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Friday 10 August 2018

Too many Clothes?

Firstly, this post is me thinking some stuff through, the decisions I make are right for me, but might not be right for you. I understand not everyone can choose to buy more expensive clothes, so please don't think I'm judging you if you buy cheaper stuff.
That said, I do think this is something that needs to be talked about more (I want to think about more). Lately, I was browsing in one of the cheaper shops in town, and come out with 5 items, 4 of which were clothing. None of which I had planned to buy that morning, none of which I needed at the time. One I was instantly not sure if I like that much, my first thought; but it's okay because it's cheap, so it doesn't matter if I wear it less, it probably won't last as long anyway. When I stopped to think about it, I'm unhappy with this attitude, there are still materials in that T-shirt, which ok will be recycled when I get rid of it, but it would be better if they hadn't been used in the first place. There are still the workers who made the T-shirt (possibly for an extremely low wage, though after checking the website I'm impressed with what they say about ethical standards). The conclusion I made is that I want to think more before I buy clothes.
One way I'm going to do this is by buying fewer clothes, save for more expensive better-made clothes where I can. Not buying things I don't need just because they look interesting and then not wearing them as I have too many clothes, or sending something to the charity shop simply because I no longer have room for it in my wardrobe. Of-course paying more doesn't always mean better ethics, but it often does, because they are taking in more money to pay the supply chain. Buying fewer clothes does feel a bit different from the social norm, but maybe that's a good thing.
Another thing is to check where it is made, this should be on a label on the clothes. If the answer is China, India, or a poorer country the chances are the wages are very low.
Another question is, does fair-trade matter every time? if I believe the people making the clothes received the right wage but it's not necessarily fair-trade, is that okay? Well, I think it is okay, but when I can, I will try and choice more fair-trade stuff because it does make a difference.
Lastly, should we feel guilty when we make bad choices or buy more clothes than we need? No, as I said earlier, this is how we are programmed to think from adverts to social media to our friends, just realise it's a mistake and try to act differently next time. But if you want to support a charity that is making a difference in this area, then I suggest the Fairtrade Foundation. https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Get-Involved/Donate





2 comments:

  1. Gosh, Kirsty, thought provoking. I bought a really cheap skirt just last week for the very same reason e.g. it was cheap and fitted and a needed a new one. I didn't stop to think about the wages and ethics of it until now but it was made in India and maybe not ethically. I should perhaps think about these things a little more...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment Sheila, it's very easy to do, something I'm now trying to think about more though.

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