Aug 4 2008, Multiply, Recycled clothing

A month or so ago I watched a series on BBC3 about six young fashion conscious people who went to India in search of the truth about who made their cheap fashion clothing and the conditions in which they were made. What this documentary showed didn’t come as much of a surprise to me; I have long been against cheap ‘throw away’ culture we live in. I had a pretty good idea how companies manage to fill our stores with clothing and fashion accessories at such ridiculously low prices, it doesn’t take a genius to work it out. My solution has always been to buy as much clothing as possible from a used source; recycled clothing is and has been for a very long time a big part of my life. The other alternative is to buy from an accredited FairTrade association, which I do as much as possible but FairTrade can’t always provide exactly what you need. The clothing is sometimes quite expensive and not always suitable. Anyway, the point is the idea of using recycled clothing needs to be taken more seriously. Fashion houses will never stop using sweat shop and child labour for as long as they have a steady stream of customers willing to but their clothes. I refuse to participate in this trade any more than I absolutely have too, and maybe my reluctance to participate doesn’t make a huge difference to the companies who make vast profits. Profit that’s made by exploiting innocent children and some of the poorest people in the world, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing I’m not personally involved. The clothing shown here may not be to every ones taste but it was all bought from a recycled source (charity shops). I’ve had this stuff for a few years now, it was all really cheap and is all designer label stuff.

 

This is just a little about the programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/blood-sweat-tshirts/

Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts - BBC Three

 Six young fashion addicts swap shopping on the high street with working in India’s cotton fields and clothes factories. Can they handle a sewing machine and meet the target of two garments a minute? And will their experience change their throwaway attitude to clothes shopping?

And this is a link to THREAD, an online ethical fashion magazine.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/about/

Thread is the online fashion magazine dedicated to bringing you the latest in eco-clothing

Ethical fashion is fashion that has been made, worn and passed on in a way that looks after people, animals and the environment. The clothes we feature in Thread support this approach, making us essential viewing for fashion-conscious people who care about where their clothes come from. All clothes tick off at least one of these principles:

delete reply flamingoette wrote on Aug 5, '08 wow, thanks! the post was interesting , the link SUPER! i have also long been a handmedown shopper of many things...not just clothing. i had the pleasure of finding 'jumk' stores in Tn when we moved there (before they all became sooooo commercialized and outrageous in prices of clothing they got for pennies per POUND). i go weekly to the Salvation Army, Goodwill and many smaller local charity owned stores here in Alabama. Living in an area with so many truly wealthy people AND generous stores is a huge plus! Every store here contributes to these shops...Target is a huge believer in passing on what they would otherwise throw out (clothes, housewares AND decor items, sm. appliances and even storage bins, shelving, etc). You ll notice that the huge conglomerate name is NOT in this post...the one started by some ol guy named Sam....its because they would rather throw OUT than help out. (im told its each stores policy to destroy what the store no longer considered saleable due to threat of lawsuits, but of course thats just a CYA excuse...also, the claim to contribute financially to every community. i wont go into all THAT on here). if you carefully seek out second hand shops and inquire where the actual money GOES, as they are required to disclose publicly in the US, you will be amazed at how many places there are that HELP the less fortunate. my favorite store is called the Neighborhood store, and it not only has everything you could ever need FOR a house, it hires women for the shop that never worked , are in the process of trying to start over for whatever reason, or just ended up on the poor side of life. these employees take great pride in the store, their contribution TO it, and themselves!! many of the women have been inspired to get educated and get out of terrible situations thru the help the Neighborhood store provides. NO ONE is turned away from their assistance...and to me, just that fact is reason enough to shop there! besides...the bargains are incredible! name brand clothing, most w original store tags still on them, for cents to the dollar!! Check your areas, check your phone books and get away from the malls....you ll be surprised what you find. Also, HABITAT Restores are a great place to go FIRST for anything 'building supply' oriented. Ours has anything from new toilets and sinks for kitchen and bath, to tile, shelving, carpeting, windows, and even appliances. Most of the things come from buildings being renovated and old fixtures trying to be salvaged/recycled, alot also comes from stores that no longer carry certain brands, sizes, colors etc. Lowes, Home Depot, the flooring stores and carpet stores ALL contribute here, and its alllllllllllllllllllllll brand NEW stuff. If you dont have one in your area, contact Habitat and see if you cant start one! You get great deals and save the environment by recycling things that would otherwise end up in a dump.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Aug 5, '08 Thank you. that is a really good link, would suggest every one follows it. THE STORY OF STUFF FOLLOW THE LINK IN THE COMMENT BELOW.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Aug 5, '08 Unfortunately in Spain buying recycled clothing is very limited. We do, however, have fair trade shops. The other day on a news programme for Madrid they said that one such shop had actually increased in sales. At this very moment I'm wearing a top that I got from a charity shop several years. It's a pity that places like Tesco have caused charity shops to close. The mother of one of my friends volunteered in a charity shop in Herne Bay (Kent) until it closed. Wonderful blog. I wish everyone, even fashion-conscious young people would stop and think about where their clothes come from and who made them and under what conditions. My friend Donna recently posted a video entitled 'Where Stuff Comes From'. It well worth watching. Here's the link to the video: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

