Why The School of Satchel is #EthicalandLocal
Did you know that one of the biggest contributors to pollution come from the fashion industry? Because not many people do.
But if you’re one of those #ConsciousConumers then you must be aware of this fact. It has been a prevalent issue over the past years and movements are being done to stop this from happening. In fact, the fashion industry’s ways of doing business have changed due to this. They have become more than just about trends and numerous styles. Today, fashion is now closely associated with sustainability because consumers’ shopping behavior have gradually changed. They have been more keen on the products they buy and have started to look at the ins and outs of the goods they purchase; hence, the term sustainable fashion.
At The School of Satchel, we strive our best to become an advocate of sustainable fashion by communicating to our followers the impact of how we’re doing business. Since 2011, we have been promoting the local leather industry, but now we are starting to share more about the processes behind the production of our leather goods. We are promoting the importance of slow fashion – the production of low quantity but highly quality products, and openly discuss the importance of ethics in doing business.
What does sustainability have to do with fashion, you might ask. At first, both terms don’t really seem related with one another but if you think about it more seriously, you’ll realize that they are actually connected. As shoppers, we don’t really get to think about what or who makes the products we buy. For the longest time, we have been focused on being in trend; we highly value the aesthetic aspect of the products we buy (or if they’re Instagram worthy!). But now, we often hear shoppers ask, “Where is this made of?” or “What are the materials used in your product?” and this is where sustainable fashion comes in.
When we consider the environmental and social impacts in the creation of products, we are leaning towards sustainable fashion. When we take note of the ethical aspects of how products are made – the whole life cycle of products, the working conditions of the people behind every piece, the way the products are brought and communicated to the market, that is also sustainable fashion we’re talking about. There are many ways of practicing sustainable fashion and every company has their own ways of applying it on their brand. We, at The School of Satchel, although we are a small homegrown leather brand, strive to educate the market on who they are buying and the true cost behind every leather bag. Thus, we are Ethical + Local.
We, at The School of Satchel are ethical because we source our raw materials responsibly and we treat our leather craftsmen well; nothing is sacrificed along the process of coming up with our products. We, at The School of Satchel are also local because we are a homegrown leather brand. From sourcing of materials down to the finishing of our products, everything is done here in the Philippines.
Stay tuned as we share with you in detail our steps toward sustainable fashion! :)