Wednesday, September 24th, 2008...2:06 pm
Dialoguing on the REAL socially responsible fashion
I just wrote way too long a comment on another blog to not post it here. This is a preview of some permanent content I’ve been working on for this site, so please — join the conversation.
It started with Green Grechen‘s original post, In the News…Throwaway Fashion. Check it out. From me:
Hey Grechen! Love your thoughts. Your comment — “Sometimes it’s a challenge for me to remember that part of promoting an environmentally-friendly lifestyle and wardrobe can’t always be about BUYING organic cotton or other eco-friendly clothing items, but should also incorporate vintage shopping and simply repairing and taking care of the treasured items you DO have so they’ll last longer” — is something I’ve thought about a lot. I’m a massive proponent of the latter, and as an eco-fashion blogger, I would love to promote only vintage wares. (Obviously, there are problems with that — the first being that only one person can have any given piece. Anyway.) But the reality is that people will keep buying new things! And we want to get the word out on what gorgeous socially responsible fashion options there are out there, for the times that you genuinely do need something new. It’s like the question of teaching sex ed to teenagers — abstinence-only is a wonderful idea, but the reality is, some are gonna do it and need to know were to get a condom.
Worldchanging’s Alex Steffen has done a ton of writing about this general idea, across many industries. Check out this ridiculously long article he wrote about cars, My Other Car is a Bright Green City, posturing that even a car with 150 mpg won’t solve the problems we face, because our problems are well beyond the cars themselves: we’ve “paved a lot of paradise” to make way for where we drive and park them; almost half of energy a car uses in its lifetime goes to manufacturing and disposal; etc. We need a change in thinking rather than just trading inefficient cars for efficient ones. In terms of fashion, Worldchanging is the No. 2 green content site on the web — but they don’t even cover green fashion, because it’s basically superfluous. Why promote buying unnecessary things?
As eco-fashion bloggers, we definitely have a responsibility here. I hope that what we write can help gradually change people’s shopping paradigms: Buy vintage; buy classic, high quality items; get things repaired; don’t always look for the lowest prices ($8 for a shirt made in China? That wouldn’t even cover the transportation! SOMEone is getting taken advantage there).
LONG comment — but let’s keep the dialogue going. I’m so glad you added a green fashion blog to your work! It was only a matter of time. [She also maintains Grechen's Closet.]
3 Comments
September 24th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
omg, i loved your comment. i totally agree with you on every point – we do have a responsibility – and to a certain extent, the power to influence people’s buying decisions. i start from the reality that we are “buyers” at heart. i would argue that the “green” movement of late would not have taken off like it has WITHOUT the increased availability of green “stuff” for people to buy. whether or not that’s good, is beside the point now. i have forever been an advocate of buying quality over quantity, and buying only what you need and love. that’s a step in the right direction, but i would now add to that, repair things that can be repaired, tailor things that don’t fit as well as they used to, and just DON’T buy as much stuff. or, buy vintage. but i’m terrible at buying vintage/used stuff…i must get better!! now, if i buy anything, it’s usually from an independent, eco-friendly designer – they are doing the right things, and need our support.
i look forward to continuing this discussion and hearing more thoughts…thanks for starting it :-)
September 24th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Hi Grechen,
My two cents: there’s a need for every industry to come full circle.
What goes out right now, doesn’t come back in.
It gets destroyed or recycled to some extend.
When companies take responsibility and make a real commitment to take back every product they sell, then the materials used to make that product will become more green.
As for the energy used to make a product: carbon credits solve that problem.
I agree when you say a paradigmshift is needed.
It’s up to us to vote for the right kind of politicians.
The companies need a new business model.
The problem here is you can’t just tell them “do this and that and you will profit”, no, there need to be incentives because right now to come full circle stands for more costs. It shouldn’t be this way.
There need to be financial incentives to get things started.
There also need to be a system in place that makes it all possible.
The government invests in roads, without roads you get nowhere. Without the right kind of incentives and systems in place you have the wrong kind of progress.
The politicians need to invest in a green future just like they invested in telecommunication to get things started, and just like they invest in roads on an ongoing basis.
We need to build awareness. Keep it up!
November 11th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Amen… love the ramblings. You mentioned companies committing to taking back everything they sell — when everyone does that, and discarded wares aren’t just “out of sight, out of mind,” we’ll have gotten somewhere.
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