Human Decency

The fashion industry has both historically and presently committed harm to humans. Garment workers across the globe are subject to unfair wages, unsafe conditions, long hours, child labor and exposure to dangerous substances. Women, children and People of Color have been most greatly impacted by the greed of the garment industry which has prioritized production for profit over their human rights.

The rise in fast fashion has put increasing amounts of pressure on garment workers in developing countries to work harder for unsuitable pay. When we as Americans buy cheap clothes from fast fashion companies, the cost is the livelihood of the garment workers responsible for producing a $5 or $10 shirt. We conveniently don't get to see what that impact is like when our package arrives in the mail, and with the quickly changing fashion trends, sometimes it feels easier to forget.

There is no quick and easy solution to this problem that has developed over many years due to supply and demand. We can, however, make small, local changes that have an impact. One of the missions of Bend Lifestyle is to not only educate people on the harms that fast fashion does to humans, but to provide an alternative option to shop from that centers human decency in the creation of its products.

Whenever possible, Bend Lifestyle sources materials such as fabrics from American companies that have regulations in place to protect their workers. Though it is close near impossible to be 100% certain that each worker involved in production of my materials is being treated fairly, I dedicate ample time to researching companies to source from that align with our values.

The prices I pay for my fabrics and other materials are higher than if I were to get my materials from unethical sources and this is a good thing. Creating clothing is labor intensive at every step of the process and therefore should not be cheap. I price my products as a reflection of these ethical sources and out of respect for my time as an artist that goes into making these decisions and producing these garments, and this allows me to make my art for a living.

As Bend Lifestyle grows, I hope to move in a direction of sourcing the majority of its materials locally. I would be overjoyed to hear about even better sources of materials in the state of Colorado.