What does it mean to “Take the High Ground” with Fia Clothing and why we think you should too?

Since I was a very young child, I’ve had a strong sense of social justice. The ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly stems from the set of values handed down to me from my parents. A video titled “Our World Too” recently emerged on Facebook, 10-year-old me in 4^th class at school stressing about how we needed to care more for our environment. It finishes with me stating that I don’t want to leave a filthy rundown world for my children to live in. More than three decades on I remain deeply concerned not only for the planet but for freedom, humanity and justice. This is certainly something that I too have handed down to my own children. Their deep concerns for the environment have influenced how we do things at Fia. Our deep concerns for humanity play a big role in why we do what we do.

For many companies’ sustainability has become a buzzword but for Fia sustainability has been engrained into the DNA of all design processes and development decisions. This, of course, begs the question, exactly what does this mean? For me sustainability means ensuring there will be enough resources left for future generations. It means we must find a way to meet our needs without compromising theirs.

Our tag line sums up our values at Fia Clothing. When we ask you to take the high ground with us, we are talking about the moral high ground. These are the things  that really matter to us, they are the behaviours that motivate us, and they guide our decisions. These values are just as important at work as they are in our personal lives because we truly believe behaving ethically just makes good business sense.

This can be seen in how we source our products. We go beyond formal, clip-board-based site visits. We have spent years building relationships with our suppliers and we only work with suppliers who share our vision to take The High Ground.

We believe in slow fashion- buy well, buy once.

In a world where we are often deliberately misled by greenwashing, we are honest in our words and our actions.

We maintain this consistency between thoughts, words and actions, doing the right thing even when it may affect the bottom line.

We are committed to make the right choices, whether that is what material we source, packaging or who we partner with. Could we do more? Of course, and we are always making small changes that make a difference.

At Fia we really do try to minimise any negative impact on society or the environment. But it is much more than that,  we also try to make a positive impact on those less fortunate than ourselves. For us giving back and being a socially responsible business is not just a nicety; it’s a necessity.

We love the idea of “paying it forward”. Too often business deprioritise corporate social responsibility in favour of profit. Of course, cashflow is the life blood of any business, but shouldn’t there be something more? Volunteering in our foundation, Crosscause is at the heart of what we do. I first travelled to Romania in 1997 to work in the Nicoresti Orphanage. This trip ignited a passion in giving back. Since then, we have been involved in funding and building forever homes for these most deserving young people. Anna has taken over the reins now and spends her summers in Nicoresti, but that’s a whole other blog right there!

Our vision is to create long-lasting and meaningful change by creating beautiful pieces of clothing and have a positive impact on our foundation. When we ask you to take the high ground with us, we hope to attract customers who share the same values.