dot.principles, prelude
‘Dot.international is an umbrella company for fashion designers from around the world who have agreed to work under a common set of rules. The most important rule is: no exploitation. Neither of human labour, nor of the gullible customer, nor the environment or the presenters of fashion (…) The second rule is: sharing.’
book 2/1, travelling, Australia
‘People kept referring to the project as some kind of community thing. But it wasn’t. Easy Town would be an opportunity thing. Hopefully. An offer. Not a way of life where everyone has to sing Kumbaya, or where everything is predestined or controlled, or the same for everyone. But a place that gives people the freedom to be themselves, in a framework of a minimum of rules. Just enough rules to keep everyone safe, to maintain justice, to keep out exploitation, and to give jerks a good kicking in their arrogant butts.’
book 2/2, travelling, China
‘Finding balances is one of the priorities in our town experiment. How can we act without destroying the land we live on and live off? What does the economic cycle need to function without constant expansion? Growth is like a hungry beast. Always asking for more. Balance, on the other hand, is something you probably understand better than the West. Right now, we are destroying the basis of life on our planet. But instead of stopping to destroy, we rush to create more destruction in the hope of repairing the previous damages.’
book 2/2, travelling, China
‘On the flight here, I thought I might be happy with a single rule. If we can make it work.’
Lida raised her eyebrows critically, and Alice said a little archly: ‘Three simple words: Do no harm. Do No Harm, and all is well for your body, your mind, your fellow humans, the place you live in, and the world at large. It’s so simple, I want to cry.’
book 2/2, travelling, Romania
‘I love a mess of a place, chaos and all. I simply reject exploitation, inequality and discrimination. And I have a special dislike for jerks. They always get my fists twitchy.’
notes for book 4/1, building
dot.principles
- dot. is independent
- dot. is international
- dot. acknowledges past injustices
- dot. shares ideas, opportunities and innovations
- dot. balances teams, prices and profits
- dot. ensures equality
- dot. bases decisions on research
- dot.innovations are sustainable by design
- dot. empowers the individual
- dot. has zero tolerance towards superiority complexes, discrimination, sexism, racism and the like
- dot. integrates conversations about sexuality
- dot. has zero tolerance towards exploitation
- dot. offers local, regional and international job shaking opportunities
- dot. aims at eco-proof practices in all areas
- dot. protects customer privacy by design
- dot.business dealings are transparent
