Ciao Simone! Simone Cipriani is the founder of the UN's Ethical Fashion Initiative, a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the UN and World Trade Organization.

The EFI connects skilled artisans in places like Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Haiti and now Afghanistan, to the international value chain of fashion, working with the likes of Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Adidas and the Australian accessories house MIMCO.

Simone sees luxury fashion as a vehicle for development. He talks about ethics and aesthetics and says Sweatshops and workers trapped in an endless cycle of creating cheap fast-fashion is not true fashion. Simone believes responsibly produced fashion can help change the world for the better. Actually, he knows it can, because he started this endeavour in 2009, and nearly a decade later it's thriving and has seen thousands of people find fair and ongoing work opportunities.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. Next week, we'll be bringing you the podcast Clare recorded in Nairobi, Kenya with the Ethical Fashion Initiative artisans.

Head over to https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast/2018/8/7/simone-cipriani-not-charity-work-the-un-the-ethical-fashion-initiative to read yours and #bethechange

Follow Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspress

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