On top of empowering consumers, AlShehaili and Grillon are also helping brands who are making an effort to adopt and implement an ethical and sustainable business model by providing them a platform to tell their story. Fashion is a 3 trilliondollar industry, out of it only 2 percent is reportedly considered ethical. In a way, JUST is doing what they can to show why this minority deserves to be the new majority in the future. One of the systems currently being developed by JUST is a database that allows fashion labels to upload their supplier data, making room for transparency. They also plan to create a system that would collect real time, unfiltered feedback from garment producers and workers themselves. The founders of JUST are not buried in blind idealism, however, as an ecosystem overhaul cannot and will not happen overnight. Neither will their method be the sole silver bullet to solve the maladies of supply chains. “At the end of the day, you’re looking at a multi-stakeholder effort. And this requires looking at what would make these players sit on the table to begin with. Fast fashion companies for example, won’t necessarily listen to policy makers and wiggle their way through weak government channels to tap into scrupulous suppliers who would produce the most at the lowest cost. But, they will
A true storyteller, AlShehaili shares her experiences as a social entrepreneur and the importance of humility during one of the Creative Mornings in Dubai.
listen to where the money is coming from- the consumers of their product.” As AlShehaili puts it, there is a lot of potential in having Saudi society, which has inherent cultural and religious values grounded on justice, spark an ethical fashion movement. Some people might still be skeptical as to how their innovative approach can actually be sustainable on a larger scale. Fast fashion for now, is accessible, affordable and convenient. It fits the whole mass consumerist
culture of purchase now, think later. To be honest, AlShehaili’s passion is contagious. She is truly a storyteller whose thoughts dig deep into your consciousness, making it run long after the conversation has ended. The problem of ethical fashion is complex. Ignorance is bliss, so they say. The comfort of apathy is an apparent danger that will keep us from truly understanding that in choosing ourselves, we choose mankind. Web: projectjust.com
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