Comments on: (not so) random links

By: angelica

angelica — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:06:36 +0000

I find myself buying very little new now. Most of my clothing and accessory purchases are used or antique. It’s usually a good way to find really unique finds. This is the first year that I have bought handmade gifts for christmas and it’s a really positive feeling to put money in the hands of the actual creator of the product.

I sew a lot too, but it’s very problematic, when I don’t use recycled fibers I buy new, usually out of season remnants so I’m not contributing to demand for any particular product but it’s troubling to know that I don’t know where the materials and labor are sourced. The availability of organic fiber grown domestically is very limited, and as a consumer rather than a manufacturer, the minimums to buy are usually far more than I can use, or the novelty inflates the price beyond what I can afford.

Usually I am very lucky with yarns, I rarely have to buy because I am often given yarns by others. I actually have a very large stash that prevents me from having to buy anything new.

My thriftiness would probably prevent me from buying clothing that was ethically sourced if the price wasn’t right, however, knowing a crafter or artist personally has often lead me to send more than I would like.

By: Chloe Nightingale

Chloe Nightingale — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:53:22 +0000

I tend to buy most of my clothes second hand, so whether or not my clothes were produced ethically is a moot point. That said, I should say two things:
1. In my experience, ethically-made garments tend to be of a better quality than mass-produced sweatshop stuff and I don’t like clothes that fit poorly, pill up, and fall apart. In general, I would rather have a few outfits that look good and will last than a bunch of outfits that might look good, but won’t last. (I didn’t always feel that way, but one day I realised I only really wore about 30% of my clothes — the well-made, well-fitting 30%.)
2. I tend to buy the cheapest underwear that fits, looks okay, and doesn’t give me a wedgie. It’s probably sweatshop underwear, but that doesn’t affect my buying it. There seem to be 2 kinds of panties here: cheap ones and expensive ones. There’s a discrepancy in quality, but not enough to rationalise the price difference.

Okay, I guess I have a third comment, which is that the economy doesn’t really affect my purchases, although with all the sales going on, I might be able to upgrade my underwear. ;p

By: lindsey clare

lindsey clare — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:07:45 +0000

yep absolutely – i DO wish i could know where all of my clothes come from. it can be overwhelming but i do at least try. last year i put myself on a ban from buying sweatshop (or potential sweatshop) produced items. this meant that i bought very little, but you know what? i realised how much i didn’t need new things constantly (as is the regular way of young people in Western society).
this year i loosened up a little, but still don’t buy as much as i used to. and i really am trying to stick to well made, quality items. so yep, less IS more.

i think op shops/thrifting is a fantastic way around this issue. as is buying second hand, because regardless of whether you are buying second hand handmade, second hand designer, or secondhand sweatshop chic, you are at least not buying something NEW which has had to be manufactured.

By: EJ

EJ — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:17:38 +0000

I’ve been finding the ethics of clothing and clothing production an interesting but difficult subject. I’ve sworn off Primark (so cheap that I KNOW someone’s not being paid enough) but still find myself being tempted by other cheaper shops such as H&M and Topshop. It’s so overwhelming though- where does my responsibility for what I’m buying end? How do i know that cloth used to make that top was produced ethically, that the dyes (and this goes for the dyes used on the wool that I use) aren’t really destroying the world? Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I feel like ignoring the issues altogether and just hiding away somewhere- or going on a mad shopping spree as a big middle finger up to the world. But I’m very sure that I’m not the only the one who feels this way…

By: PaperDollyGirl

PaperDollyGirl — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:46:53 +0000

Wow – I can’t believe I could recognize every single one of those knitting patterns without looking at the names. Maybe I am spending too much time on knitting.

It does matter to me where and how my clothes are produced. I am in a unique situation, having just finished graduate school and not yet being employed, so I can honestly say I simply just do not purchase any clothing. Thrifted, etsy, retail – absolutely nothing. I am really trying to think about what I *need* and honestly, I have everything I need.

