I want your thoughts on clothing, fashion, society, and sustainability.

[burnt by the sun]

I assume that you all wear clothes and are in some way part of a society. Please, gimme all of your thoughts (good, bad, incoherent) on clothing, fashion, society, and sustainability, today and in the future. [Also posting this on other forums because I'm looking for a wide spectrum of reactions.] This is why I'm asking:

Us interns at Study NY have been assigned a project were we'll be making a sustainable fashion collection together; each of us designing one garment that personally answers "Why do you design clothes?"
My answer in words:

Everyone wears some sort of costume to cover their body, protecting it from the elements, arrest for indecency, etc. Your costume then reveals how you relate to your inner and outer worlds. Then fashion (larger thing than clothing), is about the present moment. Because society informs fashion and vice versa.

I want to design ethical clothes to inform society. And I want to reach more of society by democratizing the small and expensive market that sustainable-/eco-fashion is today. I want to reach the people that shop at Walmart! A daunting task, but I have the rest of my lifetime and the lifetimes of the people that feel the same way.

Even thought society doesn't seem to think about it too much, it doesn't feel good about raping the planet or disregarding human rights. There are steps, and strides... and gallops and dashes and skips that we can take to do better and feel better about the costumes we make, wear, and present as a part of ourselves.

Thanks! Have at it.

 

[Faye]

Clearly, we must all become nudists. Nudity is the most sustainable course.

Well, that was dumb to say, but really using less fabric is more sustainable. I'm not sure what kinds of materials are most sustainable to make things out of because I know nothing about that, and I'm not sure that such things could be made more cheaply than stuff that is not so environmentally friendly. Generally, the answer is no.

I honestly didn't know there was such a thing as eco-fashion, and I'm relatively informed on these issues. Obviously, avoiding things like leather from cattle and synthetic things made from petrochemicals would be more sustainable....

And when you say ethical, what do you mean?

 

[Kgal]

I have tried to buy clothing and sheets and towels and so forth that appear to be sustainable - AND not sold at WalMart.

I've purchased Tshirts and sheets made from Bamboo. They felt incredibly soft and wore easily on my body. The prices were slightly higher than the rest. The negatives were: the T-shirts shrank more than anticipated and the sheets - how do I say - shed? Shredded? There was a lot of fuzz that came from the sheets and covered the room.

I've purchased clothing made from hemp - but not much - as it is expensive and the color choices were limited. At least the bamboo is naturally a creamy white.

I generally don't care what fashion does - I like to buy clothes that drape well on my curvy body, feel good to the touch, and wear well.

If they could improve the wear-ability of bamboo I'd gladly purchase that product. Bamboo grows easily, harvests easily, and doesn't require a lot of chemicals in the processing. I've read the same is true of hemp.

Down here in my area - people buy from Walmart because it's convenient, generally resembles what one would see in JC Penneys and Target, and is less money. I would think one would have to put up signs right before people drove into the parking lots demonstrating the cost in human life that results from the making of those clothes. Still - I think the convenience is a huge factor. Considering the cost of gasoline - when a person goes to a Walmart here, they can buy groceries, household items, parts for the car, videos, games, toys, shoes, and clothing all in one stop. It saves a person money in more ways than one.

There are more and more people like me and my ex that would gladly buy alternatives to Walmart - if they were within our reach.

I wish you success!

 

[acd]

Most of my clothes come from resale shops and yard sales. I don't think about fashion, I just want to be comfortable... And I'm cheap and cannot justify paying anything over 20 dollars for a pair of pants or anything else..when I can find them in great condition second hand for like, a dollar.. Plus I love the treasure hunting aspect of scoring some really vintage finds.. I fancy myself a flea market anthropologist. I don't buy clothing made from animals unless it's second hand.

Also, it does bother me a bit that we produce so many needless items and use so many resources to do so--only for these items to end up thrown out or un used. So that is also a part of why I don't purchase most things new. I'm kind of sentimental about all the effort that went into producing it all...I am for less waste.

