Fashion with a Passion: Fair Trade Fashion Show reminds consumers to slow the demand behind modern-day slavery.
On October 17, the GCWJ Live2Free club will hold our annual Fair Trade Fashion Show in the Scott Courtyard at Vanguard University. The fashion show is a student-led, free community event, which aims to educate and celebrate ethical fashion with Vanguard students and the community. The event's purpose is to encourage consumers to consider the true cost of their consumption and buy Fair Trade or shop ethical and secondhand clothing. This effort is particularly important as the fashion and textile industry is one of the leading industries involved in labor trafficking. Labor trafficking is a form of human trafficking in which individuals are forced to provide labor or work through force, fraud, or coercion. It is the most common form of human trafficking globally, and includes adults who are coerced to work without appropriate pay and protections, and children who are exploited for their work.
When consumers purchase clothes from fashion companies that benefit from labor trafficking (as most do!), they unknowingly help these companies continue to grow, at the cost of exploiting workers, and polluting the environment with cheap clothing. Live2Free aims to highlight the importance of considering the individual behind each item because we believe recognizing the worth of individuals is one of the most powerful steps in combatting human trafficking in all forms.
Our Fair Trade Fashion Show features vendors from the community who represent artisans and products made by individuals with dignity. From the tagua earrings carved by artists in Ecuador, to the hand embroidered blouses from Mexico, and vibrant prints from Kenya, each ethically sourced item tells a story and our fair trade vendors are eager to share them. In efforts to consider the individual and provide consumers with alternate options, the models walking the runway are either dressed by our Fair Trade vendors or by Goodwill thrift stores of Orange County. These outfit choices are meant to show the audience that shopping for ethical clothing can be fun, accessible, and fashionable.This year the Live2Free club will be incorporating themes of diversity and individuality through the expression of ethical fashion by partnering with the intercultural clubs of Vanguard University to bring more diverse, authentic, cultural attire to the runway.
Additionally, Live2free partners with organizations such as Goodwill of Orange County, Soroptimist International, and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force,to ensure our impact reaches beyond our campus. With all our like-hearted partners, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and staff, Live2free has confidence that our 2024 Fair Trade Fashion Show will be both an educational opportunity and a fun, entertaining experience for all who attend.