Feminism, as long as it has to be
The subject has exploded recently in the media and on social networks, and it was about time, because it concerns us all: feminism.
Today is March 8, International Women's Day, and still a struggle for rights, because women all over the world deserve much more than a rose, right?
Why this date?
The first historic March 8 would be that of 1917, in St Petersburg, where students and workers went on strike and marched together, at the dawn of the Soviet revolution. The German journalist and activist Clara Zetkin had already called for finding a common date of demonstration as early as 1910. It is also evoked March 8, 1857, the day of demonstration of seamstresses in New York: the story is attractive, but not proven.
Still, a century after St Petersburg, women from all over the world continue to parade on the same date. So many rights, freedoms and equality are yet to be defended and conquered.
Fashion industy, women on the front lines
In our clothing workshop in Portugal (headed by a woman), craftswomen are in the majority, like the textile sector around the world (80% of the workforce is female according to the Fashion Revolution movement).
We still remember the tragedy of Rana Plaza on April 24, 2013 - another date that touches us - where more than 1,100 people perished in the collapse of an unsanitary building, dedicated to the manufacture of fast fashion clothing. Mostly women. This event signaled the awakening of the fashion world. More recently, in Tangier, 28 people died in the flooding of an illegal textile workshop, including 19 women.
Thus, the safety of female workers, their income and their good working conditions constitute a crucial issue in ethical fashion.
Checking labels, demanding brands commitment and transparency can be the first steps towards fair fashion.
Our vision
At Arsayo, the team is mixed, but everyone feels concerned by the subject. All inequalities and injustices are linked; racism, speciesism, sexism, and it is always good to deconstruct our received ideas, for a softer and more united world.
Inclusive language seems to us in particular an effective tool to restore visibility to women and to gender minorities. Through our photos, we also want to represent a diversity of bodies, beauties and identities.
We appreciate to offer you a unisex backpack, so as not to reinforce the divides between the genders. A practical, ergonomic and reassuring accessory, in contrast to the pretty but uncomfortable items too often offered to women in the name of fashion.
Our choices may not always be perfect, but we make a point of constantly learning and questioning ourselves.
