Finding a pair of ethical work trousers

EFF Newsletter #17

Today’s newsletter is divided into two. The first half discusses some of the difficulties while buying ethically and gives a style brief for the trousers I was after. The second half is for paid subscribers and looks at the brands I found that matched the brief, including a handful of new brands that have been added to the directory.

There are no affiliate links in today’s brand recs. If you are able to - I’d love if you could help make this work more sustainable for me by becoming a paid member.

Next week will be a ‘rest week’ (this just means that it’s going to be centred around creativity/life/rest) and will be free to all.

Buying ethically while fat can absolutely feel joyful.

Getting your hands on a thrifted find in your size. Supporting creators that provide size inclusive options. Adding an array of amazing pieces to a never-ending wish list.

When you are already feeling abundant in your wardrobe and know that you have enough, it’s easy. There’s no sense of urgency.

Buying something when your circumstances change suddenly or you just didn’t account for is a far messier situation. This could be sudden weight change, a new job, an unexpected event or not being prepared for the extreme temperature change.

Part of the reason I started Ethical Fat Fashion was because of an experience in 2017 when I tried to find a dress for a friend’s wedding in Australia. Back then, I didn’t even know of any appropriate ethical options.

Instead, I scoured every store in shopping centres over the span of weeks. We’re talking hundreds of shops! I came up completely short. I was in a panic especially since my friend had asked me to do a short reading at the wedding. It all felt a bit much - my size change (I had gone up several sizes since last seeing my friends and family), the future public attention and on top of that, not being able to find anything to wear.

THANKFULLY, I finally found a dress that was suitable online. A shifting purple dress with a slight sheen that was knee-length. I didn’t even love it. I was just so fucking relieved that I found something that fit in time.

For the most part, I’ve felt a lot more content with my wardrobe since. Aside from living in an image-conscious society (Tokyo) where everyone seems put together all the time, I haven’t had much pressure to add things to my wardrobe.

Of course there are things I’d like to add, but nothing’s been urgent. Until now.

As you know I started a new job. I thought I was set because I still had everything from my previous work where no one had any qualms about the ‘professional’ nature of my outfits (not tackling whether we should even have to adhere to so-called professional dress, however you might enjoy this post from the Unflattering newsletter).

I found myself in the position where my new job had stricter standards of dress, was more competitive and paid me less. My area manager didn’t like that a blouse I wore wasn’t collared, all my co-workers wear suits every single day. I continue to be the only one in the office that isn’t draped in a polyester suit.

I’m not saying this in a holier-than-thou sort of tone, I have a lot more synthetic in my wardrobe that I would like especially from my fast fashion past (and from thrifting too). It’s just too damn hot and humid right now and I’d rather not wear polyester if I can find an alternative.

Lately, I’ve felt mounting pressure to add a pair of trousers to my wardrobe and instead of feeling excited, I started to feel worried.

Despite all the joys of buying ethically, here’s the difficult aspect. The more specific an item is, the harder it is to find. And of course even more difficult, if you are fat or need an affordable option.

Fast fashion has a lot of sameness, a lot of very similar silhouettes mostly in polyester. I know all the downsides of fast fashion, how these companies rip off independent designers and are not held accountable for the exploitation of workers. But what fast fashion also has is convenience.

Looking up ‘work trousers plus size’ on a fast fashion search bar brings up hundreds of results (which I’m sure are still less than our thin peers). You have to admit, having so many style options in one place is absolutely convenient. But I still don’t plan on buying fast fashion because I know this convenience has a human cost.

In comparison, when you’re looking for a specific item in ethical fashion, it takes work.

Most size inclusive ethical brands are small or micro-brands. Some might carry more styles than others, but it’s not uncommon for a brand to offer less than a dozen styles altogether.

What I really would like to create is a comprehensive style guide which has been on the back burner as a long-term project for awhile. It’s all well and good to have a list of brands (like my directory) but when we’re faced with the part of finding a particular item, this can become more difficult. Having a list of more specific styles (like work trousers or outdoor hiking shorts) feels like it could be a really useful resource to the community.

If you’ve got the time and mental energy, this might not be a problem. But if not, then finding the item might be a struggle.

With the impending summer and rise in humidity and heat, I knew I needed to get onto buying those trousers soon especially if they were to be custom-made. Since I haven’t received my first pay-check yet, I am also worried about $$ because this purchase is unexpected.

Onto the search for the trousers, let's start with the specifics on the style.

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• lightweight trousers for the upcoming summer

• can be worn outside of a ‘professional’ context - can be integrated into my wardrobe when I leave

• not fast fashion

• a little stretch or custom made

• cropped or petite length

• dark block colour (black, navy, dark green etc)