#ohsoethical

[allaboutannasite]

The First 'Fast-Fashion Week'

The First ‘Fast-Fashion Week’

Similar to the outlandish looks and celebrities dressed to the nines, protests have become a fashion week staple. Last week, UK-based fashion brand PrettyLittleThing hosted their very first fashion show in London, in collaboration with creative director Molly-Mae Hague; who was recently a target for criticism after appearing on the podcast Diary of a CEO. The former Love Islander sparked…

[ohsoethical]

Fashion Factfiles #3: The Sumangali System

Hey guys, happy February and welcome to another Fashion Factfiles blogpost!

The Fashion Factfiles is where we expose the brutal realities of the garment industry, the side that the big corporations and big names in fashion work hard to hide behind ‘girl power’ tees and ‘look at us recycling omg we duz care’ campaigns.

This month we’ll be highlighting an issue that many may not be familiar with, but is absolutely horrific and heartbreaking: the Sumangali System.

WARNING: Content regarding sexual abuse and suicide throughout.

Source: http://www.sify.com/news/sexual-abuse-in-textile-mill-help-us-write-tamil-nadu-women-news-national-qlbmpRabbcdgh.html 

In Tamil Nadu, India, there are about 1600 spinning mills (where fibres are spun to make yarn- like the thread you see sold in Queens market), that employ around 400,000 workers. 90% of the workers are women, with about 60-70% aged 15-18.

Many of these women are employed through the Sumangali (married woman) Scheme; an employment scheme that is essentially bonded labour (when a person is forced to work to pay off a debt) and child labour.

Indeed, this scheme involves agents from spinning mills visiting impoverished families in the villages, recruiting young girls to work in the mills for a 3-5 year contract, with a promise lump sum of money at the end of the contract that they can use as dowry (money given to the bride’s husbands family when they get married- tradition in this area).

Parents are encouraged by the money, due to the desperate conditions many of these families are in, as well as the hefty amount of money required for their daughters’ dowry. Parents are ensured their daughters will be protected and kept ‘clean’ (i.e. no funny business, so they remain good potential wives). The spinning mills also provide accommodation and food in hostels near the mills, where the girls are required to stay.

Underprivileged, illiterate, and migrant women are the focus, as they are thought to be more submissive, and less demanding of higher wages (e.g. less likely to understand labour laws in the area or unable to articulate/speak out about problems). The majority are also from low-caste (mainly Dalit) communities in Tamil Nadu, putting them at risk of further exploitation, due to the pre-existing discrimination and vulnerability to exploitation faced by those of low-caste.

Indeed, what parents and workers are not aware of, is the sheer brutality and torture the young girls face. Listed below are just some examples of the poor treatment they endure.

source: http://www.dw.com/en/rampant-abuse-in-tamil-nadus-spinning-mills-study/a-19284995

POOR WORKING CONDITIONS

Excessive working hours, with an average of 12/13hrs a day, six days a week.

"They work at least 12 hours a day, and often it goes up to 16 hours. There is no fixed resting time and the food that is served is monotonous. This, in turn, leads to the women becoming quickly weak."

“I was promised that I could continue my studies, but instead was forced to work for 12 hours in a shift. Supervisors torture girls to extract work beyond their capacity.”

Extremely poor working environment.

“I had so many respiratory problems because of inhaling cotton all day. 15 of work hours in such high humidity, heavy noise of machines, claustrophobic rooms, dirty toilets and mandatory night shifts completely spoiled my health. A couple of my friends even had accidents because of exhaustion. They had to quit the jobs in a year or so and never got paid.”

The work is physically challenging, but also dangerous.

"They are also not given any protective gear, leading to injuries time and again.”

Women are sometimes locked in bathrooms or dark basements during audits to avoid poor working conditions being revealed.

One worker aged 16 was promised a job and steady income that would help support her economically desperate family. The working conditions seriously affected her health and she fell sick, but was forced by supervisors to continue working without any medical help. Her condition deteriorated and she ended up in hospital. After her recovery, her dad persuaded her to return to work, but after a few weeks, she begged her dad to take her home saying she would die otherwise, so he admitted her to hospital. However it was too late, and she died a day later.

POOR HOSTEL CONDITIONS

Wardens of hostels make sure workers go to work irrespective of their health. Wardens have also been found to physically beat female workers. In one case, wardens were found inspecting the girls’ sanitary pads to monitor pregnancies.

