The best ways to shop ethically

When I joined the Dressember Movement as an anti-trafficking advocate in 2018, I began to think critically about human trafficking, ethical fashion, and my role in the movement. While I was campaigning for Dressember and fundraising via social media, I was also attending college full-time, and as we neared the end of the semester, I had a major term paper due. When my ethically-made Dressember dresses arrived in the mail, I realized that I should use my upcoming project as an opportunity to write about human trafficking, and thus, my passion grew stronger.

My most effective means of spreading awareness of how fashion, human trafficking, and environmental destruction are intertwined is by sharing my thoughts on social media. I frequently share my love for ethical and sustainable fashion with my friends and followers, and they often ask me how they can incorporate more ethically made clothing into their own wardrobes. When it comes to ethical consumerism, it can be difficult to know where to start, and it can honestly feel a bit overwhelming at times. But ethical consumerism doesn't exist in a vacuum: you don't have to live an entirely ethical, organic, chemical-free life in order to participate.

It's okay to ease yourself into shopping ethically at your own pace, but a lot of people might feel a bit resistant at first. Whether it's because their favorite brands use sweatshops or because they believe ethically-made clothing is more expensive, consumers can be very reluctant when it comes to shopping ethically.

In general, ethical fashion can be more expensive than fast fashion because the price for an ethically-made garment accounts for fair wages for the worker who made it. In fast fashion, garment workers are operating in slave-like conditions and often make 1-3% of what the garment costs. That means that the $5 top you're eyeing from Forever 21 or H&M was made by someone living well below the poverty level, possibly earning $20 a month, if they're being paid at all.

Despite the concept of fair-pay for garment workers, there is no reason to believe that ethical fashion is always more expensive than unethical brands. For instance, Everlane is known for its sustainable clothing and "radical transparency," and they partner with ethical factories around the world in order to create ethically-conscious clothing. Though the items at Everlane are ethically-made, a pocket t-shirt sells for just $18, while at Lululemon, where workers' rights are unknown and toxic chemicals are used in the production process, a single t-shirt sells for $54.

While ethically-made clothing isn't always more expensive, it certainly can be...but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Of course in America there are people struggling to afford health insurance or their next meal, so price point can certainly be an issue. However, for those who aren't necessarily struggling and can afford the luxury of shopping for pleasure, we should be willing to pay the premium associated with ethically made clothing. When you consider that ethically made clothing isn't truly expensive but that fast fashion is just appallingly cheap, you realize that the price point associated with ethical clothing is worth it.

An ethically-made t-shirt from Everlane costs $18 while a similar t-shirt that's not ethically-made sells for more than $50 at Lululemon.

Some are unconcerned about the price point associated with ethically-made clothing and are more concerned with style. Research tells us that "emotion drives 80% of the decisions Americans make" and style is certainly an emotional decision more than it is a logical one. You might logically know that you need a new winter coat, but if you have to choose between a coat you love that isn't ethically-made and coat you like that is ethically-made, you're likely to choose the former option. Unfortunately, a lot of ethical fashion brands aren't mainstream, so when a consumer searches "white puffer coat" on Google, she won't find Everlane's ethically-made Puffer Coat in "bone." Instead she'll find top results from H&M, ASOS, and Lulu's: all fast-fashion brands where the coat isn't likely to last more than one season.

Because it can be hard to find ethical brands, it can likewise be difficult to find ethical clothing you truly enjoy. If you only know of one ethical company, it's less likely that you'll find a garment there that you truly like than at one of the hundreds of other companies where clothing isn't ethically produced. Luckily, the ethical fashion industry has created some amazing resources to help you locate companies that produce ethically made clothing that fits your style.

One of the best resources for ethical consumerism is Good On You's Brand Directory which offers ratings for thousands of companies based on how they treat their workers, their use of animal products, and their impact on the environment. You can shop their favorite, highly-recommended brands or you can search for your favorite brand and check out their rating. They even offer an app so you can quickly search for a brand's ethical rating while you're shopping.

Similarly, Dressember offers an Ethical Fashion Directory that exclusively features brands who meet principles set by the International Labor Organization. The directory allows consumers to narrow their options by what they're shopping for as well as their budget. Both men and women can use this directory to shop from hundreds of ethical companies.

DoneGood serves as a virtual marketplace that offers ethically-made items from third-party brands. Consumers can buy directly from DoneGood's website or install their browser plug-in that suggests ethical alternatives while you're shopping online. Much like Google offers its own suggestions based on your search history, DoneGood will offer ethical suggestions for the items you're searching.

I will readily acknowledge that ethical consumerism can be a class issue: not everyone can afford an $18 t-shirt. For many, a $5 shirt from H&M is a luxury. However, there is also another option for those who want to shop ethically even if it's not within their means. Purchasing items secondhand, whether at your local thrift shop or through a chic online store like Poshmark, is a great way to purchase clothing ethically while staying within your budget. Though the items were not necessarily made ethically, when you purchase secondhand, you're extending the life of a garment that would be thrown out or unused otherwise. Thrifting keeps items out of landfills and prevents companies that use sweatshops and slave labor from making another sale. For those who are hesitant about shopping secondhand, Poshmark offers the option to search for items labeled "NWT" or "new with tags." With this feature, you can find brand new, unused items at a fraction of their original price.

Shopping ethically doesn't always have to be difficult or expensive. However, we should keep in mind that when ethical clothing is more expensive, it's because workers are being paid fairly and treated with dignity. If you would pay $200 for a pair of Kate Spade shoes, it shouldn't be so outrageous to pay $200 for shoes that were made by a person working in decent conditions for fair pay. If you're new to shopping ethically, start out small. Remember that part of living ethically and sustainably is cutting down on waste and purchasing less. So the next time you need a new garment, use the Dressember fashion directory to purchase something ethically made or head to your local thrift shop to extend the life of a secondhand clothing item. Your everyday, seemingly small decisions to live ethically and sustainably have an enormous impact on the lives of workers and on the environment.