This New Sydney Tote Bag Is Designed to Empower Women in Need

Featured at this year's VAMFF, a 'gender equal' tote by Well Made Clothes and artist Caroline Walls.
Jasmine Crittenden
February 08, 2017

Ever worried about what your fashion habit is doing to the people who make your clothing, especially the women comprising 75 percent of the fashion workforce? Well Made Clothes, an Aussie online marketplace dedicated to ethical garments, is hosting an evening dedicated to this issue, and related problems. And, to celebrate, the company has created a gender equal tote bag.

The bag, which features a gender equal image, was designed by Sydney-based artist Caroline Walls. She sent her plans to Freeset, which turned it into a real life product using organic cotton and fair-trade production. Freeset is a business based in Kolkata, India, that provides employment opportunities for women saved from sex slavery. The bag is now available online and you can buy it safe in the knowledge that all profits go straight to Freeset.

Plus, if you happen to be in Victoria during Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2017, you can get along to Well Made Clothes' event, which is titled Good Evening: How Fashion Can Empower Women. To happen at Sunmoth, Melbourne, on Thursday, March 2, it'll involve cocktails by 42Below, canapés and a panel discussion featuring fashion journo Clare Press, Ethical Clothing Australia's Sigrid McCarthy, Kuwaii's Kristy Barber and Freeset's Jeff Ward. Just some of the issues up for debate are fair working conditions, media representations of women, designing for all bodies and ethical production.

Tickets, available online, include entry and a complimentary tote bag. Book before February 12 to score earlybird prices.

Published on February 08, 2017 by Jasmine Crittenden
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