Cozy Up to Culpability

Corporate responsibility -- remember these buzzwords, because it's something that really matters. We live in this world of fast-fashion, where companies churn out trendy clothes that will be worn once or twice and thrown out almost as soon as that. There comes a trade-off between "affordability" and sustainability. How many plain white t-shirts do you think exist in the world? And how many are manufactured using inorganic cotton that was grown using chemicals that pollute the environment? How many of those shirts were sewn together by workers who can barely feed themselves and their families, who are working in dilapidated factories for 18 hours a day? How many of those shirts will be worn once then thrown out into a landfill because of their poor quality, where they will take years to biodegrade? Now consider all the clothes in the world, not just the white t-shirts. It's a slippery slope. And now more than ever before are clothes being produced and disposed of rather than reused, whereas in the past a typical girl may have owned the same four dresses for her entire adult life, making the necessary fixes and adjustments over time. We need to take a step back and consider the huge detriments we are causing with the modern way we consume fashion.

One thing I really appreciate about Patagonia is their commitment to social and environmental responsibility. They are entirely transparent and you can even track their supply chain on their website. They promote fair labor practices in the factories they use around the world based on four principles: sourcing, quality, social responsibility, and environmental responsibility. They have entire teams dedicated to ensuring these goals and though the clothing they produce does, understandably, generate environmental waste, they donate millions of dollars towards conservation and they are constantly striving to reduce the impact of their production. Reading the materials and watching the videos provided on their website is inspiring -- they fully recognize that they are far from "completely responsible" yet the very act of recognizing this and making steps towards becoming responsible is something I wish more companies would consider.

(I wore a fatigue green Patagonia snap pullover, dark wash AG jeans, Cole Haan two tone riding boots, pearl earrings, and a pearl necklace.)