The hostels are found to be unhygienic, with toilets left uncleaned for weeks and lack of arrangements to dispose sanitary pads- in one study, sanitary pads were found dumped in the corner of every bathroom.

The rooms are overcrowded, with 10-15 workers sharing one room. They often sleep on thin mats, on the bare ground.

source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/photo-essay-how-tn-textile-mills-force-girls-bonded-labour-earn-dowry-67781

DENIAL OF BASIC RIGHTS

Extremely poor wages- according to one study, while monthly minimum wage amounts to about 113 euros, workers are paid only about 19 euros.

Workers are denied leave, even in family emergencies. 4-6 days are provided for major festivals, however workers must return within six days. Returning late will result in punishments, including wage deductions and overtime. Some workers have been exploited for more than six months for taking more than the stated days of leave.

Movement is restricted outside of their factory or hostel. 

The women have no working contracts, factory identity cards, salary certificates or anything indicating their employment, meaning factories can get away with exploiting and firing workers more easily (no legal protections for workers without official employment, making it difficult to claim their rights e.g. claiming wages they may not be given). In fact, about 70-90% are actually employed as apprentices and remain apprentices, despite the law stating only 10% can be apprentices. This allows factories to keep them as unofficial employees as well as pay them less.

Workers are denied the right to form/join trade unions or demand better working conditions. In a 2016 study, 33/743 mills had a workers committee for workers to express grievances. This is made harder by the fact that they are located in rural areas, away from any existing trade unions and organisations to help.

If management are accused of maltreatment of workers, they go to great lengths keep it quiet. For example, withholding the girl’s wages and pay her only once the family drops the case. In other cases, they make up stories about the girl having an affair, and families are shamed into silence.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Girls in the Sumangali system are extremely vulnerable to sexual abuse. This was publicly exposed in 2016, when an eight-page letter from women in a textile mill was sent to Tamil Nadu’s social welfare officer, describing the abuse they endured.

“He forces himself on us, constantly hugging us and squeezing our breasts…Any worker who resists his advances loses part of her salary. We need this job and don't know who to talk to about the abuse we face everyday. Please help us.”

The sexual abuse experienced by workers was recently brought to the courts of Madras. It was revealed that women were being sexually harassed, with no means of seeking justice and no complaints committees. Horrific accounts included young girls aged 15 being locked in a room and abused by multiple men, and one girl aged 12 who was abused and made to have abortions.

source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/photo-essay-how-tn-textile-mills-force-girls-bonded-labour-earn-dowry-67781

SUICIDE

The conditions are so extremely dire, suicide has become frequent in this sector. 

One worker recalls an incident she witnessed a year and a half ago, where a young girl threw herself off a roof, after a supervisor pulled down her skirt in front of other workers. 

“About 30 of us saw this, but we were scared. Since the police did not file a case due to the management’s pressure, we did not think there was anything we could do.”

In 2016, a 17-year old girl was found unconscious in her room, with wound marks on her body and rope impressions around her neck. She had been working 4 hours of overtime everyday after her 8 hour shift, and was sexually harassed by a male worker. After one year she wanted to leave, but her parents convinced her to complete her contract.

After a report in 2014 highlighted the exploitation of these women under the Sumangali Scheme, the High Court of Madras ordered for it to be abolished. However, despite laws banning the employment of women under 18 years and a minimum wage being set, in reality, little has changed. In fact, a study in 2016 found that in 351/743 mills, Sumangali was still around, under different names and taking different forms.

Mills have begun luring young women into textile mills by promising free education, jewellery and trips abroad. They also encourage and ‘brainwash’ them into bringing their friends to the mills, taking over the job of the agents who would recruit among the villages. In one mill, a noticeboard was found promising workers a trip to a water theme park for every two girls they brought to the mill, and a silver anklet for every five girls.

source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/photo-essay-how-tn-textile-mills-force-girls-bonded-labour-earn-dowry-67781

Companies alleged to be involved in the schemes include: H&M, M&S, Next, Diesel, Old Navy (GAP), Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Primark, Tesco, Mothercare, and ASDA-Walmart. I’m not suggesting you boycott these brands, but instead inquire about their connection with the Sumangali System, and ask them what they’re doing to ensure their suppliers are not exploiting their workers.

