I don't know about you, but I chose my apparel based on what "catches my eye" in regards to detail & quality/design of fabric. I mean I love quality over a name, but we like names too, right? My budget (like many of us who are living pay check to pay check with little to no savings and/or family responsibilities that were main priority making economical over "luxury" the choice for us) did not always allow for those high end fashion purchases we desired. That's why through this journey to begin Detroit313 Clothing (we say D313) & the massive research of the fashion industry I've done left me shocked. To learn that many of the "luxury" lines did not practice earth & human friendly practices was mind boggling to me. Why? Because they have the means to make more conscious decisions. Not saying the more economical brands have the right to be careless, but I can see their dilemma over the luxury lines. I was also in total shock that as consumers we discard over 50 pounds of clothing individually per year (averaging the pounds based on various research statistics, but many articles went over 75 pounds of yearly waste). According to the research a lot of that waste is not even recyclable, which is very damaging to our earth. Resulting in what we are witnessing today of glaciers melting, the wildfires, the seasons not being regular seasons as we've known from the past.
Once I learned of these statistics I was adamant about the path D313 would take in regards to the partners we chose to work with. We have made many changes in this regard & look for company transparency with their role in keeping the work place & our earth environment as safe as possible. This includes how garments are created, how unused material is discarded or recycled, how fabric dyes are disposed and even the amount of water used among other things. D313 is excited to take a advocacy role & doing what we can at protecting our environment. It's also a pleasure to share with those of you, who may have been unaware too, as we continue to educate ourselves on the extent of damage our choices can create. D313 alone can't stop climate change of course, but we do want to contribute best we can as a company & individually. We pray the information inspire you to be more mindful too because one change in our routine can make a difference.
It's imperative that we all do as much as possible to protect our planet for ourselves, children & our future. We will use this platform to share, educate, encourage & support this mission of a cleaner earth best we can. We are excited to gain support from those of you who was already advocating/on the path for a cleaner environment too. As we all are witnessing right now, climate change is very real. Therefore, regardless of how small the contribution may be, EVERYONE needs to do a part.
M. Rochelle