There is no such thing as a dumb question, and, you can’t please everyone. These are two of my favourite adages that help me through some surprising comments and queries. Those words hum like a low-frequency mantra in the back of my brain, giving me patience, and keeping my mind open. While Etiko is generally inundated with very positive product reviews and praise for the efforts we make to be as sustainable we can be, I wanted to share an insight into some of the more unexpected interactions we have received of late.
Earlier this year, our Make Love Louder T-shirt, supporting the LGBTIQ+ community came under fire from a customer with particular religious beliefs. And our Frenchie T-shirt designed by a local vegan tattooist, was questioned by someone because French Bulldogs are interbred and have breathing difficulties. And don’t get me started on politics, whenever we lean a little left in our social commentary someone lets us know, “You’ve just lost a customer!”. No matter how good our intentions, some people still find fault, remember you can’t please everyone.
Let’s focus on the positive, Etiko is an ethical business. We were one of the first ethical fashion brands in this country and continue to be one of the most ethical brands in Australia. Over the years we have won a human rights award, multiple sustainability awards and consistently received an A+ rating for ethics. We invest serious time, energy and money into going above and beyond to deliver products that are 100% ethical. We also minimise our profit margins so we can deliver this standard at a competitive and affordable price, you’re welcome.
When designing, manufacturing and distributing our products we aim to: minimise waste, support the rights of workers, have minimal impact on the environment, be vegan, biodegradable, carbon-neutral, focus our business on regenerative concepts, and also support not-for-profits through collaborative projects. We literally bend over backwards to do the best for people, animals and the planet.
If you don’t agree with supporting the LGBTIQ+ community, that is your personal opinion. We encourage you to look at something we can all agree, instead of focusing on the one thing, within our brand, that irks you. For example, you might find joy knowing that Etiko doesn’t contribute to child, slave or sweatshop labour. Surely we can all agree on the goodness of slave free manufacturing.
Furthermore, we encourage all of our customers (disgruntled or not) to channel your energy into creating positive change in the fashion industry. Send an email to a brand who could seriously improve their supply chain or sustainability ethics. You could start with brands that received an F-rating in the ethical fashion report, or hit up some of the big brands notorious for selling shockingly cheap fashion, like Kmart (click for contact details) ask them to do better, we know they can!
With loud love and puppy eyes,
Niko
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