 

[burnt by the sun]

Good response. Now I better point the question. But first, what's now being called "ethical" clothing is made from materials that can easily be produced without pollution or a lot of waste, and the people all the way down the production line are treated and paid fairly. The kinds of materials used can be organicly grown or recycled somehow. Like, polyester or even plastic bottles can be recycled into thread/yarn. And of course organic cotton's. Gotten more press. And hemp is a good fiber to grow since it needs no pesticides or fertalizer because it's a weed.
You mentioned using less fabric. There's a concept called "zero waste" that's slowly catching on amongst nerdier designers, where all of the pieces of the garment are designed and cut out so that there are absolutely NO scraps left over. It's a challange to design that way, but it's worth saving material and money.
More pointed: I'd like to hear about your personal relationship with these topics. I've been intensly studying sustainable fashion for a few years. Consider this customer research. My friends are tired of me yammering on about this and my classmates and colleagues can't provide a layman's opinion.
Thanks again

 

[burnt by the sun]

I have tried to buy clothing and sheets and towels and so forth that appear to be sustainable - AND not sold at WalMart.

I've purchased Tshirts and sheets made from Bamboo. They felt incredibly soft and wore easily on my body. The prices were slightly higher than the rest. The negatives were: the T-shirts shrank more than anticipated and the sheets - how do I say - shed? Shredded? There was a lot of fuzz that came from the sheets and covered the room.

I've purchased clothing made from hemp - but not much - as it is expensive and the color choices were limited. At least the bamboo is naturally a creamy white.

I generally don't care what fashion does - I like to buy clothes that drape well on my curvy body, feel good to the touch, and wear well.

If they could improve the wear-ability of bamboo I'd gladly purchase that product. Bamboo grows easily, harvests easily, and doesn't require a lot of chemicals in the processing. I've read the same is true of hemp.

Down here in my area - people buy from Walmart because it's convenient, generally resembles what one would see in JC Penneys and Target, and is less money. I would think one would have to put up signs right before people drove into the parking lots demonstrating the cost in human life that results from the making of those clothes. Still - I think the convenience is a huge factor. Considering the cost of gasoline - when a person goes to a Walmart here, they can buy groceries, household items, parts for the car, videos, games, toys, shoes, and clothing all in one stop. It saves a person money in more ways than one.

There are more and more people like me and my ex that would gladly buy alternatives to Walmart - if they were within our reach.

I wish you success!

First, Walmart was an example. And I want to clarify that I don't have anything against the people that shop at Walmart; sadly there are a lot of places where people live that it's the only store for anything, and the convenience is too appealing to turn down.

Second, I'm glad that you care and that you're keeping you eye out. Bamboo does feel sooo nice. BUT a thing that I was disappointed to learn about bamboo recently: there are two ways to make it into fabric. After they grow and harvest it they can (a) soak the stalks in water and organic non-toxic enzymes to break it down into mushy fibers that can later be spun into yarns and fabrics. With this processing method, after soaking, the waste water could be added to compost which could be used for organic farming. Or (b) soak it in water and nasty toxic chemicals to do the same thing in a fraction of the time. You don't want to touch that water. This pisses me off because when a company has to label the fiber content, they don't have to label if the manufacturing of the fiber was organic, they only label if it was grown organically. I hope this labeling thing changes soon, because I love the feel of bamboo and would buy it all the time if companies let us know how it was made. But there's also good news: there's another fiber called Modal (or Tencel, or Lyocell, they're all brand names for the same thing) which is made from beech trees. The only company that makes it, Lenzing, harvests the wood sustainably (kill a tree - plant a tree), and breaks the wood down organically. Haven't seen it first-hand in towels yet, but like bamboo it's soft and drapes really nice (first noticed it in sleepwear) and it's a little more expensive than cotton :/

I love hemp as a fiber, but hate that it's only sold in chill-hippie-dude colors. One reason for that may be that it was naturally dyed... but those beautiful vibrant colors that they've used in India for thousands of years are organic, too...

