Do you really care?

[cactidream]

Last week, I started a topic seeking your recommendations for dresses. It got me thinking about something important: the production practices of certain brands that were suggested.
Many of you recommended well-known brands like Reiss, Hobbs, and Rixo. However, further investigation revealed that their clothing is predominantly made in China (or India/Rixo) .
While these brands may have higher price points, it raised questions about the ethics behind their production.
For instance, Reiss dresses, which cost around $10 to make, are sold for under 200 pounds. Some of the dresses were made of polyester. (!)
This made me wonder whether we genuinely prioritize garments made in Europe or produced ethically.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this matter.
Do you genuinely care about the origin and ethical production of clothing, or do these concerns fade when it comes to big brands?

Did you ask for non-polyester, ethically made recommendations?

I did not- but the subject of this topic is not my thread.
I have just mentioned it to give a bit of background.

Yes, I care - I only buy from ethical brands or secondhand. I wasn't on your other thread though.

Your op sounds like you are lecturing people who gave you advice in good faith though which is a bit shitty?

I can't remember if I was on your thread. I try to prioritise brands made in UK, EU or at least Europe. It's not always possible but the majority of stuff is.

I mention Palava a lot- other than their cotton knitwear, which is made in Turkey, all their clothes are made in the UK. They claim to inspect the Turkish factory.

I'm pretty confident that all my footwear is made in the UK or Europe.

I never used to. At all. The last few months, I've started caring and am taking more notice of where I'm buying things. I haven't suddenly completely stopped buying this stuff but it's getting less as I educate myself more

No, I don't care about where it's produced, nor do I claim to. I find it hard enough to find things I like.

I do care about the fabric, since that aspect of it affects me directly. I don't buy polyester and viscose.

I am far from lecturing.
Just curious - that's all (the fact that I work at a data analytics place doesn't help)

A lot of he clothes I buy are made in the UK half of them polyester so I'm fickle

I have mixed feelings about the whole.....not made in the UK business. As someone trained in the sewing machine trade in the early 80's I saw the decimation of the industry as more goods were made abroad. Everyone seemed to be quite happy to have cheaper goods and didn't give a shit about the loss of jobs, so I'm a bit meh about the subject

Reiss dresses, which cost around $10 to make, are sold for under 200 pounds.

They won't cost $10 to make though. Not those kind of margins

Many years ago NIKE used to make their stuff in Indonesia. When they invaded East Timor I stopped buying from them. I was quite young but felt important at doing my small bit for the people dying.
But back in the day there were many options, I think very little is made in Europe now tbh. I wish I could afford to take a stand every time but honestly given my finances I just can't. I do, however, try to buy stuff that will last but again, tbh, I feel quality has gone downhill over the last years. I have cashmere sweaters from Uniqlo over 10 years old and I can still throw them in the washer and they look fab. The two most recent (from 2 or 3 years ago) are for wearing at home only now because they were crap.
I'm stuck wanting quality but feeling like it's no longer available as it was. I used to think I won't get a cheap t-shirt that I can only wear for a year and then throw in the bin but I also don't want to pay a lot for a t-shirt which I'll probably feel isn't good enough for it cost as it might not last 5 years or more. It's gotten worse, I feel like the nicer brands from before just aren't as nice now in terms of quality. But I don't want to spend loads either because I can't afford it and if I could I wouldn't want the disappointment. So now I end up feeling less "upset" about cheap brands (which we all know are made somewhere far away by people getting peanuts) because my priority lies with the $$ in my pocket.

It bothers me but at a size 22 with not much choice, there’s not a great deal I can do with the choice available in my size.

I decided long ago to only buy second hand.

I feel your pain, I do. My size went up and my convictions went a bit out the window. Sometimes if feels like I'll wear whatever fits, even if I don't like it, as long it covers me and it's not too small, so clothes provenance is often way way down the list.

Surely buying new is the only problem here?

If most of us start buying second hand, the world would be a much better place.

How does that work?

You're just passing the buck about caring if your item was made ethically on to the first purchaser.

I've gone the other way this year. Sorry, everyone. I've always cared about it. Unless your budget's enormous, this means buying a lot fewer clothes, with a few judicious second-hand additions.

At the end of 2022, I got bored with my rarely-changing, ever shabbier wardrobe and decided on a 12-month low budget binge, polyester included where it made a style affordable. I've been blown away by what you can get from Shein in particular! Some of this year's new stuff is of good enough quality that I still expect to be wearing it in 4, 5 years or more.

... And that's half the point. Buying tons of clothes, wearing them for one or two seasons, then replacing them and repeat, is what's bad for the planet. I always give anything wearable to a charity but that's no guarantee of extended life. If you genuinely care, buy LESS and wear it LONGER. Boring, I know. Tell me about it 😏

I have to say depending on where you are, it's not that easy not to buy new.
I wouldn't buy famous brands online, even worn stuff, so that leaves other brands and where I am that would cost me more than buying new so money will come into it. Second-hand and pay more or new and pay less? Charity shops here are fab for furniture but not for clothes. I can only think of one that sells clothes and they're effing ugly and I wouldn't fit into them in a million years. People here tend to hold on to the nicer things.
The less money I have, the more my principles seem to go out the window. 🤑😬

This is it. It’s a massive privilege to be able to be picky.

@BeretRaspberry Honestly, I feel like I've seen the either side, I am on the other side. Being picky is indeed a massive privilege. Couldn't agree more!
I went from a size 14/6 to a 20/2 without buying anything inbetween, that's how fast it was and it's worlds apart in terms of shopping! I don't want to splurge on quality when I already have enough stuff in my closet that doesn't fit now but I hope will tomorrow. But then again even if I wanted to shop to my heart's content, there's no choice!

Buying from Europe doesn’t guarantee ethics either - many threads have highlighted recently the large Chinese run clothes factories in northern Italy with imported labour.

I've lived in Italy and it's not what it used to be and hasn't been for a very long time. They still have the reputation though.

I watched a TV programme about, I think, Pretty Little Things and it showed them negotiating the price of an order and it worked out at 37p per garment, someone somewhere is making a lot of money.

I buy very few clothes, and find it hard to find ones that I like, fit me, are in natural fabrics and that aren't hugely expensive. So no, I don't look to see where it is made.

Charity shops are pointless where I live, it's just a sea of polyester Primark and New Look.

I have decided I need to look more carefully when shopping on line at what clothes are made of - they often boast some sort of ecopolyestery nightmare.

I do try, and buy almost everything second hand.

I really struggle to find petite, ethical, environmentally friendly clothes that don't have overly twee patterns on them. I would welcome suggestions if anyone has come across something that fits the bill.