FASHION AS A HUMANIST NOT A FEMINIST

Female empowerment is on a huge rise, and the fashion world has taken notice.

Feminism has taken on it's own identity, and apparently 'she' has clothes to match. 

The problem is, fashion is not a feminist. 

The beauty of what we wear and how we wear it, is the freedom to freely express ourselves without the disruption of genders, politics, or religious practice. It should not be used as a tool to divide, but as a practice to celebrate Humanism.

Humanism- is a progressive lifestance that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity. 

The sooner we see fashion as a humanist, the quicker we can make the appropriate changes to how the fashion world functions and thinks. Humans need to support humans, before the profit line.

 The heart of fashion must be found and practiced. 

Believe it or not, a greater good of humanity can be found in Fashion.

#fashionthinks

love,

Maya

What is Re-FASHION?

In the spirit of Earth Day, lets discuss 'Re-Fashion".

Re-Fashion is the act of connecting your fashion style to coexist with your surroundings. Making clothing choices that are not only sustainable but empathetic and aware of the power you hold.What you choose to wear is not a static choice, but a small part in a series of domino effects that change the course of our future.

The Golden 3:
Reduce, Re-use, Recyle

Reduce what you buy. Please do not misunderstand this word for reduce what you have in your closet. Much too often, people get rid of their clothes as soon as they buy them. Creating this careless attitude of buying more, paying less, and creating more human waste. Change your shopping habits and invest in key pieces that are made of good quality. Collect items invisioning a lifetime. They should be able to grow and evolve with you.

Re-use and be inspired. Learn to appreciate the value of quality items that can be re-used. Whether it be swapping clothes with friends, rummaging through your grandma's closet, or shopping at a local thrift or vintage shops. Explore the creativity attached to timeless pieces.


Recycle. Lets get creative. Oh yes, DIY should always be the last step injected before tossing any fashion piece into the trash. Take your lifeless garment and REVIVE it back for a second life.
For example, one of my favorite cashmere sweater had several holes near the bottom. Did I throw it away? Not at all, I cut the parts with a hole, and turned it into a fantastic crop top sweater!

Read about it here:DIY: Old Sweater Make-Over

xo,
Maya

How Ethical is Vegan Leather?

All Vegans are passionate in their crusade for animal rights and the end to all animal cruelty. 

Wearing "animal skins" is a big, "NO", and thus, the alternative is vegan leather. However, should it really be an alternative?

 

With all this buzz around fake leather here are my 3 thoughts on Vegan Leather. 

1.) What is vegan leather? 

Before you get excited it's not anything new. It is just an ethical name for artificial leather. Other names are leatherette, pleather, or faux leather. Basically it's made of synthetic fabrics, or microfibers, that are made from plastic chemicals that cost much less than real leather. 

2.) Is vegan leather unethical?

Stopping murder on animals is ethical, but promoting a fake version of leather that is a cheap product, is not in any way ethical. It is undeniably harmful to the environment made of materials that take centuries to decompose and continuously fillup our landfills with toxic synthetics. The chemicals and pollutants needed to manufacture the process of creating faux leather are being dispersed into the environment, proving it is causing more harm than good.

3. Why Would You Choose Vegan Leather?

The danger of sticking ethics to fabrics is its ability to make you buy something based on your beliefs rather than logical reasoning. Vegan Leather is FAKE, and a fabric that will quickly end up in the trash. It does not age well, it looks cheap, and simply a bad choice. It does not ensure quality of any form and the only purpose to picking such a fabric is to get a cheaper price point for what looks like leather. 

If ethics is your reasoning for not wearing leather as it naturally is, it is also your ethical responsibility to not promote the further development of fake leather that adds unnecessary harm to our environment. 

xo,

Maya

Blogmas Day 13: Silver Bells Ring (DIY)

Silver Bells, are a magical symbol of the Holiday season. As the final scene of the famous book, "Northpole", silver bells represent the separation between those who can hear the bells verses those who cannot. 

As we all grow older we lose the ability to dream, or wish. Believing is harder as facts and figures infiltrate our lives.  This silver bell ring is meant to remind us to to take a moment and remember our inner child. It is quick and easy and would even make a wonderful gift. 

All you will need is a pair of scissors, silver string, two bells, and a ring. 

Step 1: Place the string behind the ring.

Step 2: Loop the string towards the front of the ring.

Step 3: Form a pretzel knot.

Step 4: Pull the knot tightly, securing the string.

Step 5:Take the two strings and form another knot

Step 6: Double knot it and pull the string tightly.

Step 7: Loop a silver bell through one string.

Step 8: Secure by creating another knot. Then add second silver bell to remaining string.

Secure by double knotting the two strings, and finish by trimming off the excess string.

Voila! Enjoy your silver bell ring, and hear it jingle all the way. 

xo,

Maya

FH 7: How I Style Vintage

FASHION-HEART: Day 7

To read about Fashion-Heart click here: FASHION-HEART

This entire week has been filled with posts based on sustainable fashion, and finding style in fashion that thinks: past, present, future. 

Today's outfit features a top from my mom's closet. It is from India, and was worn when my mom was my age. Read abut the article here: Shopping in My Mom's Closet

 The sleeves were shortened into a  puff sleeve by me. Traditionally, it is a straight long sleeve. 

The royal  blue-purple, velvet top, is one of my favorites during the Fall season. The colors of the flowers are vibrant and bright, but offest by the deep darkness of crushed velvet, exists a level of somberness and darkness perfect for this season. I pinched the waist in by adding one of my favorite vintage belts purchased in Belgium. I then accented the entire look with a pink hat from NAF NAF and a vintage purse from SANDWICH. 

These bracelets are worn almost everyday, and I have featured them in my outfits before. The charm bracelet is from Harrods, London, and the Marie Antoinette cuff is handmade in London as well.

FH 6: My Sustainable Style

FASHION-HEART: Day 6 

To read about Fashion-Heart click here: FASHION-HEART

What is Sustainable fashion?  

Sustainable fashion is a philosophy of fashion that creates a system that can be sustained indefinitely to work with the environment and not against it. It is a new type of fashion philosophy that creates and produces products with absolute consideration to the environment and the its social impact. 

Fashion designers and brands supporting sustainable fashion create with eco-conscious methods, environmentally friendly materials, and ethical treatment during the production process. 

"At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment's carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased." 

-EARTH PLEDGE (NPO)

This outfit is a bit of a "throw back Thursday". These pictures were taken a couple of years ago in France,in my favorite place in the world.

My outfit is sustainable, largely because most of it is Vintage. The materials are all natural fibers, and the cardigan is almost all hand made and hand embroidered. The dress is completely hand made, and quite a delight for me to exam what a vintage custom design looks like. 

Eco Age, is a consultant company specializing in creating ways for  businesses to achieve growth and add value to their brand through sustainability. It is a leading organization that promotes sustainable fashion and promotes the production of ethically made outfits.

Ecoluxe London, supports a biannual exhibition during London Fashion Week and specifically showcases eco-sustainable and ethical designers.

H&M, Levis, Lucy Tamman, Stella McCartney, Amour Vert, Shalom Harlow and  Summer Tayne Oakes, are just some of the brands and designers who have adopted sustainable practices.

 How about you?

x,

Maya