That's a thing that I think has held eco-fashion back, they've been focusing too much on the "crunchy" earth-conscious customer. That made since in the seventies when the market for it was smaller and you couldn't discourage anyone against popular polyester. But today, way more people care about the environment and helping out. Even the designs of the clothes are hippie-ish and not appealing or flattering to the people that would otherwise be interested. I'd love to see sustainable clothes that were affordable for the general public, which you can only tell is eco by the nicer feel and content-label. It should blend in to the wardrobes that people already have, because *weird looks from friends, "When did you start wearing kaftans?"*

 

[burnt by the sun]

Most of my clothes come from resale shops and yard sales. I don't think about fashion, I just want to be comfortable... And I'm cheap and cannot justify paying anything over 20 dollars for a pair of pants or anything else..when I can find them in great condition second hand for like, a dollar.. Plus I love the treasure hunting aspect of scoring some really vintage finds.. I fancy myself a flea market anthropologist. I don't buy clothing made from animals unless it's second hand.

Also, it does bother me a bit that we produce so many needless items and use so many resources to do so--only for these items to end up thrown out or un used. So that is also a part of why I don't purchase most things new. I'm kind of sentimental about all the effort that went into producing it all...I am for less waste.

YAY for second-hand! I haven't bought new new clothes in a long time. And always donate the old ones, unless they're messed up beyond repair that no one would pay a dollar for them. Swoon... I wish more consumers were like you. That might be becoming the case actually, hm... though I don't have any numbers on it. But since the economy's been the way it has, I hope people have been selling stuff instead of throwing it away. And people probably perceive thrift stores to be cheaper... though, depending on where you go, you can find new clothes at flea market prices (even though they'd be of lower quality than the second-hand clothes you could find).
You're totally right about the treasure hunt of it. Compare finding something you like, next to a dozen of the same thing in a bunch of different sizes and colors, to something that you like which you've never seen before and most of it's copies are probably in a landfill and it fits you perfectly (or almost perfectly, but you can alter it, or force it ) and it was meant to be! Your long journeys have finally brought you together in this dusty place. Then, you love those treasures for a lot longer than some trendy convenient thing you just tossed in the cart.

 

[Constant_Overstimulation]

this is an interesting topic.


i'm not entirely sure my fashion sense reflects who i am as a person. [although, maybe it does]. i kinda think the fact that we are the only species on this planet that wears clothes is quite comical, actually.

dont get me wrong, i love dressing all sexy sometimes, and looking good. but, why?? why does clothing make us feel sexy?? that is the question.

it might have to do with societys "norms". kinda the same way it deems one person as "sexy", and another as "ugly". who is coming out with these rules on whats sexy and whats ugly??


there are times i walk out in public with jeans and a plain light grey t shirt. does this mean i have a plain personality? i would definitely say no, nothing about me is plain. does it mean i'm too lazy to put on a nice shirt and comb my hair? not really. maybe i just felt like walking outside in a grey shirt.


with that said, my fashion sense sucks. maybe i need a clothing makeover.

maybe thats why i'm single right now??

 

[Wyote]

I've never been into fashion and a lot of trendy shit annoys me like torn jeans, shirt belts or the faux military nonesense.

I do believe in using clothing to create an identity for yourself, as long as it's just in good fun. People start taking it way too seriously and kill self expression and exploration. Fashion is always mutating and I think it always should because it's a very good creative outlet.

I just wear what I like though, as most people do.

I really like the idea of moving in a more ethical direction as far as designing and producing clothing. I very often buy clothes made from recycled materials and if there were more things that were good quality, comfortable and cheap I would absolutely buy them.

 

[Jill Hives]

What it comes down to for most people I think is cost. A lot of these more sustainable/natural products have a steeper price tag and aren't as appealing because of that to the everyday person. Fact is most people are dealing with unemployment and other financial woes, especially now.

However, recycling is another great option. Thrift stores are absolute gold mines sometimes.

 

[~jet]

In sustainability terms, consider that Western demand for cashmere is currently laying waste to large stretches of China, mongolia, similar regions where the goats involved in cashmere production are so overpopulous that they're turning the land they use to desert through overeating.

Thats not only unsustainable... it's irresponsible, disastrous AND......... completely entirely stupidly unnecessary

 

[Lerxst]

When I think "ethical" the first things that come to mind are no fur and no leather. Ignoring the savagery of those industries, they are neither economical nor sustainable from an environmental standpoint.

Synthetics require a load of energy to produce and with that, comes pollution and waste that won't break down easily or decompose in a garden.

My first choice in fabrics would be a natural, sustainable fiber such as cotton or hemp.