I think there is a lot of false advertising that manufacturers do not get called on. Like a famous brand of cookware, advertised all over the place as made in a European country. I compared two teapots (one at an outlet, one at the high end retail store). Both had small stickers labeled “Made in Philippines.” Perhaps they are “finished” in that country, but they are not fully made there. Semantics can be really deceptive.

For my part, when I do move on into the next stage of life as an employed person, my big purchases will be furniture. I plan to purchase any new items from local manufacturers only, and if they are more expensive, then I will take better care of them, save longer to get them, or perhaps just do without. Great topics!

By: sarah

sarah — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:16:28 +0000

I honestly feel overwhelmed by how much of our garments are NOT made sustainably, or do NOT offer their makers good working conditions. I don’t know about other people, but just finding lists of reputable companies would be a helpful start. I always feel trapped, like there’s no way around it, especially with hard-to-fit garments like jeans, etc.

My habits have changed with the economic downturn. I’ve been shopping etsy and ebay more than ever before. I buy little things like proper waterproofer, polish and fresh laces to revitalize old shoes and keep them in the best possible working condition. I also discovered the wardrobe swap shop group last year on flickr, and I have been swapping a lot, which is an incredible way to recycle – and to build community. I do make a few of my own garments, and I’ve noticed an increasing tendency to work with what I have in terms of my wardrobe-making supplies, too. (eg: I just made my first fabric purchase in seven months.) Also, I’ve been taking advantage of my MIL’s love of spinning – she is teaching me to knit, and supplying me with beautiful handmade yarn. She has a whole room full of fiber and spun yarns, the product of a decades-long hobby, it’s amazing. It’s nice, too, because it’s something we share that her own children aren’t interested in.

By: alexis

alexis — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:22:47 +0000

Hey, the idea about “ethical clothing” raises so many questions. I think people do want quality, and they are willing to pay more to support local. But this situation is frighteningly similar to the situation of “ethical food.” Some people are willing to pay more for organic, free-range, sustainable, what have you… but other people still look for cheaper food. We spend a low amount of our % of income on our food, especially in comparison to most countries. Is this the same for clothing? Compared to many developing countries, most people have SCADS of clothing. I remember the number of outfits my Indonesian coworkers had. Their outfits were gorgeous, but they didn’t have an excessive amount. In North America, it’s seen as gauche to wear the same thing on multiple occasions. I’m not really being conclusive here, but there were a lot of parallels between quality food and quality clothing that immediately jumped to my mind.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:38:28 +0000

I would definitely be willing to pay more for things that are made under good conditions and have the worker paying a fair wage. After trying to sell things I’ve made and getting reactions on the prices (“Thirty dollars for a hat?!? I can get one for ten at Wal-Mart!” – when $30 is still undercharging really, as it took me 3 or so hours to make) it makes me shudder to think the conditions/wages that $20 jeans must have been made under. I do shop for cheap things occasionally (and I buy a lot of thrifted clothes, which is a cheap way around it), but I’m willing to pay a higher price for something handmade/made under good conditions if I find something I like.

By: Leah

Leah — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:39:33 +0000

I try to make my own items or thrift as much as possible, but yes, I would be willing to pay slightly more for clothes that are more ethically produced. I’m astounded that 97% (I’m guessing that is for the US, but I don’t imagine we’d be far off here in the UK) is produced abroad. I mean, I thought it would be a high figure, but that is much more than I expected.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:17:45 +0000

Thanks for posting those links in the first bit, I’d definitely like to check out Timmerman’s book. I do honestly care where the clothes I am buying come from, and like a lot of other Americans (it seems), I am willing to pay more for items produced in what I find to be a more ethical environment.

This is one part of why etsy is such a fantastic venue in my mind. I just bought my boyfriend a knit hat that he had told me not to buy because it was so much more expensive than what I could find in a store. I told him I’d rather pay three times as much if I was assured the money was going directly to the crafter.

And besides handmade, of course, there is vintage, which in my mind bypasses all these problems completely. By recycling old things you are not actively encouraging production of new things, and therefore not contributing to sweatshop labor or inhumane working environments.