Our Policy on Social and Environmental Responsibility in Fashion

Sustainable fashion isn’t just scratchy hemp pants and shirts anymore. It is a movement and process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. Sustainable fashion concerns more than addressing fashion textiles or products. It comprises addressing the whole system of fashion. The time has come to embrace clothing that is sustainable and eco-friendly. At espy, we have always taken steps to stay ahead of the “trend”, do what’s right, support local, independent business as well as support companies with high standards, effective protective policies towards their workers, and the environment as a whole.

Many of the brands we carry are manufactured and designed in Canada and follow Canadian labour standards and regulations.

Factory and Apparel Worker Health and Safety

espy deals with reputable companies in Canada and all over the world trusting they ensure acceptable working environments for their factory workers. We cannot and have not audited all of the factories of these manufacturing facilities as this is simply not feasible. Owner/Proprietor Megan Szanik has visited many of the factories in Brazil, Canada and the United States and can personally attest to their conditions. espy believes that the only way that consumers can be sure of social responsibility is to shop local, and buy Canadian.

Environmental Responsibility in Fashion

The fashion industry is one of the largest waste contributors to the environment. Specifically “fast fashion” can be blamed with cheap trends that are worn once or twice and then thrown away. With a focus on body type styling, we instead pay more attention to fit on the body than the latest fashion. We look for ways to incorporate trends into body type styling that works for the person in front of us. At espy, we believe that style is eternal and owning clothing that fits and flatters you is always in fashion. We discourage fast fashion. Instead, we speak to investment dressing and educate you on how to wear the pieces from espy in multiple ways. As an end result, items purchased from espy stay in your closet for the long term.

For environmental responsibility in manufacturing and design, we encourage consumers to look to brands that are making conscious, ecological choices and building their brands on eco-friendly concepts.

Denim

Traditional denim manufacturing can use over 300 litres of water to wash a single pair of jeans. Currently, all the denim brands we carry in-store use under a litre of water to wash a single pair of jeans. Brands like KOI, Boyish and AG are all net waterless- using lasers and recycling all their water on-site at production. Brands like Fidelity, Mavi, Paige and Frame are now moving into waterless production and individual styles are marked denoting this process. Most of our denim brands are using also using further eco materials like organic cotton, recycled cotton and elastane in their production.

espy encourages our clients to educate themselves (your espy stylist can assist) on sustainable & biodegradable fabrics like bamboo, tencel, modal, cupro, and lyocell. We also encourage clients to wear earth-friendly natural and breathable fabrics that are naturally biodegradable like cotton, linen, and silk and when possible choose organic versions of these fabrics. Many of espy’s brands are also using recycled fibres in their clothing, you will see recycled cotton and polyester at espy.

When the consumer is interested in a brand, it is their responsibility to investigate, conduct the necessary research, and make their determination if they fit their personal criteria for being socially and environmentally responsible. The espy stylists can provide a wealth of knowledge about each brand but cannot possibly know everything about the brand’s supply chain, manufacturing process or environmental and social policies

With that said, espy always deals with reputable companies and promote social responsibility in our business through our own policies and commitments to our community. This is one of the many reasons we prefer to buy and support Canadian businesses.

It is always refreshing to see consumers looking beyond trends in fashion and instead at how their choices affect the greater society as a whole.