In episode 143, Kestrel welcomes Barrett Ward, the founder + CEO of ABLE, to the show. A lifestyle brand, ABLE is focused on ending generational poverty through providing economic opportunity for women.
“We also know that when a woman is empowered and given a job - this is a statistic, it’s a fact - that a woman has a far more significant impact in her community than does a man. If you want to have a serious impact on poverty in the world, the fashion world is an extraordinary place to start.”In the introduction of this episode, Kestrel shares a bit of context as to what constitutes a living wage, according to The Clean Clothes Campaign.
A living wage is a human right. And as The Clean Clothes Campaign outlines, a living wage should be earned in a standard working week (no more than 48 hours) and allow a garment worker to be able to buy food for themself and their family, pay the rent, pay for healthcare, clothing, transportation and education and have a small amount of savings for when something unexpected happens.
Throughout this chat, Barrett shares more on his #PublishYourWages campaign, and how he believes exposing these numbers is the key to bringing higher accountability and to ensure workers are actually paid living wages.
Barrett also shares how ABLE plans to have nutritional-like labels on all of their garments within the next year, showcasing their lowest wages. For Barrett, the “lowest wages” is really significant, so shoppers can truly understand what they are supporting through their purchases.
The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:
Less than 2% of women in the global garment supply chain are actually being paid a living wage, highlighted in Fast Company article
Amazon’s minimum wage issues in their fulfillment centers; an example Barrett brings up reminding us of the power consumers really have to influence change
A hero of Barrett’s: Simone Cipriani, the Head of the Ethical Fashion Initiative of the International Trade Centre (ITC)'; Simone oversees the promotion of trade and incubation of creative micro-enterprises within marginalized communities in Africa and Haiti
ABLE’s #PublishYourWages campaign
Wafa Ghnaim of Tatreez and Tea & Dr. Tanveer Ahmed of Central Saint Martins on preserving culture, decolonial frameworks, and how intersectional reform can be a pathway toward sustainable fashion futu
Sustainable fashion podcasters unite — Emily Stochl of Pre-Loved Podcast & Stella Hertantyo of Conscious Style Podcast help us reflect on 11 years since Rana Plaza, celebrating collective movements
Upcycling artists Francisco Alcazar & Ella Wiznia of Series NY are redefining sustainable fashion while reimagining craft & challenging the gender binary
How gender plays into the devaluing of knowledge and its links to sustainable fashion & wellness with Megan Schnitker of Lakota Made and Niha Elety of Tega Collective
Celebrating the cultural tradition, past and present, of Palestinian Tatreez with artists / educators Lina Barkawi and Eman Toom & why sustainable fashion must include cultural sustainability
Intergenerational knowledge & sustainable fashion — how clothing is more than just aesthetics; it’s about the upholding of cultural practices and the amplifying of knowledge & traditions
Vintage stylist Beth Jones & Dounia Wone of Vestiaire Collective on whether fast fashion brands fit into the resale experience
Why self work is integral to advocating for transformation in fashion & why we must deeply question our personal values to truly get active in creating a more sustainable fashion future
Denali Jöel on fashion as an art praxis rooted in Afro-Indigenous philosophies, interrogating the emphasis placed on the *industry* & reminding us of the possibility of creating new ecosystems
Julius Tillery aka the "Puff Daddy Of Cotton" on the need to remix both the perception of the cotton industry and the business model
Cassandra Pintro of Consumption Project on welcoming her community to challenge their buying habits and question what is *enough*
Jeanell English on navigating the pressure to project a certain image in business & across climate spaces and balancing the worlds of activists & execs as a leader in impact
Muchaneta Ten Napel on utilizing tech as a tool to change how fashion does business, not a crutch that will *save us all* & preparing for the fashion policy changes that are on the horizon
*Breaking It Down* with Rachel Arthur, lead author of The Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, an actionable guide co-published by UNEP and UN Climate Change
Tameka Peoples of Seed2Shirt on rebuilding equitable + just cotton systems & fostering the reclamation of cotton acreage for Black farmers
Lisa Diegel, Global Sustainability Director, on Faherty's Native Initiatives, what mutually beneficial relationships can look like in practice, and the nuanced ways brands must take responsibility for
Eric Liedtke of UNLESS on pressing fashion to ditch the plastic ingredients and ideating on what it will take for corporations to truly change
A new era of storytelling at Conscious Chatter, meet our newest team member Natalie Shehata & what slow media means for us in practice
Jessie Frances (@cappuccinosandconsignment) on the complications with resale's *moment* — fast fashion addictions becoming secondhand addictions, luxury's obsession with exclusivity & the gentrifica
Winona Quigley of Green Matters Natural Dye Company on reimagining what *scale* means for natural dyeing & how accessibility and limits also play into the idea of *growth*
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