As a cobbler its always nice to see us mentioned in the sustainability conversation! Some bonus tips: 1.Check the lining! Often companies make the outside portions of a shoe leather, and then use a cheap PU fake leather as the lining. This will start to flake off eventually and is basically impossible to repair (Short of recreating the shoe entirely). Shoes will generally have a sticker indicating the material of the upper, lining, and sole, either written or marked as symbols (diamond for "man-made materials", a cowhide shaped symbol for leather). 2. If there is a fancy/unique piece to the shoe, ask if the company provides replacement parts! This could be anything from rhinestones, chains, zippers, hardware, heel wrap leather that matches the upper, etc. It's unlikely that a cobbler stocks a perfect match, and it can totally change the look of the shoe. Generally the more expensive brands are much better about this (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Marni come to mind recently) 3. If you are buying second hand do not be afraid to give the soles a good tug. Old shoes can have glue that is fully dried out, rubber soles that are cracking or crumbling, etc. Almost always repairable, but potentially as/more expensive as the shoes themselves.
Great tips! Everyone should have a good cobbler. Mine has extended the life of many well-loved shoes, and do repairs and good maintenance that can prevent damage (like adding grips to the soles).
If I could’ve chosen a trade, cobbler and jeweler would have been them. I wish my job gave me that kind of knowledge on quality products. Our last cobbler in my city just closed his shop so I’d have to find a cobbler an hour away in the next closest city. It’s really sad.
I had the first thing happen to me! I bought leather boots but the sole started to completely separate from the top in less than a year and it clearly wasn't repairable and I didn't understand why.
I wore and abused my favorite pair of heels. My local cobbler fixed the sole/heel in about an hour and I get to keep loving my heels knowing how to take better care in the future :) Y'all are great :) 👠👠
When Aja Barber mentioned feeling physically ill at the mall after experiencing where the abundance of clothes wind up - it really hit the nail on the head of my experience working at Starbucks. I was like "oh, I get like one plastic cup every once in a while when times are good so is there really a waste problem?" And holy crap did that change when I realized that my store was going through milk jugs faster than we had time to sort the trash from the recycling so everything became trash. Next was when WHOLE boxes of cold cups come damaged or get dropped on the floor and then 30 cups go straight in the trash. This is the industrial side that comes well before individual choice. Did you know that EVERY food item is individually wrapped in plastic? Which are all held in cardboard/plastic and stored in freezers using fossil fuel... Yeah, I quickly learned that my individual choice was not the scope of waste...
As a knitter that recently made my first sweater… I’m stunned by how exceedingly low the cost of fast fashion is. I used to think a ~$70 wool sweater was pricy… buying the wool yarn alone is commonly more than that (particularly if you are purchasing from a small ethically sourced business). It makes me reevaluate the cost of everything in my wardrobe, and the reality is that a significant portion of what I own is because it was financially within my reach and not necessarily because it is something I wear commonly.
100% this! I've only made one sweater, but factoring in the material and the time it made me realize why $200 for a nice sweater isn't actually the insanity I once thought it was - the insanity is actually $20 for a knit sweater because it becomes so clear to you that someone has been grossly exploited for that price to make sense.
@@justinedraus2010 Agreed! And apparently the exploitation is even worse for crocheted products! I've read that while things can absolutely be machine knit (and often are), there are no machines that can replicate crochet stitches so cheap crochet products are a sure sign of exploitation.
@@bernadettejohnson7430 I do crochet, and had to stop selling items/ taking commissions because people don't understand the time and cost that goes into a piece. I was barely meeting costs of production and pretty much donating my time to make the pieces I sold. I would constantly get dirty looks or even called out for unfair pricing. I can't comprehend how crochet items are being sold at shein for a small fraction of what it would cost to make them fairly.
@@norageallowed I 100% agree! My mom crochets and I really have to wonder how much she actually makes when she sells at craft shows. I know she buys her yarn on sale but like you said, the time it takes to make a piece, even if she does a lot of work in the down time of her main job... It makes me so sad to think about how crocheted items can be sold so cheaply by big retailers and it is certainly not something I can support.