While I have extreme hatred for factory managers and their systematic abuse of female workers, we need to hold these brands to account also. These mills are often subcontracted, that is, the brands sign agreements with one mill to produce a certain amount of yarn, however this mill then signs agreements (subcontracts) with another mill to meet the (extremely high) targets set by brands. This means that it is the contracted factory, rather than the initial mill or the brand, that is responsible for the maltreatment of the workers. This allows brands to avoid any blame or responsibility- hence why literally EVERY brand is out here subcontracting work.

It is absolutely vile that they are exploiting the desperation of impoverished families, knowing that individuals who are struggling to just keep their families fed will be reluctantly endure such conditions in order to meet their near impossible targets, to ensure the survival of their loved ones. 

source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/photo-essay-how-tn-textile-mills-force-girls-bonded-labour-earn-dowry-67781

Please help us raise awareness of the suffering and strength of these women. Their stories deserve to be told.

source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/plea-to-ban-all-forms-of-bonded-labour-in-tamil-nadu/article4976950.ece

References and other important sources:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/sumangali-scheme-still-alive-in-new-garb-allege-activists/articleshow/62245582.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/looms-repackage-sumangali-to-lure-girls-into-child-labour/articleshow/62435629.cms https://littleindia.com/forced-labor-prevalent-indian-factory-supplying-hugo-boss-report/ http://www.sify.com/news/sexual-abuse-in-textile-mill-help-us-write-tamil-nadu-women-news-national-qlbmpRabbcdgh.html http://www.firstpost.com/india/sexual-harassment-debate-rages-but-little-help-for-women-employed-in-unorganised-sector-4216457.html

http://www.dw.com/en/rampant-abuse-in-tamil-nadus-spinning-mills-study/a-19284995

Rahul, N (2017). Gender and caste at work: Evolution of a factory regime under the sumangalfi scheme. Social Change, 47(1), pp. 28-44.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-women-labour/death-of-teenage-indian-mill-worker-raises-concerns-over-bonded-labor-idUSKCN0WJ2BZ

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sumangali-scheme-when-marriage-assistance-becomes-bonded-labour-disguise-52320

https://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/sites/solidaridadnetwork.org/files/publications/Understanding_Sumangali_Scheme_in_Tamil_Nadu.pdf

https://www.fairwear.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/fwf-india-sumangalischeme.pdf

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/photo-essay-how-tn-textile-mills-force-girls-bonded-labour-earn-dowry-67781

http://www.indianet.nl/pdf/FabricOfSlavery.pdf

Labour, Exploitation and Work-Based Harm by Sam Scott

[iww-europe]

Between October 2013 and 2018, the Daily Beast found that emergency responders arrived at Amazon warehouses "at least 189 times for suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, and other mental-health episodes. (via @OhSoEthical) http://bit.ly/2m6UsbP

[ohsoethical]

LET’S TALK ABOUT ETHICAL FASHION PLS

Ethical fashion: ‘an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which maximises benefits to people and communities while minimising impact on the environment.’ Ethical Fashion Forum

(Source: https://airrclothingblog.com/2015/03/06/brand-profile-beaumont-organic-available-at-airr-clothing/)

Wow. Where do I begin?

Actually let me begin with this disclaimer: ANY CRITICISM I MAY MAKE ABOUT CERTAIN SITUATIONS/ORGANISATIONS/GROUPS OF PEOPLE IS NOT AN ATTACK ON THESE PEOPLE AS INDIVIDUALS BUT THE SYSTEM FROM WHICH THEY HAVE DERIVED FROM. 

K lets begin.

 So I guess you could say I’ve been in/observing the ethical fashion scene for about 4/5 years now. During my first year of uni I realised I needed to go beyond complaining about the oppression of garment workers and start acting, and decided to create a blog called Oh So Ethical. My first thought was to create an ethical fashion blog where I styled outfits I’d made out of secondhand clothes, and raved about the latest ethical brands I loved (I cringely called this ‘Fridays Five Ethical Faves’ ffssssssss). After a while I stopped, but went back into it when my cousins and I realised we needed somewhere to share our opinions, ideas,and hopefully inspire others to think and act ethically- and so we rebranded Oh So Ethical and made it what it is today. 

At the beginning I tended to place a large emphasis on ethical brands that we liked and bought from. ‘Ethical is the new black’ was my favourite slogan. However, as the years have gone on, and with more interaction with activists, friends, random people I’ve met, and having witnessed the ongoing exploitation of garment workers continue year after year, I have become extremely cynical of the effectiveness of ethical brands, particularly ‘ethical fashion’.

