Fashion Activism Might Be The Easiest (And Chicest) Way To Change The World Daily

"Fashion is culture," says Céline Semaan, the founder of fashion tech lab Slow Factory. This simple fact is what fuels her line of eco-friendly, fair trade garments printed with poignant imagery and timely activist slogans.

Today, take a visit to the Slow Factory website and you'll see this scarf (though it's sold out right now) alongside an ever-expanding line of pieces that represent some of the most pressing social environmental issues of our time—scarves and necklaces that depict endangered and extinct animal species, a flight jacket with the Declaration of Independence written in Arabic. The unique brand has graced not only fashion runways but United Nations exhibitions and art museums, too.

As for how she decides what to depict next, Semaan says, "It's a mix between the image inspiring a cause and the cause inspiring the image." She's partnered with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and World Wildlife Foundation to give them a percentage of proceeds so that each purchase can make a concrete statement in addition to a symbolic one.

Amid a news cycle increasingly bombarded with bad news, Slow Factory wants to make fashion a sort of antidote—ironic, considering that, for many, the industry has historically been a source of elitism and environmental degradation. According to Semaan, the most meaningful way you can become a fashion activist is by asking two simple questions: Who made my clothes? And how did they make them?

"It's about knowing exactly where your pieces are coming from. If you're wearing a shirt that says 'we should all be feminists' and it's coming from a fast fashion company, chances are it's a bit hypocritical," she says. "The women who made that T-shirt aren't really being considered under this statement."

As new brands experiment with ways to lessen the fashion industry's environmental footprint, it's exciting to see the social impact of clothes being considered in meaningful ways, too. After all, truly ethical fashion is beneficial for both people and planet.