Threads of Impact: Antonia’s Quest for Ethical Fashion and Fair Trade

"Buy less, care more" is the mantra of social impact student Antonia Taylor, who is on a mission to raise awareness about environmental and social impacts of mass consumerism.

As the highest consumers of fashion per capita in the world , Australia faces a “textile waste crisis”, explains Antonia, who is advocating for radical change in fashion and other consumer systems.

From founding a social enterprise in Cambodia to overseeing Oxfam's WA Fair Trade operations, Antonia now works for Volunteering WA and is pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at UWA , furthering her commitment to creating a fairer world.

Antonia, you’re currently studying a Graduate Certificate, how are you enjoying the social impact course so far?

I have almost finished my third unit of the Grad Cert and I honestly have loved every minute of it. Being able to undertake graduate studies is truly a privilege and I have squeezed all the goodness out of this amazing opportunity.

How did you first get into the social impact space? Can you please share your journey to working in the sector and building your own social enterprise organisation?

My undergraduate studies in sociology provided my foundation for understanding divisions in society.

I left the UK as soon as I graduated to travel extensively throughout Asia and found myself living and working for international NGO’s in human rights and women’s livelihoods in Cambodia for over 3 years. It was there that I founded a social enterprise called Khmer Creations, a studio that trained and employed young women referred by a trafficking organisation in production of fashion accessories that we exported globally.

Relocating to WA, I landed a role with Oxfam Australia and worked for 8 years overseeing their Fair Trade operations in WA. At the time, Oxfam traded with over 140 different social enterprises in 23 countries, supporting people on the margins of society to access markets for their handcrafted artisan products and organic, Fair Trade food. Sadly in 2019, Oxfam closed all of their Fair Trade operations across Australia. To continue supporting some of the amazing social enterprises I have met over the years, I founded an independent online store called Fair Space.

In all my roles, I have managed teams of dedicated people that volunteer for causes they care deeply about. For the last few years I have worked for Volunteering WA, the peak body that supports this vast eco-system of volunteers and volunteer involving organisations across Western Australia.

What inspired you to enrol in the Social Impact course at UWA?

I have wanted to study the Grad Cert in Social Impact for many years, but I waited for just the right time when I had the space to really dive into this opportunity. While I had some great work and life experience, I was attracted to this course because it teaches us to take a systems change approach to some of the most pressing issues of our time. This course allowed me to build knowledge of tools for social impact practice and has opened up an incredible network of changemakers here in WA.

How do you think the knowledge and skills gained from this social impact course will help you in your career?

I have learned so much that I will use in my career. Specifically, I will be using outcomes measurement in my work at Volunteering WA, supporting volunteer organisations of varying sizes to measure and communicate the impact of their programs. I am also looking forward to using co-design and other social design tools in my work wherever I can. I will also be doing some mentorship with social enterprises in WA and overseas. Most of all, I will be continually reflecting and learning how to be a better leader as we collectively navigate the challenges that we face in the world.

Can you share any other key experiences that have influenced your commitment to fostering positive change?

In the past I have been active in building movements, especially in relation to Fair Trade and sustainable fashion advocacy. I lead many large-scale events and campaigns together with other passionate people – we had such strength in our collective common purpose.

During one of the Grad Cert in social impact units, our group chose to examine the fast fashion industry, and specifically the impact of Australia’s textile waste crisis. We analysed the whole system and looked for key leverage points where change could be made. Again, it was inspiring to be part of a group aligned to a genuine passion to see change on this issue.

I think this goes back to one of the biggest takeaways of this course is the power of collaboration:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has," - Margaret Mead

In your experience, what is needed to improve ethical consumption ethical trading and fair trade?

It’s a complex issue and as we have learned on this course, will take transformation at many parts of the system to create meaningful change. From the individual consumer perspective, if I could distil it down to one simple slogan it would be: buy less, care more. We need to radically change the way we are consuming and start paying the true cost of products.

Right now, Australians are the largest consumer of textiles per capita in the world, yet pay far lower per item than other high consumer countries. People in the poorest regions of the world are facing massive rises in costs, yet often have no safety nets and are constantly squeezed on price by our insatiable appetite for cheap consumer goods.

What key aspects of your work do you believe are often overlooked or misunderstood? What message would you like to convey to raise awareness and promote greater understanding of this?

The onus for change should not the responsibility of individuals alone because the system is not set up for us to be perfect, ethical consumers. However, I want people to feel empowered that by making small, incremental changes in buying choices and putting pressure on brands, collectively we can have a massive ripple effect as we have seen historically through the Fair Trade and other consumer driven movements.