C’est quoi, mode ethique?

Mode ethique? C’est achetez malin : achetez moins, mais achetez mieux!

Dans votre boutique Downtown Uptown venez toute l’année profiter de vrais prix attractifs sur de vrais produits de qualité et de luxe de #deuxiememain #secondhand! Nous existons depuis 6 ans et c’est grâce à vous…. Merci d’investir dans le commerce de proximité et d’adhérer aux principes que nous défendons depuis le début : “mode lente>”, l’achat responsable, lutter contre la pollution et l’exploitation, recycler les produits et renforcer la cohésion sociale!

What is #ethicalfashion?

It is “slow fashion” or sustainable fashion. It involves MANY factors, processes, people & decisions, but here is our 5 point summary 😉
✅ sustainable sourcing
✅ how it is made
✅ conditions it is made in
✅ quality & durability
✅ recyclability
and at each stage, the costs of each process. Driving DOWN PRICES (or customer over demand of low prices), can cause “corner-cutting” and cost cutting at each stage.

What is unethical fashion? It is fast-fashion. Here is what fast fashion does:

❌ fast-fashion sourcing: Cut the costs at the source level, this will cause lack of sustainable planning of growing or mining materials, and lack of avoiding dangerous chemicals or heavy metals in creating dyes or adhesives. Some minerals are mined in conflict countries, so even the fine details of what you wear is important. Organic farming is currently more costly due to the care of the environment and not succumbing to cheap pesticides. It is a slow planet after all, not a fast one!
❌ fast-fashion production: Cut the costs at the production level, this will cause lower standards in health and safety for workers, lower wages for workers, excessive hours for workers. And the argument that “but is is better than some alternatives”, doesn’t cut it. That’s like saying we are not equal as human beings. It also encourages labour slavery, debt-bondage and human-trafficking.
❌ fast-fashion conditions: Cut the costs in environment or working conditions, this will cause environmental degradation (incorrect disposal or dumping of byproducts & wastes), will cause lower standards in equipment (dangerous for workers), and dangerous situations, such as fires/building collapses – just like happened at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013, that killed 1134, injured 2500.
❌ fast-fashion quality & durability: Cut the costs in standards or quality and many consequences prevail. Flammable or toxic articles that violate EU regulations, cause sickness and harm. Cheaper materials have a lower quality due to the way they are manufactured. ever heard of the old-fashioned “thread-count” when talking about cotton sheets? More threads, higher quality, but more material needed, thus logically, it has to cost more! To create cheaper items, fastenings, glues, threads & trimmings are from synthetic and non durable materials. A plastic button will not last like a bone, metal or mother-of-pearl button – not just in durability but also in colour fastness. Or even worse, made from toxic materials that are cheaper. The trend in fake-fur is also worrying. Fake fur is fine threads of plastic, that fall off easily – ironically contradictory to promote when we are currently fighting a plastic inundation.
❌ fast-fashion one-wear waste: Cut the costs in recyclability, this will cause… well, that should be obvious.

This is a simplistic summary, as the facets of fashion production are wide and far-reaching.

In this age of conscious consumerism, what you wear (& buy to wear) says A LOT about you! If you buy secondhand and ethical fashion, you wear your philosophy on your sleeve 😉👍🏼

What IS #slowfashion?

Slow fashion is #authenticity. Authenticity in #style. Authenticity in #sourcing. Authenticity in #materials. Authenticity in #design. Authenticity in #fabrication. Authenticity in #selling. Authenticity in #recycling. Authenticity in #resale.
Slow fashion is NOT about cheap. It is NOT about compromise for profits. It is NOT about fake discounts. It is NOT about fake products. It is NOT about false expectations. It is NOT about “a bargain”. It is a slow dance with your wardrobe…. ✨

That is what sustainable and ethical fashion is about. No excuses, if you cut corners for money. Small and slow is better…. Why we guarantee all our items? Because we curate, we select, we verify the provenance. Most importantly, we are NOT afraid to doubt and reject and even loose a sale – to ensure that we uphold our principles of SUSTAINABILITY, VALUE, INTEGRITY and PROFESSIONALISM. This only comes if you take time.

We use FairWear and WRAP accreditation for our new designer items.

We promote the #circulareconomy with our luxury secondhand & sustainable fashion brands such as @appareal @thetallis @i_love_syria_ethical_brand @nudiejeans @stutterheim @armedangels @veja @filippa_k

The circular economy is not not a ruse, it is real. Re-value the way you consume. #recycle #reuse and #repair. At DOWNTOWN UPTOWN, we have developed a space for beautiful quality ethical luxury, both secondhand preloved and new designers that design and create in a #sustainable manner. We also sell repaired luxury bags, shoes & clothes!

If you have any questions, come and visit, introduce yourself and we can chat over a fairtrade organic espresso 🙂

By Giji Gya (Mrs Uptown ), December 2019.