I recently made some environmentally motivated changes in my life that I feel good about. One of them is to no longer bring meat into my house or eat it at restaurants. I don't believe that I will completely eradicate meat consumption from my diet forever, but taking it down to "ten percent" is no doubt a good thing. That (figurative) "ten percent"? Well, I am not a purist and I like to make room in my life for exceptions. Room to accept whatever my grandmother wants to cook for me, or participate in dear cultural traditions and enjoy my own comfort foods.
So how do we apply that to fashion? Does that mean that SOMETIMES we buy sweatshop clothing? I know that the Gap Body underwear I purchase on sale for $1.99 a pair probably has a dirty history. So how can I do it? I've looked at my options. I need new underwear, seriously. I don't have extra cash, so I am looking for the most economical option. These undies are comfortable, reliable, and fairly well constructed. So, for my sweatshop, environmental damage dollar, I feel I am getting the most for my money/karma.
My suspicion is that many of us who know what's best choose it most of the time—but there's always the ten percent. I have found that it is nearly impossible to eliminate it though. Think of this. Some of us are great supporters of buying previously used clothing. We believe that we are giving new life to cast off clothing, taking advantage of the great endless tail of the consumer dragon, and giving less money to manufacturing processes that we don't believe in.
But what about that old navy hoodie I score at Goodwill? Thank goodness it isn't overtly branded, but it's got a dirty history. And not because someone else wore it. I know that it is made from cotton I don't believe in, built by a company I don't trust, with hands I'll never know. So basically, I feel like I am helping this object, a victim of the style engine, regain life so that whatever damage was done to create this it will not have been in vain. Plus, of course, it's cute and comfy and cheap.
Going deeper, am I inadvertently supporting Old Navy? A second hand consumer is still a consumer. Basically, WE can't exist without THEM. We are an entire subculture of DIY, environmental and social do-gooders, but in order to be who we are, we NEED this whole superculture of mass production for mass consumption.
What do you think? How can we have a tail without a head? Do we need Big Box Fashion?
