We are all aware of the fact that slavery still exists and that a lot of what we buy in a year has been made by child labor and other forms of unethical labor. We can buy Fairtrade coffee and foods but I find it really hard to buy clothing without indirectly supporting child labor and slavery. There are some good Fairtrade clothing brands out there like People Tree for example, but it's hard to put together a whole wardrobe of clothes from these small brands with very few pieces of clothing to choose from.
I like to take a look at the tags of the clothes I wear to become more aware of how they were made. I'm happy to see that some of the big brands are starting to sell more and more clothes that have been made in countries where slavery and child labor is illegal. Many Canadian brands make their winter coats in Canada which is great.
I was happy to buy my black winter coat which is "Made in Canada" at Le Chateau last fall. Le Chateau also has a whole collection of clothes that are Made in Canada for sale in their online store. J Crew is another brand I like because they sell some things made in countries that require all labor to be Fairtrade. I like to buy my flats from J Crew that are Made in Italy. I hope to see more brands offer clothing for sale that was made under ethical labor standards in the near future. I want to be able to shop clothes, shoes and jewelry that help people get a better life, not stuff that keep people in slavery.
