Hi! We are Sibel and Lara, mother and daughter and the founders of FeminIst. FeminIst is an ethical designer fashion brand. We work with designers from Istanbul whose collections we have seen at international fashion shows and explicitly selected for the European market. Exclusively for FeminIst, the designer pieces are re-created to be produced with 100% sustainable, vegan and even higher quality materials.
With our brand we not only want to draw attention to the scary production conditions in the Fast Fashion Industry, we also want to be a role model and bring a positive change for all those who work in the fashion industry.
That is not so easy in an industry that has focused on pure profit maximization for decades. Although they often work for the most profitable companies in the world, fashion producers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam earn extremely low wages, work in fire-prone buildings and are exposed to verbal and physical violence. The threat of poverty leaves them no choice but to work in factories 12 hours a day without vacations or weekends in these exploitative conditions.
All our designers have their own style, their own stories, their own routines and their own inspirations. What unites them is their desire to make the fashion industry more sustainable and fair. That’s why they produce their designer pieces for FeminIst from scratch: with sustainable, high-quality, organic fabrics, completely without cheap plastic additives like polyester, nylon or elastane, and 100% fair.
To prevent modern slavery in the Fashion Industry, it is important to demand transparency. It is important to know who made our clothes and that the production was done under ethical guidelines.
Our clothes are sewn in small, family-run ateliers in Istanbul. We have carefully selected each atelier and visited the production sites. Our designers, who visit the ateliers weekly during the production period, have legally committed to produce with our social standards.
Our manufacturers all have an insurance, an employment contract and a wage that is well above the minimum wage in Turkey. The minimum wage in Turkey is 3,557 Turkish Lira. Wages in our studios vary depending on the position and range from 5,000 to 6,000 Turkish Lira. Naturally, we pay meticulous attention to gender equality in our ateliers and do not allow any child labor.
We treat our workers with dignity and respect, because only then can we wear our clothes with dignity.
The name “FeminIst” has a meaning, of course. Feminism means that all people are granted the same rights – no matter what sex they are or what gender they belong to.
In fashion, equality is still a long way off. The fashion industry is one of the most female-dominated industries in the world, and yet women are exploited within the industry far more often than men.
Manufacturers working for Western brands in Third World countries often have no employment contracts, work for very low wages including countless overtime-hours, and are exposed to physical and verbal violence. For these female workers, the feminist movement is closely linked to their working conditions. It is about a demand for decent pay, work in decent conditions, and very basic safety precautions in the buildings. It is about escaping poverty, giving their children an education and becoming independent.
With our name, we not only want to draw attention to this exploitation, but also to set a good example to change these terrible working conditions in the fashion world.
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