It's Not Just About Clothing, but a Disposable Society-- Part 3
This blog post is the third installment of a three-part series on fast fashion. In case you missed them, please feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2!
The Amazon rainforest was literally burning to the ground. Natural habitat that was home to thousands of unique species as well as several Indigenous peoples whose communities have lived there for thousands of years. Despite all this, very few people in my community batted an eye. This was especially shocking because I remember their sorrow when the Notre Dame caught on fire. Many of those people banded together to spread awareness and educate others on the cultural significance of the ancient building. While both of these events were tragedies in their own ways, the silence about the former was deafening. What could I do about that?
Soon after I had these thoughts, I discovered the important intersection point between social advocacy and my sewing skills.
Soon after I had these thoughts, I discovered the important intersection point between social advocacy and my sewing skills. Scrunchies were all the craze at my school. Everyone either had one in their hair or on their wrist as an accessory. Many would pay top dollar for them at big retailers. The only thing better than a scrunchie from one of those big retailers was a handmade one, made with unique fabrics with cool textures and prints. That’s where I came in! I decided to start making those unique scrunchies and donate a portion of the proceeds to the Amazon Conservation Association, who are dedicated to conserving the rainforest as home for the Indigenous and wildlife. I also decided to not purchase any new textiles for making these smaller accessories to ensure I wasn’t further contributing to the abundant waste the fashion industry already creates. It was time to save the Amazon, one scrunchie at a time!
After raising both awareness and money for the Amazon rainforest, I knew I could carry this on to other neglected causes with new products...
After raising both awareness and money for the Amazon rainforest, I knew I could carry this on to other neglected causes with new products, which I did with Australian BushFires. I began selling faux leather zip up pouches, again making sure I didn’t purchase any new fabric. With each purchase, I donated a portion of the proceeds to Australia’s World Wide Fund for Nature, which aims to preserve the wildlife in Australia following the tragic fires.
As more people become educated on the history of racism in this nation, many will come to find that it has reared its ugly head in almost every aspect of life and especially impacts those who also fall into minority categories other than race. Such is the case with the Black trans community. They often experience extreme poverty, as a staggering 34% of Black trans people report a household income of merely $10,000 per year. According to The LGBTQ Task Force, “that is more than twice the rate for transgender people of all races (15 percent), four times the general Black population rate (9 percent), and eight times the general U.S. population rate (4 percent)”. Aside from poverty, many face violence as well, as 27 transgender people (a majority of them being Black) were killed in 2019. This number is only expected to rise in 2020 with a staggering 22 trans people already killed (The Human Rights Campaign). Despite these horrific statistics, many major news outlets and activists fail to speak up on this topic.
So, I did some of my own research to learn about organizations I could support that would support Black trans people. Soon after, I came across For the Gworls, an organization that assists Black trans folks financially with rent and gender-affirming surgeries. To support this cause, I began selling Black Lives Matter iron-on patches and unique masks, again donating proceeds to For the Gworls.
Although being able to raise money for all of these amazing causes and sew at the same time was a great benefit, being able to also raise awareness around topics that are often ignored in mainstream media was always the end goal.
Although being able to raise money for all of these amazing causes and sew at the same time was a great benefit, being able to also raise awareness around topics that are often ignored in mainstream media was always the end goal. Once the public is made aware of the problem, it may empower them to take action in their personal life and pass the information onto their peers. Knowledge is power.
Check out Leila’s incredible work on her sewing Instagram account and Linktree! Feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our three-part series.