Joining Fashion Revolution with Resa Living in Nepal

A few years ago, I read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Fast Fashion. Learning that my trendy, cheap clothing had a human cost led me to reevaluate my relationship with clothing. I stopped shopping at fast fashion stores and moved towards higher quality, ethically made essentials or second-hand clothing. I further defined my personal style by creating a limited capsule wardrobe. I started seeking out innovative and stylish sustainable designers who paid a fair wage to their workers.

Ethical fashion soon began to bleed into from my personal life and into my professional one. At a pop-up shopping event, I was immediately drawn to Theresa’s clean Nordic design and the way she mixed the beautiful colors, textures, and handicrafts from Nepal.

I learned we shared a passion for sustainably made clothing and she invited me to the Fashion Revolution event that she was hosting. This was the beginning of my discovery of Nepal’s many incredible artisans.

This year Theresa kicked off her online shop Resa Living. Through this business, she provides a living wage to over fifty artisans. She employs local people skilled in artisanal crafts like sewing, knitting, weaving, metalwork, and fine jewelry.  With a focus on sustainability, she reuses vintage saris and re-imagines leather remnants.

Spending time with Theresa’s employees to create this video on social entrepreneurship has only reinforced my view that every person deserves a fair wage for the skill and craft that they bring to the table and that we shouldn’t devalue human beings so that we can have a closet full of inexpensive clothes.

Fashion Revolution week is from April 24-30th this year. I encourage you to go to an event near you, support businesses like Resa Living, and to ask yourself this important question: #whomademyclothes?