Who made my clothes ?

Published on Afrocraze.com in May 29, 2018

A few weeks ago on AfroCraze, we talked about ethical fashion on the African landscape; “Zooming in on the practice of ethical fashion that is sourced and produced on the African continent, we at AfroCraze believe that the true embodiment of ethical fashion goes beyond not doing harm. We emphasize the importance on sustainable/conscious lifestyles, alleviating poverty and empowering communities while helping local artisans to bring their work to the world”. As an African myself, I believe that this philosophy towards fashion comes with the territory of being from that wonderful land.

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And what I mean here is that when you think about it, generally countries with traditional wear that has been part of their history for several generations, and especially in the case of third world countries, they rely heavily on artisans and their work. In Morocco for instance, we have grown up going to the tailor’s. Be it to attend a wedding, to celebrate major holidays as Eid, or just to feel special, traditional wear has always been synonymous with artisan’s work. A small shop, three to four highly skilled (most often than not) men, patterning, sewing, and embellishing a storm, is where you go to get your special outfits made just for you. So without really knowing it, we have been raised with ethical fashion.

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However with globalization, people from developing countries as mine want to be “trendy” and blend in with the rest of the world. Thus, most of our wardrobes have become smaller versions of collection catalogs from major fashion brands. You know the ones I’m talking about…

In that sense, Fashion Revolution; a global not-for-profit fashion movement founded in London in 2014, and whose whole mission is to work for “our clothing to be made in a safe, clean and fair way”, has expanded worldwide to 95 countries. Some of those countries are North Africa’s Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco. So, as new comers to this long overdue movement, Fashion Revolution Morocco team; made of a group of fashion professionals and lovers living or traveling in Morocco determined to bring a change to the Moroccan fashion scene has joined in. And they recently launched a campaign;

“Moroccan Traditional x Fast Fashion”.

An accurate representation of what fashion and mostly style looks like in the present times in Morocco, this campaign is about blending the Moroccan identity with a more globalized esthetic. And to make it as inclusive as possible, it was made into a challenge; #mymoroccanstyle that saw the participation of a number of fashion enthusiasts. And to their creative credit, not only did they showcase their “Africanilicious” style, but also showed their support to the many brands and artisans who work tirelessly to keep North African fashion alive. And that with a common voice and message that said; “Who made my clothes?”