Indeed, through learning from others and seriously thinking about ethical fashion, questioning whether it is an actual means of empowerment for workers,and if it will ACTUALLY dismantle the system of oppression, I have come to a conclusion:

It’s a resounding NO.

Here’s y.

(Source: https://fashionindustrybroadcast.com/2017/06/12/sustainable-ethical-fashion-faux-has-never-looked-so-real-or-this-stylish/)

I recently read an amazing article in The Guardian by Martin Lukacs, which really helped me understand the underlying processes behind ethical fashion. To sum it up, we live in a neoliberal society, where we are taught to act and thrive individually. When it comes to activism, we are taught to focus on how we, as individuals, can change the situation, and are made to feel personally responsible and guilty for the world’s problems. Due to the guilt created by this individualism,we feel the need to relieve our guilt by acting in a way that makes us feel better, and as we are seen as consumers (as opposed to citizens) within neoliberal ideology, our means of creating change is through buying and consumption e.g. buying ethical clothing. 

While these individual actions are undoubtedly important, by placing such a great emphasis on individualistic activism, we are intentionally being steered away from focusing on the real perpetrators at large: CORPORATIONS- who are out here exploiting workers and the environment, and continue to get away with it. In turn, we are made to neglect the fact that we need to be targeting the root causes of exploitation, including the deregulation of state power that allows corporations to get away with murder, and the capitalist system that puts profits over people, encouraging exploitation and greed. By steering our attention away from such issues, corporations can continue making profits and getting away with their bullshit, while we discuss the pros and cons of bamboo leggings. (see more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2017/jul/17/neoliberalism-has-conned-us-into-fighting-climate-change-as-individuals)  

Author of Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion’ Tansy Hoskins provides a similar discourse, adding that we are encouraged to trust in capitalism to make change and better the world; that companies can be made ethical through our consumer actions. However, the contradiction is that corporations have only become stronger and continue to exploit workers/resources, despite their greenwashing and attempts to come across as ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’. More shopping is not going to free workers from this system. By using consumerism as a sole means of empowering workers, we are utilising the very system that has led to the exploitation of workers in the Global South, namely capitalism, without even acknowledging or striving to challenge or dismantle it. (see more: https://oxfordleftreview.com/olr-issue-14/tansy-hoskins-neoliberalism-and-fashion/)

In an insightful article on White Saviour Complex and Fair Trade, Bani Amor delves into the colonial connotations of attempts to ‘save’ the world via ethical companies, which are argued to share parallels with the colonial activities of the West going into the Global South and attempting to civilise the ‘Other’ with its saviour tactics, thus ensuring domination over the GS and its resources, validating supremacy. I’m not saying ethical companies are going to these countries on colonial conquests, but we really do need to understand the historic relevance of colonialism in interactions between the Global North and South such as these. If you go to these countries, get products made, sell them in the name of ‘liberating workers’ while not giving them a say or listening to them, and continue to stay silent on the structural system that has resulted in your existence as an ethical brand, you are falling into dangerous territory.

The article also reviews research on cause-related marketing, which is basically when corporations and nonprofit charities combine to promote sales and causes simultaneously. By tying serious social causes such as poverty and exploitation to making profits, this results in the depoliticising and downplaying of such causes, and provides an undignified, extremely simplified solution to a complex, very dire situation. 

Finally, one pivotal point made is the fact that coloured women, through this process of ‘saviourism’ are made both “hypervisible, but also invisible- ‘seen but not known’”. Their existence is highlighted, but they are simultaneously being silenced, as workers are spoken over, dehumanised and patronised by brands and movements that are supposed to be ‘empowering’ them. (read more: https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/spend-save)

In general, the ethical fashion movement tends to solely focus on how we can individually change the industry and ‘save’ workers in a way that utilises and continues to prop up the very system that is screwing workers over in the first place, conflicting with its ‘empowering’ rhetoric.

 GREAT SO WTF DO I DO NOW THEN MAYISHA.

(Source: http://www.vqronline.org/reporting-articles/2014/04/ghosts-rana-plaza)

Okay so I know I’ve painted a very dull image of ethical fashion, and I know not all ethical brands are the same, etc etc. However, when the  industry constantly paints ethical fashion as a positive means to an end, neglecting the issues surrounding ethical fashion, alternative viewpoints are needed.

