Ethical fashion is gaining strength day by day. Big brands choose to incorporate natural or animal cruelty-free materials, but there are also those that are born with this purpose. We can say that not all of them fully meet these expectations for everyone and it’s difficult to agree with both God and the Devil. Despite this, I think we’ve got good alternatives in order to test them. Today I want to introduce you to Edun, a project towards sustainability created by Ali Hewson & Bonoper, for those who know it. Those who don’t know it may add some additional information.
I’ve known it recently. I followed its path a little bit because, as I mentioned it before, misunderstandings are always on the agenda and I wanted to know a little more before I told you about them. That said, certainly it’s always up to you to decide whether or not it can be part of your sustainability goals.
How was this project born?
Edun was founded in 2005 by Ali Hewson and her husband Bono, who intended to reconcile fashion with sustainability by having Africa as their manufacturer and main point of reference. Its purpose was or is to maintain a business that benefits all its participants, thus promoting trade in Africa. One of its goals was to highlight the cultural and manufacturing richness of this continent by using cotton of its own production, packaging by its artisans, and collaborating with local artists. It’s worth highlighting one of its co-founders, Bono, who said that “Africa does not need charities, it needs investments and partnerships“. I must say that I personally love their design and how they bring out the colour and culture they’re inspired by.
What changes over time?
According to LVMH, the financial group that owns 45% of its shares, 95% of EDUM’s production is on the African continent (2014 report). However, we must remember that a large part of this production was in China in 2010 and they stated that it was not financially profitable for the company because the products wern’t delivered on time and also increased in quality. However, its founders have never given up and have developed several strategies over the years in order to keep the flame of their main goal alive.
The brand’s mission was negatively affected, which is why I wanted to make one point. So let’s go back to the usual dilemma. Does this brand really meet my sustainability expectations? … Well, guys, I haven’t got the answer to this question, but I wanted to show you an example because such a serious topic isn’t often considered such. For this reason, I want to encourage you to always investigate first and consider where you invest your money. Before buying, always look on the label where it comes from and let yourself be guided by sites that provide reliable information. I don’t want to discredit the company, but, on the contrary, I share the mission it was created for and I’d like to encourage you to support this type of projects, always asking to keep the features that led you to them.
Remember that nowadays we can’t trust the label so much, but the best way is to get information and do research until we feel that our questions are answered.
