Since its inception 3 years ago Moral Fairground has become Australia’s largest fair-trade and ethical festival. The growth of this initiative has reflected the trend that consumers are increasingly seeking to learn about the footprint behind products they are purchasing.
Launched by bankers Susanna Bevilacqua and Boby Vosinthavong after witnessing first hand the working conditions and environmental impact of mass consumerism on some of the poorest countries in South East Asia, Moral Fairground has brought awareness to the community about ethical and environmental issues through a series of events, the main one being Fair@Square.
With sponsorship from Oxfam, Cadbury, Lush and Adorn, Fair@Square has not only doubled in visitors and support, but has helped promote an increasing number of fair-trade labelled products to consumers.
Couturing attended the Fair@Square Festival’s ethical fashion show at Federation Square as part of the Fair@Square. Event. Organised by Leeyong Soo (see Couturing’s interview with Leeyong here) and an army of volunteers the runway show featured ethical designs and accessories from some of Australia’s most exciting labels.
Hosted by Em Rusciano in a dressed dyed yellow with turmeric, beautiful models took the catwalk in amazing designs which were not only environmentally friendly, but ethically made too.
SOSUME owner and designer Alex Trimmer, whose designs featured on the runway said his pieces were not driven by trend and are instead simple and contemporary. BENTO owner and designer Samantha Hardman said that the fact that her label is sustainable is a great selling point which gives her an edge in the market.
After the main runway show, design students from RMIT present an ethical and sustainable piece that they had made. They explained what inspired their garment and how their practice was sustainable.
Events such a Fair@Square really shows the range of sustainable and ethical products available on the market so there is really no excuse for not supporting Australian companies who are doing the right thing by the environment and community.
Thank you Moral Fairground for hosting such a wonderful and sustainable event!
More pictures from the event to be uploaded to Couturing’s Facebook page today so make sure you ‘like’ it to stay up to date!
Leave a Reply