As many of you know, we are big foodies at Stick & Ball and have been part of the Slow Food movement as long as we can remember. When I started Stick & Ball, I likened our way of doing business, my slow and thoughtful design process yielding one collection a year, selection of quality and organic textiles, and a focus on handmade, to be similar to this Italian born movement and jokingly said we were #slowfashion. Fast forward a decade and I think this term not only has legs, it is a must as we move forward.

Education and transparency yield healthy choices. Understanding what goes into making our clothes is as equally important as reading the contents and knowing the source of our food. From the environmental repercussions of farming and fabric choices to the livelihood of the people who labor in the construction of textiles and garments, we as brands and as consumers have the power to change one of the most environmentally damaging and inhumane industries of our time.

This year marks the 8th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more on April 24, 2013. Continued stories of garment workers forced into labor in inhumane conditions are sadly still very commonplace. This tragic event is the center focus of Fashion Revolution Week, a time when we come together as a global community to create a better fashion industry. The campaign will focus on the interconnectedness of human rights and the rights of nature, and what we can do to help.

And as for the “ingredients" in our fabric and clothes, we are plagued with the “quest for cheap” enabled by petrochemical-based fibers and fertilizers that are wreaking havoc on our planet and people. By 2040 it is predicted that 3 in 5 men will be sterile due to hormone disruptors from micro plastics pollution; by 2060, 5 in 5. If you begin to merely scratch the surface, you will realize the alarming importance of becoming educated, reading labels and making positive choices that will affect our children and the future of this planet. 

We join #textiletuesday to amplify unheard voices across the fashion supply chain. We look to harness the creativity of our community for innovative, healthy and humane solutions for the people who grow the fibers, produce the fabric and labor to make our garments.

We invite you to join us in this dialogue and share your questions as well as your intentions and goals. In supporting each other in this process to make better decisions, we will all collectively have a positive impact. Our goal at Stick & Ball is to be sourcing fabrics and production processes with 100% sustainability in 2022. We look forward to sharing with you our journey.

xx

Elizabeth