“Never get caught wearing the same thing twice” is one of the most absurd mindsets. It NEVER made any sense to me. Money saving, wardrobe space, and sustainability are certainly important, but even with all those aside, my question is this: if you love an outfit and feel great in it, wouldn’t you *want* to rewear it? I’ll certainly, and eagerly, rewear outfits that I love. I mean, I might not wear it again in the same week, but I’ll certainly rewear it at some point. Seems incredibly silly and nonsensical not to.
Agreed. I am plotting right now on what event I can find so I can rewear this beautiful dress that I bought last summer that is simply stunning and makes me feel absolutely giddy lol
@@marievento7316 Exactly! I was always taught to look at the quality and for longevity when buying clothes. Plus, I’ve always been a bit averse to “trends.” Not because I wish to be contrarian, but because styles rapidly going in/out of favor seems impractical.
I rather haphazardly packed a duffel bag last June and have been managing w the contents of that bag (plus a couple of needed cold weather additions) since then. I don't have an outfit for every occasion, but for my day-to-day needs, I'm fine. I do look forward to freshening things up a bit in the near future, but it's been an excellent lesson in simplicity.
I had linen pants made last year. I wanted some for years, finally I found a seamstress, chose the fabric and fabric content, and ended up paying less than the transparent, not fitting pair I had seen at Zara. Now I have pants that are flexible at the waist, have huge pockets and fit perfect. I will wear them for a decade, at least. Edit: I'm in Brazil, so even paying whatever she asked for, the seamstress was relatively cheap.
I've been thinking about trying this! I don't have the patience or skill to sew my own from scratch, but I just want ONE pair of linen pants that actually fits
@@stuffinsthegreat My skill is not up to par either. I would have to make two mockups minimum to achieve what the seamstress did with only my measurements. It is worth to pay for skill.
As someone from the UK, my parents didn't get a tumble dryer till I was around 16 and it was just for sheets and towels lol. I have since moved out and I will probably never get a tumble dryer. Cloths hores and washing lines are waayy cheaper, better for your cloths and planet
and washing in cold water! Very few things get washed on hot or even warm--basically sheets, towels, and very rarely something super soiled (if it's sturdy enough)
Try also washing your clothes inside out. I had 3 tshirts I bought in Paris decades ago. One is still going. The friction caused the inside to wear down a bit in terms of colour...It was put onto this many years ago and it so works! In addition to laundering carefully of course and taking care of your items. I hand wash some things because cannot trust the 'wool' cycle which actually means treated wool that has polymers in it to stop felting.
Yeah and this applies to more than just the clothing industry. Hell, you can go to the thrift store and purchase gorgeous clothing and home decor pieces for very little. It takes a bit of time to get your bearings and know which thrift stores offer the best what.
@@Lacouxalso poshmark and eBay and marketplace, it's so easy to shop second hand online these days. Pretty much any item I want I'm able to find second hand
I studied clothing design 10 years ago and learning about the issues of ethics, exploitation, and environmental disaster made me fall out of love with the industry. I’m devastated it’s only gotten worse.
"we will be unpacking consumerism for the rest of our lives" so true 😭. Also am sick of this being put on me. Instead of creating ways to solve the problem, sustainable fashion has just created a new way for people with disposable income to show that they could afford it. A few years ago when i first learned about sustainable fashion, i started looking down on brands like HM despite the fact that today, while I don't shop there, a lot of the clothes i bought there have actually held up and this has helped me be less snobby about buying second hand clothes from those brands. Like either we buy them or off to developing countries it goes.
I have been trying to slowly phase polyester and other synthetic fibers from my wardrobe and it's insane how hard it is to just find clothes made of natural fibers these days.
Same here! I can't stand polyester because of its skinfeel, it traps moisture and heat and odor and I am trying to purge my wardrobe of it and purchase natural fibers but they are so difficult to find!
My wife adores Bernadette Banner, and she was part of her inspiration for her vowing to not buy any new clothes. Now she's started a home business as a seamstress, based on sustainable fabrics.
