Monday, March 24, 2008

Ethics women

Following a move to a somewhat smaller flat I have become unusually conscious of the amount of waste which most of us generate: not least the number of clothes I have which I rarely, or even never, wear. Living just across the border from mainland China it's hard to forget that the most wasteful practices and environmentally unsound processes are taking place every day, churning out cheap fashion for high street stores - and we are breathing in the results.

There seems to have been a dramatic increase in the number of ethical fashion websites - perhaps they are still treading a queasy line between excess and abstinence, after all do you really need another t-shirt, even if it is fair trade and organic? And what are the implications of having a fair trade dress shipped across the Atlantic? But if you're going to buy something from here, then at least you are thinking about it.

Here are some of the best.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

quite right. nice post.

I was reading yesterday that depression in developed countries is on course to be the second most prevalent illness after heart disease by 2020, a stat that the author (Oliver James) links to rampant consumerism.

I also had to choke back my reaction when a client told me recently that she owned over 200 pairs of trousers. 200 pairs?!?!?! what the???

LottieP said...

200 pairs? Good god. This is a clear sign of deep neurosis and unhappiness and you're telling people about it?

This reminds me of the meeting I went to with US colleagues in New York. One of those present was talking, to nods of sympathy all round, about her treatment for ADHD. You can't focus in meetings and you want everyone here to know?

Claire said...

Put those unwanted clothes aside until October and I'll recycle them back to Scotland ;-)