New Zealand's young ethical fashion entrepreneurs are making a stand.
Meet Erica, Nevada, and Aroha. These three women span Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, but despite their distance; they have a lot in common. All three are young fashion entrepreneurs passionate about producing ethical clothing that is made safely, sustainably, and with materials/labour sourced at fair wages. Nevada and Aroha's stories are here this week - check out next week's Hamilton News for Erica's story.
NEVADA FROM OKEWA RAINWEAR
Q: This isn't your first label " tell us about your twoworlds project.
A: Prior to Okewa Rainwear I worked with a few friends on an amazing vision they had for a clothing label based in NZ that sourced fabric from around the globe, telling the story of each culture we visited. It was a platform for designers to come onboard and collaborate. The first two collections we travelled to Bali to source traditional woven ikat fabric, which is beautiful. I really enjoyed transforming the fabrics into modern garments and even today get a lot of positive affirmations from past customers.
Q: How does ethical sourcing and sustainability influence your decision making?
A: Ethical sourcing and sustainability is very important to our decision making and if production is to move offshore this is something we will look at very closely. Sustainability of fabrics is also important which is why we are spending a lot of time looking at how to use natural fibres as outerwear. We certainly want to move towards natural fibres like wools, and waxed cottons.
Q: Fast-forward 20 years from now, what materials do you think our clothes will be made of? Will it matter to people where they're from?
A: I hope our clothing will be made from far more natural fibres and that consumers will be buying less clothing but far superior quality. At Okewa we are currently researching possibilities for our coats in some new natural fibres.
Q: What's your favourite piece of clothing you've designed so far, and why?
A: The Okewa raincoat is definitely my favourite piece of clothing I've ever designed as they filled a desperate gap in my wardrobe and get plenty of wear here in Wellington. A large shawl style coat is to be released later this year and this is so far my favourite.
Q: Is it mainly Kiwis shopping for your range, or have you had overseas interest?
A: So far we have had about 50/50 from NZ and from abroad. I believe this is definitely due to the fact we launched via Kickstarter, an international crowdfunding platform.
Q: How do you find working alongside your partner Nick? What strengths do you each bring to the business?
A: I love working alongside Nick as we have very varied skills so essentially what I lack he excels in and vice versa. Nick mans the social media accounts and customer service, branding and identity whilst I look after design, production and sourcing.
AROHA MCKERROW FROM PROMISEDLAND
Q: What inspired you to start your own label?
A: After travelling to many developing countries and seeing so much poverty, I wanted to help get money from the western world, to people in less fortunate circumstances. I wanted women to be able to buy stylish, yet classic pieces that fit really beautifully, and in turn provide an income for people in need in developing countries.
Q: Was it difficult to find a truly ethical source for your fabrics " how did you manage to find the people you're working with in Vietnam?
A: My focus was to find a workshop to produce clothing that supported disadvantaged people in a developing country to earn a decent living to help themselves out of poverty. I did a lot of research and found Fair Fashion Vietnam; a garment workshop set up by an anti trafficking alliance to support rehabilitated woman into a chosen career. It's hard when you start looking into fair trade and ethical practices, I knew from the start that I would need to go there in person to see it for myself. I did a lot of research and was very blessed to find the workshop that supports such great causes. I looked into getting certified Fairtrade fabric and I couldn't find anything even close to what I was after without carting it across the globe. So I decided to start with locally made silk, which is a great start. I am yet to see it in production; this will be the next step.
Q: Fast-forward 20 years from now " what materials do you think our clothes will be made of? Will it matter to people where they're from?
A: We will still have natural fibres and there is bound to be more manmade fibres too. I hope people start to care where the fabric comes from. I think there will always be some that care and some that don't. I think the question is will people care more about price or ethics and will big labels and already established factories start looking into ethical practices? I hope so.
Q: What's your favourite piece of clothing you've designed so far, and why?
A: Oooh that's a hard one, the Eve top is a timeless classic. It's a black silk top with a drop vee back. I love the bright silks and colorful prints too.
Q: Tell us about more about the ladies in Vietnam " what are their stories?
A: Such beautiful kind people and amazing tailors. Some sad background stories but now beautiful opportunities. One lady at a young age was offered a job as a maid in a neighboring country, and she regrettably took up the offer to support her family. Little did she know she would end up being taken to a neighboring country, repetitively raped and abused and forced into a life of prostitution. She was rescued by an anti trafficking alliance and rehabilitated over a number of years. Then was eventually able to live her dream to be a tailor and now works at Fair Fashion (where promisedland garments are made).
Q: What are the main challenges you're facing at the moment as a fashion entrepreneur?
A: There is so much fashion out there, so getting people to realise quality, style and good practices over getting a bargain.
Q: When is your next collection out?
A: It will be in shops August 2015!
See next week's paper for Erica from ReCreate's responses to Latesha's questions.