NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker's personal business approach to and understanding of fashion, health, and the environment. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf

People in China say: “From the color of the river, you can tell the trend color of the next season”, reflecting how polluted rivers are from dying clothes. The fashion industry became one of the leading environmental polluters in the world. Every year, our clothes release as much microplastics in the ocean as 50 billion plastic bottles would do. Together with the harming effects for the environment, the working conditions for fashion producers in developing countries are terrifying: low wages, toxic chemicals, no safety regulations. Luckily, there’s a hope to escape the vicious cycle created by the fast fashion industry. Fair fashion, slow fashion, or healthy fashion, you name it, is a beautiful way to create harmony between nature and people by using environmentally friendly materials and treating the hands that produce the clothes with dignity and respect. Following Lara's advice will change your next shopping experience: “You should panic unless it’s organic”.
Lara is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of the eco-friendly fashion brand ‚FeminIst Fair Fashion’. She studied media and political communication at the Universities of Salzburg, Istanbul and Berlin.

Driven by their desire to create a positive impact, Lara and her mother – FeminIst co-founder Sibel – have worked tirelessly to build a brand with a twofold focus: Producing eco-friendly clothing and ensuring ethical working conditions for fashion industry workers. The brand’s name, FeminIst, is a play on words that highlights both the city where the women have their roots – Istanbul – and the feminist values they hold dear.

By putting people and the planet at the center of their work, they have created a business that stands in opposition to Fast Fashion and is driving social change in the fashion industry. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx