Dress | Sézane Celeste Dress* | Sézane Hope Bag

I first started this blog as a way to share outfit ideas with fellow moms who lost themselves post-baby. Along with your life changing dramatically so does your body and I personally struggled with who I was as a new mom and person. Before kids I went to school for Fashion Communications so I used my love for clothing to express who I was after baby and who I was meant to become. After almost 2 years of my youtube channel and over a year of blogging my message has become slightly different: wear what you love.

If you’re involved in fashion and social media there are many mixed messages surrounding what we should buy. There’s vloggers who do “haul videos” once a week displaying 15 items that you should buy and posts about cheap dresses, ie. “50 dresses for under $20”. On the other end of the spectrum we have capsule wardrobes and ethical fashion where a daily conversation on who made your clothes and the “22- Piece Wardrobe” is present along with a high price tag for many ethical brands. These are confusing and conflicting message. What do we buy?

First if you’re struggling with being a part of the ethical clothing movement the most ethical thing you can buy is second hand clothing because of the zero footprint it now creates being pre-owned. However, thrift store clothes, like fast fashion, can also lead to the idea that clothing is disposable because of the low price tag which I personally have experienced. How many times have we said, “well it was only $5 so I got it”? So what do we do?

No matter where you are on your fashion journey: trying to stop shopping at fast fashion stores, or trying to decide if you need a pair of $400 Kamm pants I think you should first start with what you love. What makes you feel special? What colours, fabric, silhouettes turn your head? These questions matter because you can hate a pair of pants you got at a great deal for $5 and you can hate a pair of ethically made pants for $400. If you love your clothing you’re going to take care of it. You’ll become invested in a brand and naturally investigate further and learn more about the good they do or don’t do.

I think the ethical fashion message is important and one that we all need to take time to explore but I don’t want it to be paralyzing or cause dramatic actions like removing all unethical clothing from your wardrobe leaving almost nothing behind. No one, including me has a perfect wardrobe- it’s always a work in progress. Start with an item or two that you love and are excited to wear whether it’s second hand or from another ethical brand- there’s definitely some affordable options. Turn the process into an enjoyable rejuvenation of your wardrobe and enjoy the process. Fashion is something we experience everyday and it should be a fun way to express ourselves.

See the bottom of this post for a list of my favourite ethical brands! If you have one to add please do so in the comments!

Favourite Ethical Brands

Doen

For dreamy designs and highlighting and supporting women through every step of their manufacturing process and charity work.

Everlane

For great basics, doing trends well and my favourite- the shoes. Everlane is “radically transparent” with where their clothing is made.

Sézane

For making me feel like a princess by designing with the most gorgeous details and their Demain project.

Christy Dawn 

For the prettiest dresses made from dead stock fabric and their ethical work practices highlighting the real people who are making your clothes.

Other Brands I Admire

Vetta

Reformation

The Edit Vintage (Canadian Thrift!)

Poppy Barley (Canadian!)

Nisolo

Tradlands

Franc (Canadian!)

Jesse Kamm

Emma Knudsen (Canadian!)

Cuyana

Elizabeth Suzann

Photos by Bear & Sparrow Photography

*This post contains affiliate links