delete reply starfishred wrote on Aug 4, '08 we have a lot of these over here in Germany and the germans love to use them and contribute to them,we have one in my little town and all my things go there.In Garmish there is one which is so wonderful with sooo much designer stuff and the prices sooo wonderful I try to go ther once a year for a look see.My hubby loved these kind of places to,Great blog.

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on Aug 4, '08, edited on Aug 4, '08 I love this-thank you-an excellent blog-as I think alot of our younger generation has no "clue" where things come from. I have never been into the fashion scene, as a child growing up-we always made most all of our clothes. Now am I more into using recycables for me and my crafts. wonderful blog-thanks Loretta

delete reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Aug 4, '08 Wonderful! wonderful post, Loretta! A very enlightening post. NY is filled with sweat shops. My grandparents on both sides were immigrants who were part of "the needle trade" and helped to start the unions. Your fashions are wonderful, first hand, second hand, whatever hand!

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Aug 4, '08 We don't have access to the regular BBC or their websites (they block us.) We do have BBC America, but I haven't seen these programs on there. I agree with all that you say. The whole charity and recycled shops in the USA have done well for themselves. They actually specialize. The upscale shops have only designer labels, often one of a kind items, for those who don't want to wear the same thing too often. Those shops often have the wealthy 'swapping' dresses. Then there are the shops like you describe, with all types of labels and at reasonable prices. One comes to mind that really impressed me, "Twice, but nice." Then there are the true charity shops for those who can't afford even the other thrift shops, often run by church auxiliary groups. We have one close by where I live, it is a consignment shop. I leave a suit or coat, they sell it, I get 60% and they get 40% of the final sale price. That is where we take most unneeded clothing and such. But with a twist, I have set up an account there and my 60% goes directly to the Maryland School for the Deaf. The school can take the cash or clothing for their needy children. They often take the clothing, because they get it for 40% of the marked value, plus an additional 20% off of that, donated by the shop owner. It didn't take much arm twisting for her to agree to that. We can't do much about what happens inside of the other countries, but we can and do make it difficult for celebrities to put their names on products made by child and slave labor. By recycling clothing, it reduces their sales and profits. Some of these people have gotten out of the business completely or changed affiliations and methods to run from the stigma. Sorry, I am rambling on here. You touched on a subject close to my heart with this, unfortunately, as long as we have the greed at the top and need (for work) at the bottom, there will always be such awful things happening. The best that we can do is not participate and try to make others aware of ways to not be involved. Just as you have done here.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Aug 4, '08 i do 2 big boxing days a year. one in the winter and one in the summer. ; D

delete reply fglenister wrote on Aug 4, '08 Hi Lortta Did you know that in the paper today it said that charity shops were closing because the big stores ie Tesco were selling cheap clothing. The Credit sqeeeze..... Fank Goodnight

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Aug 4, '08 Ah yes, a gal after my own heart :)))