a mighty good tale

Have you ever wondered where your undies come from?

I don’t mean the name brand, or even the ‘Made In’ country, but the dirty little secrets behind your undies.

According to the co-founders of Mighty Good Undies (Dr Hannah Parris and Elena Antoniou), the cotton supply chain is “awash with toxic chemicals including pesticides that are dangerous to farmers, or chemical residues from the washing process, which can become hormone disrupters in our bodies”.

In addition, "about 25% of cotton farm workers in India are children under 14, due to the very low price we have come to expect of cotton," one of the world’s most desired fibres.

Yikes!
These little cotton undies don’t look so sweet anymore.

Enter Mighty Good Undies – certified Fairtrade (FLO) and organic (GOTS), this ethical label is aiming to change the toxic past of undies and bring the gold standard of sustainability, comfort, affordability and price to our unmentionables.

But they need our help!

Currently in the crowdfunding stage, you can get involved with Mighty Good Undies from the ground up so they can create their line of super-ethical undies and bring their wares to the Berlin Ethical Fashion Show this July to gain buyers to stock the brand in their stores.

As with any crowdfunding campaign, there are plenty of delightful rewards ranging from a postcard from Berlin to packs of undies, to my personal favourite – naming rights of one of the styles. I can imagine it now, Lisa's Lovely Briefs . . .

And if you bid this week (2-9 May 2016), you will also get a bar of delicious Organic + Fair-trade Alter Eco Quinoa chocolate (a staple in my house!).

On a personal note, I have the pleasure of knowing the two brilliant and dedicated women behind the brand, and can fully vouch for their commitment, knowledge and passion.

Elena has been working with brands for years through her PR business, New Future PR, and as she says, “I was hankering to jump into the ethical fashion issue”. She was also instrumental to the first Clean Cut appearance at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week two years ago – I don’t know how we would have pulled it off without her brilliance!

Hannah got involved in sustainable fashion after realising that many systems in our lives – food, transport, housing and energy – were being addressed from a sustainability perspective, but “clothing seemed to be the odd one out that hadn’t made much progress”. Hannah is behind ethical clothing brand Audrey Blue, which stemmed from her own research and realisation that “fashion’s importance as both a driver -- as well as a solution -- to core problems I had been concerned with my whole life.” 

And on an even more personal note, my dear friend Yatu Widders Hunt (check out her blog All for Good) introduced the two, and she is now known as the “godmother of Mighty Good Undies” (I wonder if she gets a wand with that title?).

In all seriousness – isn’t about time we had safe, soft, (sexy) and comfortable undies? 

Head over to their Start Some Good page and pledge to help this incredible brand get off the ground – and you may as well do it this week so you get some free chocolate in the deal, too.