Why are big brands still using bad factories?
Welcome to day 3 of Fashion Revolution Week. This is Arthit Roikhamlue. He is one of the badasses in the casting department responsible for making our sustainable jewelry.
Last post we talked about how we as a small start up brand were able to vet and choose a certified factory to produce our jewelry. And naturally it leads to the question, “Why are large brands are still using factories with substandard working conditions and unfair wages?”
The short answer is that these brands are focused on something else. Whether it be only considering the way their garments look, their bottom line or simply rushing to meet a tough delivery schedule, these larger brands have lost touch with the impact their choices have on the real people who make their products.
This is why we are such fans of Fashion Revolution Week. It helps us all connect the links of a single chain, that thanks to globalization has become very long and hard to follow.
Building a sustainable and fair future for everyone is a process that we all need to keep showing up for. There is always something more we can do. As a smaller brand, it’s our dream to eventually own the factories that make our products. We are not there yet but I believe having a growth mindset is what it takes to translate these ideals of corporate social responsibility into reality. The system we can all feel proud of needs to be built bit by bit.
When I was looking for the factory to produce our jewelry, it would have been really easy for me to use a Chinese supplier. I lived there for almost a decade and I know there are good factories there. What pushed me to choose our current factory was their good attitude. Not only did they do all the work to attain these certifications and gave me top notch samples, they were busy with many other projects to positively impact their local community.