Events

Ethical Clothing Australia enjoyed a wave of interest from forward-looking fashion brands when Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) kicked off with runway shows from two leading brands that recently completed the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation process.

Ethical Clothing Australia, the not-for-profit initiative which aims to assist the local clothing and fashion industry to ensure that Australian workers receive fair wages and decent conditions, also had a stall for the week in Emerge at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay to promote their accreditation and labeling system.

RAFW’s Event Director, Lucia Labbate, said she was pleased to see that the ethical fashion phenomenon was beginning to establish a foothold in the Australian industry.

“The Australian fashion industry is well placed to make the most of the trends towards more ethical fashion. It boasts a diverse and vibrant scene of well known brands that still have considerable manufacturing capacity here in Australia. I look forward to seeing more and more of Australia’s iconic brands really embracing ways to communicate their ethical credentials with consumers,” Ms Labbate said.

Lisa Ho and Ginger Smart, the two fashion brands whose runway shows opened proceedings at RAFW, had both recently completed the accreditation process that allows the brands to display the Ethical Clothing Australia label on their Australian-made garments.

The two brands joined a growing list of leading Australian fashion brands, such as Collette Dinnigan, Jets, Cue and Veronika Maine, who are eligible to display the Ethical Clothing Australia label on their Australian-made garments.

Ethical Clothing Australia’s national coordinator, Emer Diviney, said accredited brands were ideally placed to capture a healthy slice of the ever growing market for sustainable and ethical fashion.

“Lisa Ho and Ginger & Smart have joined a leading group of brands that are committed to creating an ethical space within the Australian fashion industry and it’s something I believe consumers will respond extremely well to. The growth and success of fair trading initiatives and movements in the US, UK and Europe really confirm that ethically-minded consumers are willing to spend up when they’re confident a brand is doing the right thing – and that’s exactly what these brands are doing,” Ms Diviney said.

For further information contact:
Tommy Clarke, Ethical Clothing Australia, media & communications, on 0404 328 078
Adam Worling, Adam Worling PR, acting on behalf of Lisa Ho, on 0411 573 493
Clare Molesworth, Maire-Claude Mallat PR, acting on behalf of Ginger & Smart, on 0416 430 565
Nicole Dun, IMG Fashion, for RAFW, on 02 9285 8000