I get a lot of people asking me for advice e.g. about ethical brands, how to be more ethical etc. Ultimately we want our goods to be made by workers who were treated fairly. Personally, I stick to secondhand- it’s cheaper for me and helps reduce waste in landfill. I do like ethical clothing, and knowing where my clothes/jewellery has come from, but if I do buy ethically I will from now on be seeing what that brand is doing to support garment workers and in calling out corporations, so if you’re an ethical brand prepare for a QnA sesh with ur girl.

One thing I would advise is to not simply boycott the high street- this comes from trade unionists and garment worker activists in Bangladesh. They want to produce garments and a source of income, they just don’t want to be tortured in the process (obviously). At the same time, we cannot deny that our excessive consumption is part of the problem, so if you need a new jacket- please just buy your jacket and not a jacket, 5 tops and 6 dresses because they were half price- really think about your purchases. Being a ‘shopoholic’ is a cute insta aesthetic but its seriously impacting the environment and feeding the system of worker exloitation.

Also acknowledge that a lot of people simply cannot afford to buy ethically, and should not be made to feel guilty for going to primark to buy jeans. 

One thing I also really want to highlight, as you would have probably guessed from the blog, is that our activism is not limited to our purchasing. We need to be vocal, we need to be out there demanding change from corporations, calling them out, exposing them etc. Something as little as a tweet, an email, and insta post can go a long way guys. I know its not in fashion to support such movements (pardon the pun) but we really have to keep pushing- we cannot afford to wait for another Rana Plaza for us to take action.

This might piss people off. I’m sorry. But understand that a few years ago I was the same as the very organisations and brands I’m talking about, and it took criticism like this to understand that I needed to rethink my activism if I were to truly create change. Plus, you feel pretty helpless after hearing of a factory fire every other week, another worker protest because factory owners didn’t pay their workers that month, stories of sexual abuse of young females from management, refugees being exploited, masses of workers fainting simultaneously, and NO ONE CARING. Not even the very people who by default should be sharing and raising concerns about these issues. It’s surreal.

We have groups and regular discussions on twitter that enable ethical brands to get together, support each other and discuss how we can promote ethical brands and use them etc. It’s nice how such elaborate forms of unity can be created surrounding ethical branding but little is done to address the very problems that has led to the reason these ethical brands exist, and how to put an end to worker exploitation. Again, we are steering towards ‘solutions’ that aren’t actually solutions, but are utilising capitalism and perpetuating the neoliberal stance that we need to individually create the change.

BUN THAT SHIT.

Things are going to start changing.

We are not only going to change the world with our individual practices, we are going to change the garment industry in a way that emphasises our solidarity and support for garment workers, creating a mass solidarity movement. We are going to call out corporates when we clock their messy moves and let them know as consumers we don’t f*ck with them unless they treat their workers with dignity. We are not going to buy our way to change, we are going to collectively DEMAND it.

 We have no choice but to.

(Source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/world/1126316-bangladeshi-garment-workers-protest-on-may-day)

[ohsoethical]

FFS THIS STARTED OFF SO NICELY (minus the zip at the back coming down and my strap being weird) 😩😩😩 I BLAME @miamatangi 😩😩😩. This actually happens a lot when I make these videos where I go eff it and mess around, but thought I'd just upload this one of me unexpectedly losing my shit to M.I.A- Ola bc we're all basically friends on here right- and I just don't care about the fact I genuinely can't do serious ootds, and would rather be the brown taylor swift of dancing. Anyways hope you're all well, here's this week's secondhand outfit deets: 🌸 pink dress passed down to me from Soomaiya who found it in a charity shop (still need to fix that zip loll) 🌸 grey jumper passed down to me from a friend of mine 🌸 necklace found at our first ever swapshop 🌸 denim shirt/dress thing bought from a charity shop, think it was about £4 🌸 hope you like it ❤ . . . . . . . . . #mia #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #party #birthday #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday

[ohsoethical]

