The word "Ethical Fashion" started to appear frequently in the news after the collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013. Since then, the fashion industry has tried hard to solve issues such as living wages, working conditions, health and safety, forced labor, and child labor. More often than not, however, any initiatives eventually yield to the chase for bigger profits.

While many associate unethical fashion with developing countries, developed countries are not necessarily better at treating their garment workers fairly. Former garment workers in LA claimed that they were paid 5 cents per piece. An investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that a certain fashion retailer paid some workers in UK just £3.50 an hour. 

To make matters worse, many companies exploit labels such as "Made in USA" to appear ethical and charge a premium on their products. Learn more about these unethical practices here.

Women make up the majority of the workforce in the garment industry and, accordingly, are most affected by human rights violations.

A survey found that roughly 14% of women garment workers in Bangalore had been sexually harassed or raped. 60% reported having been intimidated or threatened with violence, while between 40-50% had experienced humiliation or verbal abuse.

Garment manufacturing in the U.S. relies heavily on immigrant workers – much as it has done historically. Many of these workers are undocumented. They are at great risk of wage and hour violations, risks to their health and safety, and harassment and abuse.

The majority of garment workers are some of the most vulnerable people in our society: undocumented migrant women who are either unaware of their rights or powerless to demand fair pay and better working conditions. 

Immigrant garment workers in California, whose job includes stitching tags or labels for clothes that carry the proud slogan "Made in America" or "Made in LA", are paid 3 cents apiece, or $300 for a week for 60 hours to 75 hours of work.

Since our beginning in the Garment District of the Big Apple, we are committed to ensuring health and fairness for all of our workers.

Guided by our humanist values, Allégorie is committed to its suppliers and works with them to address the many challenges they face, including ethical, social, economic and environmental challenges. Allégorie ensures that its entire value chain is involved in sustainable development. Our relationship with suppliers and manufacturers, based on trust built up over time, is extremely important to our model.

As we expand as a business, we are committed to carrying our ethical values and the best practices abroad, including but not limited to treating all workers with respect and dignity, a living wage with benefits to all in addition to being compliant with local laws and regulations, safe workplace conditions and healthy work schedules. We seek like-minded partners to do business with and conduct strict due diligence when adding a partner to our supply chain.

With the best craftsmanship and expertise in the heart of the garment district and strict quality control procedures, each Allégorie bag is crafted to stand the test of time. Learn more about our design and quality here.

Let’s be honest, the greenest thing you can do is not buying anything.

But that's not practical at all. So buy less.

Consumerism is a powerful cultural force that is wreaking havoc on our planet, our climate and our well-being. So reject it.

Make informed choices. Make the purchase as good as it can be. 

Your everyday purchasing choices have the potential to be just as instrumental as direct mandates. Embrace the power you have and invest in the future by purchasing from sustainable and ethical brands, like us.

As we’re in the business of making bags, we want to ensure they have a life beyond your wardrobe and hopefully never ever end up in the landfill.

Mend them and make memories with them. Put them through their paces. We hope you feel fantastic carrying your Allégorie bag and then help someone else feel fantastic too. Check out our Product Care and learn how to take care of your Allégorie bag. Love your bag, and it’ll love you forever.