[Pure Bliss] My Thoughts on the Factory Collapse in Bangladesh

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Lauren

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Jun 11, 2013, 1:54:54 PM6/11/13

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During my hiatus from the blogging world, I do not believe I looked at Twitter at all. Twitter is where I get all my Eco and Fair Trade news, so nearly two months went by after the Bangladesh factory collapsed, and I had no idea. During the past year and a half ethical fashion has been increasingly becoming an interest of mine, so much so that I decided I will not profit off of an industry where people are suffering just to make a minuscule income. Which is why Peerless Charm is now an ethical jewelry brand. Therefore, I should probably be one to stay up to date on such news, but sadly sometimes I am not.

During the past two days I have been doing a lot of reading on the event, and I have conflicted emotions. The people that work in these factories, would be poor without them. Avoiding the companies that source from factories that are less than ethical is not enough, it may simply take away the only income these people have. I think it is important to contact companies that you like, ask them where they source from, and the conditions of workers. Fast fashion exists because of the demand for it. We are the Burger King generation. We want what we want, and we want it now. This is driving companies to bring the cheapest clothes possible, so we can fill our closets this season, and throw it all away next season. It's easy to look at a cute and cheap dress, and not think about the person that is an ocean away making them. Let's think about these people like people, and demand better regulations for them.

Admittedly, while I maintain Peerless Charm to be an ethical brand, I have become a bit lackadaisical in my personal consumption. I am going to take this as a wake up call, return that cute yet cheap dress that I bought last week, and do a little more research before making purchases.

I am happy to see that more of the mainstream fashion industry is taking a look at ethical fashion, but I am saddened by the fact that it took a tragedy for that to happen. What are your thoughts?