Hello, and welcome to True Cost Tuesdays where we will unpack some of the reasons behind why we at Yobel only provide fair-trade, ethical, and sustainable clothing and accessories. For our first True Cost Tuesday, I (Emily) will give you a bit of background into how we (Clay and I) got involved with ethical fashion.
If you’ve ever been in Yobel, you’re probably familiar with our greeting where we’ll welcome you and ask, “Have you been in before?” We ask this because we’re eager to let you know that everything we offer at Yobel has come from lots of research to ensure it’s made with fair-trade practices and produced sustainably for the planet. We believe that when people and our planet are priority, we all profit.
Why do we work so hard to ensure these standards? Because there is a person behind everything we purchase and an environmental impact when a product is made.
We believe that every person has value and we have always been in the industry of people. From my customer service background and 16-year human resources career to Clay’s work with vulnerable youth, special needs adults and years as a pastor, we love people. We are moved and heartbroken about the state of people in our world and one way Clay and I try to make it better is through our ethical fashion boutique.
We have always loved fashion. I have designed clothing for over 20 years and we both used to make a lot of our own clothing. I wanted a career in fashion and then discovered the industry’s ugly side. Sweatshops full of slave and underpaid laborers is where the majority of clothing comes from and over the years, materials for the fashion industry have become increasingly harder on our planet. There’s got to be a way around this!
Well, there is! The level of awareness we now have into where products are manufactured, including the source of the materials to make the products, gives hope to combat the ugly side of fashion. Through our True Cost Tuesdays, we hope to encourage you in taking steps towards supporting ethical products so every person is valued and has dignified work. Look for a True Cost Tuesday post each week!