethical practices.