#corecore, but make it Fashion (industry, that is)

There is an absence of belonging that echoes around the world. A hunger for the happiness we were promised, if we just dressed, walked, and talked the right way. But beyond our screens, our loved ones and the planet suffer and it is easy to feel crushed by the weight of all that we think we cannot change.

Our clothes are made from coal, tar, heavy metals, and petroleum. Our bedsheets are treated or dyed with any number of over 8,000 different chemicals. They become soft, wrinkle-free, flame or stain resistant, but the trade-off is severe: rampant use of carcinogens, PFAS, formaldehyde, and lead, all of which can disrupt human DNA, negatively impact reproductive health, or cause neurological damage.

Discarded textiles clog our waterways, while textile wastewater poisons aquatic life and humans alike.

But there is another way, one grounded in reverence and respect for the people and planet. Relationship is at the heart of everything: Human to human, and human to earth.

This is what we are committed to at AIZOME: creating better, in partnership with others and the natural world.

We believe textiles can be made well. By people who love their work. By companies who respect materials. In a way the generates health. For customers who are appreciated and respected, and who can rest confident in the integrity of their purchase and its impact on their wellness and that of the planet.

And in the moments we too feel a bit overwhelmed by the work yet to do, we return to this beautiful teaching from Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh: