I couldn't resist the allure of the TopShop SALE this weekend. I don't always have a lot of money to spend on clothes which doesn't bother me too much as most of my wardrobe is Me&Yu. But every now and then it's just nice to be on the other side of the till for once!
Having said that this week, after being a spokesperson for ethical fashion it actually made me a bit sick inside to see racks and racks of summer clothes on clearance. It's not been much of a summer this year and retail has definately been slower because of it. The big fashion brands pre-order all their ranges at least 6 months in advance, and when they can't sell it full price it goes straight to clearance. I would estimate that 70% of stock at a high street store is sold at less than full price. Me&Yu is a small fashion brand who produces all the stock ourselves - how are we ever supposed to compete?
I bought a Leopard Print Jersey Playsuit for £5 from the Topshop sub-brand Reko. One part of me is thinking wow what a bargain - the other part of me is thinking, this is a shocking waste of resources, this throwaway culture that we live in should be ashamed of ourselves.
I've been making playsuits myself this week (yes still making summer range I make it to replace what sells), from start to finish each one takes over an hour. Okay yes I don't have all the resources that a fully fitted factory has - it's just little old me! I don't have a power cutter which cuts out 20 garments at a time and i don't have a team of people working together each working on a different part of the garment day in, day out. But let me spell it out, ALL CLOTHING IS HANDMADE. Whether it's by someone like little old me or whether it's by a team of people in a factory it takes someones hard labour to construct a garment and it is hard and demanding work. A small factory team of 20 people could probably make a few hundred playsuits a day. These foreign factory workers work for a pittance (whether sweatshop or a friendly factory, factory work is low paid wherever you are) and yes you could argue it's all relative to their economic climate and they'll be able to buy as much as we can in rip-off Britain. But I guess the thing that makes me sick is WHY are we making so much STUFF - surely it de-values all our clothing and feeds the throwaway culture more?
I remember as a teenager high street fashion was comparitively more expensive. Yes we had Mark One and Tammy Girl which could always be relied on for a cheaper teenage treat but TopShop and Miss Selfridge were always special occasion wear. Fashion was something to be saved up for, and to be cherished because of it. I remember dressing in jumble-sale clothes and hand-me-downs for the better part of my youth. In my teenage years my group of friends bonded over our love of old clothes and had excursions to charity shops and raided mothers wardrobes. I think it made me a more adventuous dresser and was instumental in developing my love of clothes and fashion. But it was born out of necessity - we just couldn't afford new clothes.
I think over the years clothing had been getting gradually cheaper but I remember the turning point quite clearly it was around 2004. I'd spent some time in Australia and returned to the UK and was just suddenly amazed with how affordable the high street had become. The Primark effect was in full swing - suddenly everyone could be fashionable for a fiver. I think people started to question the ethics behind this throwaway culture quite early but 5 years on and it's still going strong. The high-street has had to raise it's game and even though in the last 12 months we've seen a rise in prices for full-priced garments us consumers have been rejecting the 'real' prices and just waiting for the sales.
So what's the solution? Stop buying clothes? Well if you're anything like me that's just not an option.... Of course you know I'm always going to say "Buy Independent Brands", "Buy Secondhand" Re-Use & Re-Cycle & Re-Work" but I think it goes deeper than that. Perhaps at some fundamental level the whole fashion industry is flawed....I've touched a tricky subject that won't just go away overnight. At the end of the day these big companies are all just about the money - as are all the big companies in the world. I make clothes because I love them, I like the feel-good factor that people get when they're wearing something that is hand-made, something that they won't see a million times in their local pub or club.
Little old me can't change the world all on my own but it would be nice to think that I've given you something to think about next time you're out on the high street. Maybe you should wander a little off the high street and see what local businesses or charities that you can support with your pennies instead.
Having said that this week, after being a spokesperson for ethical fashion it actually made me a bit sick inside to see racks and racks of summer clothes on clearance. It's not been much of a summer this year and retail has definately been slower because of it. The big fashion brands pre-order all their ranges at least 6 months in advance, and when they can't sell it full price it goes straight to clearance. I would estimate that 70% of stock at a high street store is sold at less than full price. Me&Yu is a small fashion brand who produces all the stock ourselves - how are we ever supposed to compete?
I bought a Leopard Print Jersey Playsuit for £5 from the Topshop sub-brand Reko. One part of me is thinking wow what a bargain - the other part of me is thinking, this is a shocking waste of resources, this throwaway culture that we live in should be ashamed of ourselves.
I've been making playsuits myself this week (yes still making summer range I make it to replace what sells), from start to finish each one takes over an hour. Okay yes I don't have all the resources that a fully fitted factory has - it's just little old me! I don't have a power cutter which cuts out 20 garments at a time and i don't have a team of people working together each working on a different part of the garment day in, day out. But let me spell it out, ALL CLOTHING IS HANDMADE. Whether it's by someone like little old me or whether it's by a team of people in a factory it takes someones hard labour to construct a garment and it is hard and demanding work. A small factory team of 20 people could probably make a few hundred playsuits a day. These foreign factory workers work for a pittance (whether sweatshop or a friendly factory, factory work is low paid wherever you are) and yes you could argue it's all relative to their economic climate and they'll be able to buy as much as we can in rip-off Britain. But I guess the thing that makes me sick is WHY are we making so much STUFF - surely it de-values all our clothing and feeds the throwaway culture more?
I remember as a teenager high street fashion was comparitively more expensive. Yes we had Mark One and Tammy Girl which could always be relied on for a cheaper teenage treat but TopShop and Miss Selfridge were always special occasion wear. Fashion was something to be saved up for, and to be cherished because of it. I remember dressing in jumble-sale clothes and hand-me-downs for the better part of my youth. In my teenage years my group of friends bonded over our love of old clothes and had excursions to charity shops and raided mothers wardrobes. I think it made me a more adventuous dresser and was instumental in developing my love of clothes and fashion. But it was born out of necessity - we just couldn't afford new clothes.
I think over the years clothing had been getting gradually cheaper but I remember the turning point quite clearly it was around 2004. I'd spent some time in Australia and returned to the UK and was just suddenly amazed with how affordable the high street had become. The Primark effect was in full swing - suddenly everyone could be fashionable for a fiver. I think people started to question the ethics behind this throwaway culture quite early but 5 years on and it's still going strong. The high-street has had to raise it's game and even though in the last 12 months we've seen a rise in prices for full-priced garments us consumers have been rejecting the 'real' prices and just waiting for the sales.
So what's the solution? Stop buying clothes? Well if you're anything like me that's just not an option.... Of course you know I'm always going to say "Buy Independent Brands", "Buy Secondhand" Re-Use & Re-Cycle & Re-Work" but I think it goes deeper than that. Perhaps at some fundamental level the whole fashion industry is flawed....I've touched a tricky subject that won't just go away overnight. At the end of the day these big companies are all just about the money - as are all the big companies in the world. I make clothes because I love them, I like the feel-good factor that people get when they're wearing something that is hand-made, something that they won't see a million times in their local pub or club.
Little old me can't change the world all on my own but it would be nice to think that I've given you something to think about next time you're out on the high street. Maybe you should wander a little off the high street and see what local businesses or charities that you can support with your pennies instead.
yes yes yes yes! thankyou!! my shop is only jsut up and running, but one of the key things for us is to try and put the fun back into the high street. i think that big places like primark are kind of depressing to be in, people seem to wonder around a little like zombies, like they dont notice what they are doing. in our shop i hope that my business partner and i can give there senses a treat, somewhere they can escape the rubbish feeling you get when you realise that 'yes that shirt was a snap at a fiver but im only going to wear it once' feeling, instead they can come and see the jewellery getting made or the stuffed monster getting is face sewn on. well, sorry to have blabbered that all out but it was good to read someone thinking along the same lines as me.thanks
ReplyDeleteBloody good points very well put! I'm embarrassed to live in such a throw away society. The system supports it though that's the annoying thing! For example; My father in law's lawn mower broke down this summer, he knew exactly which part had gone (a £0.70p springy thing)after enquiring he was told "sorry we don't do spares!!" It's rediculous! In days gone by he would have had a machine that had all it's parts for sale in the local hardware shop, the local hardware shop that now no longer exists :( Xx
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on that one...i hate it when things can't be fixed. It's like we're going backwards - we're losing skills!
ReplyDeleteHiya hun. Just popped in to say I've linked your blog for an award on my blog today, hope you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteSee you tonight for skirts and fun!
Lu. Xx