Happy Commuter. Yes, to bring in Bernadette, or Karolina Zebrowska, or Abby Cox into the conversation. There's also another great young woman V. Birchwood who talks about historical fashion and modern fashion. Definitely recommend her channel! 👍📱
One aspect of "sustainable" that really needs to get addressed, and is affecting our quality of life as consumers, is the issue of manufacturers skipping steps in the creation process to then on paper be "greener". I study fashion history and fabrication casually as a hobby and a common problem I run into with "sustainable" clothing lines is that often all the excess dye has been left in the garment after it was initially dyed, instead of rinsing out the excess. If you ever buy something that says "wash before wearing" that literally means they left the dye in and it is not safe for your skin to be exposed to that much excess "loose" dye that will rub off the fabric and onto you. Non-green brands I've found, by contrast, continue to produce clothing that is dye-fast (again, beware; "natural dyes" often means they are not fixed to the garment and shed from it whenever exposed to moisture) or that was given the final rinse to reduce run-off. This does not mean you should buy from them over more ethical brands, but I am very annoyed at how the companies paying fair wages and "saving water" is becoming the new cover for saving money by skipping critical steps. I ruined two dresses recently, because I washed three dresses together on the cold setting and the "sustainable" one bled in blotches all over the other two. Think about the waste there; you buy one garment that is "better" for the planet and the workers at the factory, but then it destroys two other garments you were actively using... So then I had to go out and obtain new clothes to replace the ruined clothes. Overall this ramble-comment is just to say it's important to never take a word-concept and just trust it. Always question it's legitimacy and always understand there is no such thing as an inclusive "keyword". As Aja says here; eco-friendly is a separate concept from providing a living wage. There could be companies that do both, but it should never be assumed that because the company says they do one means they do the other. Also it's important to note that eco-friendly, sustainable or other green-vocabulary words DOES NOT mean it's healthy for your consumption; it means it's healthier for the environment; dyes with less pollutants mean the air and water are kept cleaner for everyone and everything around us; but that does not mean the dye is healthy against our skin, or that it's ready to wear; always be cautious and wash new clothes; include a "color catcher" sheet in the washing machine and examine it after the wash; how much dye came out? Next time you wash it; is there less dye bleeding out or the same amount? (Last bit / tip; Indigo dye continuously bleeds out of a garment with every wash and that is normal and safe for that material; it's why your jeans fade over time; if they never fade, then that means there is a different chemical other then Indigo which is keeping your jeans their current stable shade of blue)
I love that you mentioned not using dryers for clothing. I grew up below the poverty line, going to the laundromat weekly to wash our clothes and we hung almost everything up to dry in our home-on doorknobs, in doorways, etc. My clothes (even though they were lower quality) lasted so much longer than they do now that I have a dryer in my home. I still have dresses from high school that I wear (I'm in my 30s). 😂
Leena Norms is a really great TH-camr who is passionate about ethical fashion and does videos where she shops her own closet to make fun and interesting outfits !! I definitely recommend for anyone passionate about ethical fashion as well as having fun with their clothes!
I personally, stoped shopping fast- fashion after the collapse of the building in Bangladesh- as I was completely turned off by the behaviour of the big brands towards the victims in that horrible disaster. However, now I realize that I was able to make my own personal stand against fast- fashion because I was living in an urban area with a lot of choices, variety and options. Now, I live in a more remote area and it is more difficult, as there are not many other easily accessible choices. For me personally, the problem with a lot of the small brands available online is that they are not inclusive in terms of accesability, sizes, colors and even styles.
