The New Home of Ethical Shopping?
- Words by Peppermint
Walking into a busy department store and finding yourself surrounded with nothing but ethical products sounds like a distant dream. But what if your local mall became the next ‘it’ destination for conscious shopping? If David Jones gets its way, all 39 of its retail branches will soon be one-stop shops for brands who demonstrate a commitment to workers’ rights and responsible environmental practices. Last week, CEO Ian Nairn told the Sydney Morning Herald about DJs’ ambitious new plan to fill its racks and shelves with nothing but “sustainable, environmentally friendly, and child and slave-labour free” items. It’s certainly an admirable vision, but is it an achievable target?
One of the country’s biggest retailers, David Jones is also the oldest continually operating department store in the world. Over time, it has had to keep up with major changes to the retail landscape, especially here in Australia. DJs is already home to a handful of Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) accredited labels, including Ginger & Smart, Jets swimwear, Nobody denim and Roopa Pemmaraju (look out for our interview with Roopa in the next issue of Peppermint). But this month’s announcement takes the retailer’s fair fashion commitment to a whole new level.
As well as increasing the number of ECA brands in stock, DJs wants to support young and upcoming Australian designers to build their businesses along ethical lines. Leveraging an already huge share of the market, it’s also a chance to expose many thousands more consumers to ethical brands, hopefully creating more demand and injecting more money into the industry in the process.
It seems that DJs have a clear vision for change while other retailers choose to stay silent, but that’s not to say the retailer hasn’t shouldered its fair share of criticism in the past. In 2013, DJs were thrown into a heated fast-fashion debate regarding their partnership with Mango, a Spanish label with direct links to the Rana Plaza tragedy. But rather than cutting ties with such brands, David Jones now wants to champion accountability among its suppliers, which means enforcing the standards laid out in their Ethical Sourcing Program and Supplier Code of Conduct. Change is evident in this arena too: the company recently received a nod when management signed onto the Cotton Pledge, demanding traceability from suppliers who must avoid using un-sustainably grown cotton from Uzbekistan whenever possible.
Not surprisingly, fashion accounts for 65% of David Jones’ business, but this new ethical promise doesn’t stop at garments and accessories. The retailer wants to see standards shift right across the board, including in the cosmetics and electronics departments – which could be an even tougher battle ground to fight on. Will DJs meet its target or will some brands fail to get on board? What consequences will there be for non-compliant suppliers, and will DJs set a date to achieve these goals by? Only one thing’s for sure: there are now more than 1,600 DJs-stocked brands that have a new impetus to change for the better, and that can’t be a bad thing.
Image via Germaine Leong.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
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We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
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“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
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TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
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Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
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If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
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8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
