Think Act Vote Refashioned: Nancy Dee

Nancy Dee is an ethical womenswear label specialising in day-to-night jersey. The look features uniquely designed retro prints and vintage-inspired shapes.

Launched in 2008 by sisters Tamsin and Seraphina and now in its fourth season, Nancy Dee aims to make ethical fashion more accessible by creating fun, easy-to-wear styles at competitive prices without compromising on quality or standards. All of the pieces are manufactured in India in factories that respect fair working conditions, using sustainable and organic jersey fabrics.

Nancy Dee got involved with the project as they felt that this campaign was a great way to raise awareness and remind people that their votes affect their future.

In their own words ‘Democracy allows the interests of the majority to be catered for and it’s the fairest way to ensure all voices are heard in society. But without enough people voting, there is a real danger of only the most extreme views being applied.

On our developed side of the world, it’s easy to forget the importance of democracy. And with the distractions of political scandal and spin doctoring it’s not surprising that so many people have lost confidence. But voting isn’t a right, it’s a privilege.’

Seraphina and Tamsin Davis

Tamsin Davis visualizes a future “championing father’s rights and women’s pay prospects“. The future she chooses would offer equal parental leave to both mothers and fathers. She emphasizes that this directly affects the father’s contribution towards the family and sends and imbalanced message of the father’s involvement in the family. Moreover, the women approaching maternity are often passed over for promotion and gives rise to employment discrimination against women in SMEs.

‘The government is already examining ways of making parental leave more flexible, and there is certainly room for discussion of a combined parental leave, that allows mothers and fathers to transfer periods of leave, or offers single parents the full term. The key will be minimising the administrative burden for SMEs.’

‘Equal parental leave could be a step towards reinforcing the value of fatherhood.’ – Tamsin Davis

Seraphina Davis hopes for a future with “A more global, more responsible marketplace“.

Seraphina states that ‘the developed world is teeming with young, talented designers eager to create their own businesses; there is a huge, untapped demand for supplies and manufacture on a small-scale suited to start-up businesses.’

‘But it’s a Catch 22 situation: young designers have to start with production quantities that most suppliers and manufacturers wouldn’t even entertain. Yet it’s the very suppliers who can deal with small orders that don’t have the platform or funds to find these customers.’

Their idea involves creating ‘an online marketplace portal (much like alibaba.com) designed specifically for small start-up companies and young designers to find ethical, small-scale suppliers. Such a website would need independent governance to certify that suppliers were genuine, without needing the audited certification that very small suppliers cannot afford. ‘

Instead it would provide the ground roots for small suppliers, allowing them to sow the seeds for a successful business that can go on to gain official certifications with organisations like Fairtrade Foundation and Social Accountability International when they finally have the funds for auditing.

‘Globalisation doesn’t have to be an ugly word associated with exploitation; a truly global marketplace is the future, and can do much good with the right structure and supervision.’ – Seraphina Davis

Design and inspiration for the Nancy Dee “Think Act Vote” showpiece

The showpiece is based on one of Nancy Dee’s most popular designs that combine a cute mini-dress with a contrasting T-shirt top. The look reflects Nancy Dee’s colourful and retro style.

The original T-shirt was recycled to avoid wastage of fabric as its evident from the design element of the two circular cut-outs.

The additional fabric was added from their current Spring/Summer collection, a fabulous jersey mix of sustainable soy bean and organic cotton.

Soy bean is a fantastic fibre for fabric, as it is recycled from the waste of other soy products like tofu and soya milk. When spun and knitted with organic cotton, it becomes a super-soft, drapey jersey.