Is it possible to LOVE fashion and be eco-conscious at the same time? I have been struggling with this recently, as I have become more and more aware of what goes into producing all these wonderful clothes, shoes, and accessories that many of us spend hours lusting over. I am an avid blog-reader (and unfortunately not an avid blogger), magazine-page-flipper, and of course, shopper. But, recently, I have become obsessed with checking the "made in..." label. How can someone who loves purchasing items, just because I want, not need, at the same time try to care about the world?
I don't think many people share this feeling with me, especially when I note the increase of sales for Zara, H&M, Forever 21, TopShop, etc. I guess we really don't care what working conditions the factory workers at put through, as long as we can get the latest peplum top for a good price?
I really enjoyed reading this article I found on
Maison Martin Margiela for HM via another blogger. Basically, the writer talks about how Martin Margiela created this line of clothing many years ago to be the anti-fashion. Pretty sure that didn't include mass marketing way-overpriced clothing in Cambodian sweatshops in 2012. And of course, everyone flocked to the stores, as though they were actually buying vintage Martin Margiela at a great price. Uhm, no. None of the collabo lines are well-made in any decent working condition. Who cares though, right? If I can say I have a Versace dress for less than 100 bucks, then it must be worth it.
Now, we pay thousands of dollars for clothing and accessories that are actually handmade (such as Hermes bags). Funny, because thats how my mom had every beautiful thing she owned. SHE MADE IT!
Solutions? Thrifting is a great way to recycle clothes. Also, when I do searches on eBay, I really try to ensure I know where it was made, and who is selling it. Factory in China or Vietnam? Skip. I hate to stop money from going to these countries, but until they can ensure that their workers are getting fare wages, it really sickens me. Also, there are brands out there that take efforts to create healthy working conditions, such as American Apparel. I hope their CEO gets his shit together so the company can thrive. Here is a quote from another interesting
article on fast fashion.
"
The power of giant apparel retailers has caused the average price of clothing to drop, resulting in a generation of fast-fashion addicts (Zara takes only two weeks from design to delivery) and [according to Cline] it can't last. "These companies aren't going to be able to do this forever, there aren't enough resources. Especially if they continue their plans for worldwide expansion into the Chinese market; there's just not enough oil and cotton in the world to continue this way, so they're going to have to start operating more sustainably sooner or later."
All super cute looks, that are easily recreated. Who knows, maybe one day we can make these fast fashion houses realize their need is lost among the intelligent masses?
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