By now, we all know that fast, cheap fashion is a no-go for us and the planet.
We know that op-shops, circular fashion, natural fibres and living wages are a yes-go, but we should also know that Worn For Good, a circular fashion concept ticking all the right boxes.
Born from a love and history of social impact, the environment and fashion, founders Sophie Palmer and Pip Best found a way to do it all.
Not only are 100 per cent of profits made from the new and pre-loved clothes and accessories found on Worn For Good donated to charity, but the brands are also hand-selected to ensure their production and quality that aligns with their ethical and sustainability standards.
New items are donated by brands and pre-loved by the public and influencers whose gifts from brands otherwise find themselves at the back of the wardrobe or landfill.
This carefully-curated idea allows shopping to be more than just spoiling yourself.
It makes dressing well something more. It gives shoppers a chance to give back.
Currently, the charity receiving the profits of your purchases is Children’s Ground, a First Nations not-for-profit organisation led by First Nations communities, creating a different future for First Nations children.
With a necessary radical approach, Children’s Ground focuses on a multitude of intersecting factors that contribute to the wellbeing of children.
From education and health to economic wellbeing, culture and community, Children’s Ground advocates for a change in the system, fighting for the integration, acknowledgement and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems to allow these children the skills, opportunities, and future they are excluded from.
Previous handpicked charities include Women’s Community Shelters (protecting and supporting women and children facing domestic violence and homelessness), and Look Good Feel Better (helping people living with cancer).
Greening Australia (supporting environmental restoration and education) has received the profits of Worn For Good purchases, with the receiving charity changing seasonally after every few collections.
The fashion and textiles industry needs a radical change and more ideas and organisations like this.
It is the third-highest polluting industry, emitting about 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year (more than international airlines and maritime shipping combined).
It uses over eight thousand synthetic chemicals including carcinogens and hormone disrupters polluting the air and the water and harming those dependent on them.
These chemicals, making up a quarter of the global output, are harmful to those making the garments and to the wearers of those garments.
These workers are subject to modern slavery with wages far under the minimum age, forced labour, dangerous conditions, inequalities and violence within workplaces and exposure to toxic chemicals leading to but not limited to irritation, reactions, cancers, and development issues.
Globally, eighty billion pieces of clothing are consumed globally every year, and the wastage from the fashion industry is set to reach – take a breath – 148 million tonnes annually by 2030!
In China alone, lakes and rivers are contaminated by over 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater, rendering them undrinkable and poisoning marine life.
Changing our habits with our consumption is key to sustainability and advocating for the environment as a whole.
This not-for-profit organisation assisting other not-for-profits capitalises on capitalism in the best way possible.
Shop here, find out more about their impact here, and learn about the incredible work Children’s Ground does here.
Molly Salmon
Molly Salmon is a writer and creative, currently completing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Creative Writing and History. She is devoted to the power of the written word and journalism as a medium to embrace creativity whilst informing, educating, empowering and inspiring others on issues close to her heart, such as the environment, women’s empowerment, inequality and inequity. Molly is passionate about writing stories that make the reader feel something.