MY UNHEALTHY TENDENCY TO MESS UP THESE VIDEOS BC I NEVER KNOW WHAT I'M DOING IN THEM IS BACK 🙃🙃🙃 anyways before I begin just wanna give a quick THANK UUUUU to anyone who came down to the event, we had a great time and loved meeting you guys- here's to more! If you swapped anything at the event do tag us in ootds you do, as you can see I love secondhand ootds but mostly looking at them, so do share! Anyways back to today's outfit: 🌸 £3 sunglasses from a charity shop in Leytonstone 🌸 £2 denim rose shirt from a secondhand stall in Walthamstow market 🌸 £4/£5 basketball top from Islamic Relief in Walthamstow 🌸 £3 black skirt from Oxfam in Walthamstow 🌸 I swear this wasn't a sponsored ad for Walthamstow or something, genuinely don't know how that happened looll 😩anywayss hope you enjoyed this oneee lemme know you're thoughts, even if you think its clapped...just be nice about it pls. Have a great day!! . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday #upcycle #recycle #homemade

[ohsoethical]

Happy Thursday!!! Hope you're all well and totally unalarmed that its already June like me... I don't know where the past few months have gone or what I've done with my life or anything 😩 lowkey having a midmidlife crisis out here. Anyone else feeling like this too? Anyways, here's my #thriftythursday outfit for this week and I can't lie I'm kinda proud of it bc I somehow made a salwar kameez out of the most random stuff yet I would fully wear it in the future! Anyways here are the deets: 🌸 blue jumpsuit that used to be one of my cousins 🌸 flowery dress my mum found years ago at my nani's that someone had left there (ya'll may remember that we leave our old clothes at our nanis to see if anyone else wants them)- she sewed it up to make it shorter and more fitted for me 🌸 asian jewellery set I found in a jumble sale for £3 🌸 scarf from another salwar kameez of mine 🌸 hope you liked this outfit! Catch you guys next week! . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday #upcycle #recycle #homemade #salwarkameez #bengali #desi #desifashion

[ohsoethical]

I'm sure once I've posted this the 70s✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽 will call saying they want their garmz back 🙄 what are they like eyyy. Anyways, went all 🌸🌺🌹FLOWA POWA 🌻🌼💐 x DOUBLE DENIM on this one as you can see and I enjoyed the whole experience! I'm sure the whole of Ilford did too when they saw me in this! Anyways, as always, here are the deets! 🌸 dungarees dress for £3-£4 from a charity shop in Wood Green 🌸 denim shirt that my mum passed down to me 🌸 flowery top I got for free from a freecycle event in Islington 🌸 Hope you enjoyed it, and yes I understand I committed the ultimate fashion crime of denim on denim SUE ME. song: Raghav- Angel Eyes (HASHTAG WHAT A THROWBACK) . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #flowers #70s #denim #denimondenim #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday

[ohsoethical]

Happy Thursday guyssss! Hope you're all good and happy and healthy and eager for some SECONDHAND5W4G (CAN I GET A 100 EMOJI UP IN HURR 💯 💯 💯). Anyways here's a cute outfit that cost me just £1 ☺️☺️☺️: 🌸black dress I got for free from one of our swapshops 🌸 stripey top handed down to me from Soomaiya 🌸 maroon jacket I also got for free from one of our swapshops 🌸 this faaabulous choker I am rather discretely(lols) pointing out in the vid, that Ivfound for £1 in a charity shop- I tried not to succumb to the chocker trend bc I'm way 2 hipster (jk just tryna mentally train myself to stop following trends that encourage us to buy more) but look at how cute this isss!!! Hope you guys enjoyed this one see ya next week!!! . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday #upcycle #recycle

[ohsoethical]

Hey guys welcome to another round of THRIFTY THURSDAYS YAAAYAAYYAYY! Pretty excited about today's one tbh bc it features something I recently purchased (and anyone who knows me knows I rarely buy anything anymore except fruit and rajgira/amaranth flour lol). ANYWAYS HERE GOES: 🌸 leather jacket from Oxfam in Blackheath that I think cost around £10 🌸 the most beaauts salwar kameez from @ashacharityshop for £3.50 🌸 the recent purchase I was excited to mention, which is this pair of earrings from @seainkandtreequills ! They're made from wool and earrings found in charity shops and are such an ingenius idea- I ended up buying two lol. Anyway thats it from me, catch you all next week! ❤🌸💪🏽 . . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #party #birthday #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday

[ohsoethical]

