Where Do Clothes Come From?
I never thought twice about where my clothing came from until I started learning how to make my own clothes. Now I can’t help thinking about how many people are involved, factory conditions (good or bad), and fair wages every time I pick up a piece of clothing. While I am buying less clothing from stores these days, I still think about where the fabric comes from that I use in my projects. I wish there was an easy way to know whether or not a particular company or fabric mill treated their workers and the environment with respect. It would also be nice to know about any hazardous chemicals used in the finishing process on certain fabrics. After reading about the formaldehyde used in non-wrinkle fabrics, I wish there was more transparency in how textiles are made. I would love to know if anyone has suggestions for places to buy fabrics made by reputable companies that have environmentally friendly manufacturing policies.
By this point I expected to have my jacket pattern completed and thought I would have at least a muslin version ready to start testing the fit. Right after I posted about starting a jacket, I quickly decided I needed another pair of pants more than I needed a jacket. I made some adjustments to my pattern and just completed another pair of chinos, this time in an olive/gray color. In the next week or so I hope to get some pictures posted. Here is the fabric:
Steph — August 30, 2011 @ 7:06 pm
http://www.aurorasilk.com/ is a good place to start. she’s a one-woman crusade, the fabrics are genuinely beautiful, durable and interesting.
http://3hourspast.blogspot.com/2011/01/hemp-for-sewing-not-smoking.html Personally, I find hemp works very well in my climate and lifestyle (working professional in a creative field…) Hemp plants re-invigorate soil after too many years of cotton.
http://www.nearseanaturals.com/browse.php?category=22
I also try to keep an eye out for anything organic. I know it is not a guarantee of good ethics, but it can be a good general indicator. Also, there are ethical clothing websites….
http://www.ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/home/home
Often, what it boils down to is if you’re buying cheap clothes you’re almost undoubtedly complicit in oppressing someone. I don’t often buy clothing, but when I do I pay a fair price for it based on my knowledge of fabrics and labor times.
Thanks for the post, I haven’t thought about some of this stuff for a while…
Taylor replied: — September 1st, 2011 @ 6:39 pm
Steph,
Thanks for the links. I’ll be sure to check out those sites!
Amy — September 3, 2011 @ 2:51 pm
I like to think about this stuff, too. The designers I do know that are very conscientious about where their stuff is manufactured and what textiles are being used tend to be more expensive than many people are willing to pay and so it makes for some hard choices economically. Personally, I find that I am buying less but more quality, designer clothing rather than mass manufactured. It’s even harder to make ethical choices with shoes. Textiles for sewing are hard, too, because most of the time we have no idea where stores source their fabrics.
Amy — September 3, 2011 @ 2:58 pm
oh, another fabric store right in your neck of the woods that is very serious about their sourcing and textile production is near sea naturals. They moved their entire business from Santa Fe to Ashville to be closer to their mill. They have some lovely fabrics.