What does ethical fashion actually mean? Why should it matter?

We know that ethical fashion is a term that's being used a lot recently. As one of the brands that is using this term, we wanted to explain in more detail what it really means and why it's important. 

Definitions:

• 'Ethical' - relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong. [Cambridge Dictionary]
• 'Ethically' - in a way that is morally right or relates to moral principles. [Cambridge Dictionary]
• Ethical Fashion - clothing that is made through processes that are morally right.

In simple terms, ethical fashion takes good care of the people who are making your clothes. They are paid well, have good working conditions and are cared about by the company that employs them.

When looking at fashion in particular, this means that clothing is made in a morally good and considered way. It involves slowing the production process down so that each step in the clothing's life is thought-through to ensure it has a positive impact.

We strongly believe that when we are adding products to the world, we should only do this if we are adding positive benefits in the process. Producing our garments with ethical principles ensures we are adding positively to the world.

When you make a purchase, your money goes to the company that you've bought that product from. The company then decides how that money is spent. It's important that you trust the company that you shop with. You should feel confident that they will spend your money in a way that makes you happy.

How is AYM ethical?

Behind our clothes, there are real people. You can meet them here.

• Our team are ethically employed. This means they are well paid and that they have healthy and safe working conditions.
• Our garments are always Made in England. This has loads of benefits; including positively contributing to the UK economy through employment and spending, ensuring high quality production and skills, as well as keeping the carbon footprint of each garment to an absolute minimum - it's a few physical footsteps between some of the processes within our supply chain as they are all inside one building! 
• We create garments that make our customer's feel incredible. We commit to only making garments that we believe will make someone feel amazing. You can read independant reviews via Trust Pilot here.
• We consciously design our garments so that they can be worn time and time again.
• Quality is incredibly important to us. We want the garments that we make to last.
• We make considered choices about  the volumes of garments that we produce, only producing what is actually required to meet the demand. 
• Our team discuss the choices we have to make with a view to ensuring the decisions we make are always are ethical.
• Our garments are always made in the UK.

Ethical Employment

• We employ a team based in Sussex, England. The team are all paid above the living wage, to ensure that they are all able to achieve a decent standard of living.
• Our working environment is healthy, safe and pleasant to work in. We work in a grade 2 listed Old Brewery building in Lewes (Sussex, U.K.). It has high ceilings; is light and airy and we have a beautiful shared garden.
• We have a bonus scheme based on profits for all of our employees. 
• We are kind to each other. Our team are compassionate, supportive and caring to one another. This makes for a lovely place to work. 

Suppliers

We work with suppliers who we know and trust.

• Fabric, trims & packaging - wherever possible we work with UK based suppliers in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint within our supply chain. Our suppliers know that we are committed to ethical practices.
• Garment production - when we do need to get support with our production (sometimes the volume of demand for our garments is more than our Lewes team can physically produce in a working week) we work with suppliers in London. These London based factories are regularly visited by us and we have great relationships with all of them. 

AYM's Perspective

This is written from our perspective. It's our understanding of what ethical fashion is and how we can contribute positively. 

We feel that it's important for consumers to understand where their money goes, as ultimately you can impact the direction of the industry through your purchase choices. 

Therefore, in order to get a full picture of ethical fashion as a whole, we recommend conducting your own research into this topic. There are lots of online resources that provide thorough information into ethical fashion. 

We are very happy to answer any questions that you have about this topic. Please contact us via our contact form / give us a call [+441273 477779] / send us an email [info@aym-studio.com]. We look forward to speaking to you about this or anything else that you have questions about.