It's Thrifty Thursday and I am looking colourful affffffffffffffff. Do you really like it? Izzit izzit wicked? Sorry, I initially started with the genuine question 'do you like it' and things kinda escalated from there. ANYWAIZ. Here's what's in this weeks outfit: 🌸 a pink dress I got for free from one of our swapshops 🌸 a stripey shirt my friend passed down to me 🌸 earrings I got for £1 from Traid 🌸 I don't know if you can see it but its one of those cuffs you can put on the top of your ear, which is ideal if, like me, you are totally freaked out with the idea of getting it pierced but think it looks sickk- got it from our first ever swapshop 🌸 old bangles I randomly found in our house from previous events we've been to 🌸. And thats it- this outfit cost me a grand total of £1. Have a great Thursday guyzzzzz ❤ catch you next week! . . . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #thrifty #thriftythursday

[ohsoethical]

Notice anything different? GOOD LIGHTING YAAAAASSS. Created a tripod sort of thing on the other side of my room with a chair and three shoeboxes stacked on top each other (cheapsk8 flexing but I call it recycling) and the lighting is actually perfect- you can even see my cute lil eyebags its fabulousssssss ❤ anywayy so todays outfit was, once again, complete fr££, and consists of....🌸 a new look top handed down to me by cousin 🌸 a skirt donated by a friend to one of our swapshops 🌸 this cardi I received just yesterday from my gal who had bought it in a sale but never wore it. I'm pretty sure we've all been there, and considering how many of us in the world practice this behaviour, I can only imagine what the fast fashion industry would be like if we didn't act on impulse and buy things for the sake of it- I'm still tryna stop buying unnecessary Asian clothes but I'm getting there! But anyway, it was nice to give this cardigan a new home and I hope you like the way I styled it Faz! . . . . . . . . #thriftythursdays #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #londonblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #recycle #fashion #ootd #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #clothes #waveygarmz

[ohsoethical]

#ThriftyThursday tiiiinnnnggggg 💃🏽. I swear I don't actually listen to or enjoy the Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack, it just happens when I fast forward the video 😩😩. Anyway, quite like mixing my sport tops (all three of them lol) with my more girlier clothes, so this outfit consists of...🌸 my basketball top from Islamic Relief in Walthamstow I got for about £4 🌸 my pleated skirt from Age UK in Walthamstow which was £1 🌸 my leather jacket I got from Oxfam in Blackheath years ago for something like £10 I think 🌸 my heart earrings from Traid in Wood Green for £1 🌸 hope ya liked it! . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #recycle #fashion #ootd #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide

[ohsoethical]

Extremely sorry for the lateness but #thriftyfridays still has a ring to it right? Anyways this jacket thing I'm forever overly gassed about makes up for it so I'm pretty sure I'm off the hook. Here are the deeets: 🌸black dress I got for free from one of our swapshops 🌸 the jacket/blazer idek what its defined as other than absOLUTELY SENSATIONAL 😭😩 found it in a charity shop in Wood Green for something between £4-£6 (#sensational) 🌸 earrings were my mums 🌸 finally want to shout out a charity shop in Leytonstone for having this 20p necklace saying 'I'm Preshhus' on sale 😭😭😭 anyone who's been friends with me long enough knows this is Oh So Mayisha, given how I tend to spell and speak so this was basically fate 🌸. Can't wait to actually wear this outfit when the warmer weather comes out! Still out here in arm warmers man! Have a lovely weekend ❤ . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #recycle #fashion #ootd #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide #sensational

[ohsoethical]

Yaaasss its that time again, I know you've all got #thriftythursday up on your calendar, reminders, tattooed on yo upper lip (just me then?). Anyways, my stingy self is happy to announce that this week's outfit cost me noTHING GUYS. Btw I always mention the cost because I want to show how accessible and affordable ethical fashion can be. Not all of us can afford Fairtrade, organic garmz- but that isn't all there is to the ethical fashion movement. We do what we can- and swapping/buying secondhand playe a big role in reducing our excessive consumption of clothes! ANYWAYS, heres where I got everything I'm wearing: 🌸my skirt was found in our second swapshop🌸the stripey top used to be Soomaiyas (thanks bbz 😘)🌸the pink top was left by one of my cousins at our nani's house (we sometimes leave clothes at nani's to see if anyone else wants them). Hope ya like it, wish I went out more so I could actually wear this outfit loll #oneday #pray4may . . . . . . #ootd #ethicalootd #fashion #ethicalfashion #ethical #ohsoethical #ethicalblogger #blogger #blog #charityshop #charity #thriftshop #thrift #recycle #fashion #ootd #secondhand #london #eastlondon #hide