On Saturday, CU’s INVST Community Studies and Un Mundo hosted the estETHICa Ethical Fashion Show promoting ecological, fair-trade, and sustainable fashion at the Absinthe House. More than 15 CU students modeled sustainable clothing options from local Boulder stores Umba, Meow Meow, Red Door Swingin, ARES, Hip Consignment, and Common Era at the event.
As part of the event, the topic of workers rights was called to light.
According to the Institute for Global Labour & Human rights, in an eight-hour shift, fourteen seamstresses employed by the Apple Tree Factory of El Salvador, are required to produce 1,200 “onesies” for baby Dallas Cowboy fans. This means the workers were allowed just 5.6 minutes to sew each garment, for which they were paid 14 cents per onesie.
Proceeds of the event help fund a student venture to Managua, Nicaragua this summer to learn about the effects of economic globalization first hand.
The show also benefited Un Mundo in their efforts to promote dignity, community, and self-sufficiency among marginalized populations in rural Honduras through volunteer-based programs.
For more information, visit Un Mundo’s site and and the INVST Community Studies’ site.
[nggallery id=47]Contact CU Independent Photojournalist David Zimmerman at David.Zimmerman@Colorado.edu.
