It's All About the Ethics

OK, so what if I haven't been posting for over a month? Who cares right? What? What's that I hear? Are you saying that you've missed my antics?

Jokes aside, I do have a genuine excuse, as always, for not showing up here. Apart from being busy with life and academics (that word definitely sounds more posh than 'uni'), I have dived head first into my university's media centre. You'll hear more about this later though...

Today I want to talk to you about fashion and ethics. As it is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year thanks to Christmas and New Year, it is only right that we take a step back and think. 

We are all aware to some extent  about the negative impacts of consumerism - the demand for cheap mass produced items has forced retailers to save on ethics. Be it underpaying workers in sweat factories or dumping toxic sludge in our environment, we think we have heard it all.

But there is more to that. I'm not here to tell you about that - although you can read about it in my soon-to-be-published article in Label, which I will upload in my yet-to-be revamped about me page. 

I'm here to tell you about the good stuff that's out there. Shopping for presents does not have to be a negative thing. Fashion does not have to be a bad thing either. As established designers and retailers gradually overhaul their ethical frameworks, new 'social entrepreneurs' are setting the industry standards.

Is it all too good to be true? Workers, or rather artisans, designers, directors and consumers all satisfied at once? Well it is very much possible and even one person can make an impact. Take a look at Liz Bohannon's Sseko Designs.

The company employs young Ugandan women during their 9 month gap between high school and university, thus helping them save money for tuition fees and gain skills. How can they be so sure? Sseko Designs put half of their employees' salaries into savings accounts which are only accessible when tuition fees are due. In this way, the youngsters avoid the family and peer pressure of spending the money elsewhere and remaining into a vicious cycle of poverty.

After those 9 months, the girls are free to go on and become professionals in a field of their own choice. They are given an opportunity to earn and save and succeed. To become empowered women. And so they have.

Just like Rose. After having to work at a rock quarry with her parents to pay off her school fees, Rose was determined to continue her education. Thanks to Sseko Designs, she is now studying computer sciences at Makarere University. 

There are many others like Rose who have managed to further their education by helping Sseko Designs create unique sandals.

So you see fashion can be ethical. It is just a question of awareness. Do you know of an ethical fashion concept near you? Feel free to share in the comment box below.

P.S.

As mentioned earlier in this post, I am going to revamp the 'About Me' page to include links and files of all the lovely stuff have been up to - online and print articles, videos and possible radio show recordings. So you won't have to miss a thing any more.

Much love x 

Social Media Quotes

From Facebook pages and groups to picture posts on Pinterest and short words of wisdom on Twitter, inspirational and funny quotes have left their digital mark on the social media landscape. And I’ll have to admit, I’m loving it!

It is amazing the power a few words can have. Yes, it does sound like a cliché. But it is also very true. How many times have we read or heard something that has made us smile or laugh or just think for a second? Language is a powerful tool and is so deeply ingrained in our DNA that we can’t ignore the reactions it provokes. And what better way to use language than to make someone feel better even if it’s just for a tiny moment of time?

A quick browse through Pinterest’s “Quotes” board can put a smile on your face and inspire you for the rest of the day. A random check of your Facebook newsfeed can lift your mood if you or your friends are ‘fans’ of the myriad of quotes and pictures pages. And then there is Twitter. From the funny to the wise, the quotes flooding the microblogging site can brighten your day, 140 characters at a time.

Although these quotes won’t find a solution to your problems (yes, everybody has problems) and may not lift you out of depression, they will provide a break of life’s trials and tribulations, albeit a short one.

So go ahead, smile and be inspired!

P is for Priority

Nobody knows exactly who they want to become or what they want to do in the next phase of their life. But everyone knows what needs to be done now - today, tomorrow, this week, this month... We all have something that needs to be done now or in the near future. Some of us have more than others, but there is always something to be done.

Sometimes we may feel inundated with tasks, at other times we need to choose which tasks to complete simply because we don't have the resources to do more than one thing. We've all been there, we've all been told something or another related to time management. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. And then we get busy catching up on things that need to be done.

All of this begs the question: do we just spend our lives getting things done? Isn't there more to life than just finishing that project? There certainly is! But to discover that something we need more than time management. We need to be realistic and make some choices.

Are you involved in too many things? Are your commitments keeping you away from something you truly love and enjoy doing? Is your diary or schedule constantly full, despite excellent time management? Well then may be it's time to re-evaluate your priorities. 

Now I'm sure we all know how to prioritise. You just dedicate more time and energy to some things more than others. Simple right? But how do you choose what to prioritise? Is it just a matter of what needs to be done urgently? Possibly, but we also need to think about our long term goals and dreams.

Are your commitments going to help you reach your goals and dreams? Do they make you happy or do they just seem like an effort? It's alright to let go. We are not superhuman and can't do everything. That's why we need to decide what is truly deserving of our time and energy. All I'm trying to say is: