What I Keep Getting Wrong About Ethical Fashion

I spend a lot of time considering how we can do better, both at HACOY and beyond. When I started this brand, I thought I understood what ethical fashion meant. It was about using local materials and keeping production close to home, in Italy or Lithuania. It was about avoiding fast fashion traps. It seemed simple enough. Yet, as the years go by, I keep realizing that there are many things I get wrong. There's a disconnect between my intentions and reality. For instance, I never expected the amount of plastic waste created from packaging, even with our eco friendly materials. Or the hidden carbon footprint from shipping, even when it’s done locally. One of the biggest challenges is the ever changing definition of ethical fashion itself. My personal understanding evolves constantly, which means HACOY must adapt as well. For example, I recently found out about the impact of certain dyes on water quality. This was a harsh reminder that even small details can have significant environmental consequences. And then there are the unseen impacts, like how my painting habits use materials with their own environmental costs or how writing about non linear thinking uses up energy resources. It's all connected, and every action has its ripple effect. My goal is to keep learning, adjusting, and sharing these lessons with HACOY’s community.