More than money: the true cost of your clothes

The two most common considerations when shopping for clothes are our personal wardrobe and our wallet. More and more of us are buying based on additional criteria, like environmental impact of an item and whether or not it was made using fair and just labor.

It is admittedly difficult to juggle all of these. The fashion engine rolls out tons of new, ever more cheaply made clothes every year. The cheaper they are the costlier they tend to be in other ways. Flip the coin and you see a society continuously driven to consume, and always renew. And what is the result? Simple. Lots and lots of trash. Some clothes are lucky enough to find second third and fourth homes, be donated to people who really need them or at least be turned to rag. But a LOT of it landfill.

photo from this GREAT article: Clash of Cultures, clothing edition

A fifth element that I have added to my shopping checklist is, "how long will I wear this?" Meaning, is this an item that I truly feel good in, that resonates with who I am and how my body moves in this world? Or is it something that has been suggested to me that will no longer be important come tomorrow? In other words, am I buying something that will soon enough be landfill fodder and has little personal significance?

If I buy trash clothes then not only am I potentially undervaluing everything that went into making them, I may really be undervaluing myself. In those moments of weakness when concerns for the environment is too abstract and child slaves seem an unreality, I take it back to myself. How do I consider myself?

Haute couture and luxury goods get a lot of flack from some people because they are excellent symbols for the great economic divide. Children go hungry, and you wear Prada--you should feel guilty. Not so. There is more than enough of everything for everyone; it is the way things are produced and distributed that is the problem. And the more we expect to get things for cheap, the more we actually contribute to every problem: pollution, waste, exploitation, and keeping our own selves down.

While I especially recommend supporting small designers and artisans as a more accessible way to invest in a positive economy, I would like to share this video about the making of a Hermes Bag. The sourcing, work, and my favorite aspect of truly well made things, "it can be repaired", are very good illustration of where the value is in a true luxury piece. (not a knock off!) I wish everyone who owned these bags knew just why they're so beautiful.