Something that I think about every time I listen to a podcast or video on 'capsule wardrobes' is my Mom's old copy of "The Secrets of Charm", a 1954 beauty/fashion handbook by the owner of the Powers model agency. The 'clothing' section gives instructions for a basic wardrobe -- not everything a woman would need, but a list of rock bottom basic requirements. The premise was that you had dupes for both summer and winter, so double the numbers -- a summer coat and a winter coat, for example. The basics list was, for both winter and summer: one coat, one suit (skirt suit), one formal day dress, one casual dress or co-ordinating blouse/skirt set, one after-five or evening dress, 'playclothes' (basically sportswear), a hat (!!) to match the suit or coat, and 3 sets of accessories (shoes, bag, gloves) to co-ordinate with the day/casual/after-five dresses. So: you were supposed to own, or at least to buy, 5 items per season, or 10 in total. There were lists of add-ons for 'housewives' and working women -- two extra professional dresses, dressy lounge clothes for entertaining, 'wrappers' or dusters for doing housework, that kind of thing. And there was a suggested schedule to allow you to budget for the purchases -- so every second year you buy a new coat, and in the alternate years you buy a new suit. But even with the add-ons and the clothes you'd have bought two years before, you would still not have many more than 20 items in your closet in any one season. I'm sorry this is going to be such an enormous comment -- TLDR, I know -- but I think the changes are based on a number of things people don't talk about much. Women in the 50s and even the 60s were usually living on the edges of the household budget. Even if you had a job, you were still budgeting tightly, because credit and layaway weren't that common for consumer purchases. You would have needed to whittle your clothes budget out of the family budget -- from which you had to dress your kids, your husband, and yourself. So you needed a plan and a justification, too -- I NEED a new coat, I can't keep wearing that old blue velvet number to entertain your boss, because his wife's seen it a dozen times in the last 3 years, and they'll get funny ideas about us if I look shabby. Flexibility and having your own money -- and your own credit card -- meant that women could and did shop for themselves: by the time I was in high school the expected number of clothes had doubled or tripled.
Also having the opposite is also true. If you end falling for the same type of pieces, but never actually wear them, they aren't worth getting, whatever the quality/aesthetics/price
It's such a great metaphor, and then people do the SHEIN equivalent of buy 5 pairs of the cheap boots with $100 rather than buying the expensive boots. Like, guys, are you serious?
Your guest mentioned "taking the time" for certain clothing care. Taking the time requires HAVING the time and with the way the work week works here in the US, many cannot afford the time to take care of our clothing. She also mentioned tailoring. I've never had it done outside of prom as I cannot afford it. The drying rack was practical and we have one in our home that we frankly need to use more often. Loved the book rec and have added it to my list and will look for it at my local library soon!
Yes but most of the volunteers are opportunistically grabbing the quality stuff, when the poor people don't get a look-in. I wouldn't mind but the volunteers could afford to pay full price and they're sneaking out the good stuff. It's an ethical issues. IMO.
@@deborahcurtis1385 there should be a rule against volunteers buying anything on the volunteer day- but I guess then there would be no volunteers. That would require volunteering purely out of the goodness of one’s heart.
@@catmq2729 Volunteering is supposed to be 'entirely out of the goodness of one's heart'. I am appalled at how selfish and opportunistic many are becoming, then justifying it as supposedly 'normal'. While I had a decent income I never shopped at thrift stores, reasoning that others needed the stuff more than I. Also I donated quality items. I'm sure I'm not alone, but saying that it's extraordinary to be altruistic is just wrong. Society is heading in the wrong direction. IMO
Yaaaas I love this conversation. I am trying to not buy clothes this year, and I have been washing all my clothes on delicate cycle in cold water and air drying for years. And I am slowly learning how to repair more and more types of clothing or alter them to fit me better. I have vintage clothes in my closet and I love owning clothes older than me. Also Loved the Terry Pratchett reference! The Vimes Boots theory is incredible and ends with the point that The Poor Man who buys the cheap boots spends hundreds more on boots in a 10 year period and still has wet feet whereas the Rich Man who can buy the more expensive boots still has his first pair and dry feet.
Ok, I read this book last year and I am so excited to listen to this interview. Changing the way I consume clothes has really forced me to change the way I consume a lot of other goods. I have to keep the conversation going in my head so I don't fall back into bad habits because the advertising is literally everywhere. Thanks for the interview
Thank you for sharing this interview. I used to be a big consumer fast fashion and secondhand stores. Where in Eastern Europe fast fashion killed most of the secondhand stores by imported charity stores stuff from England( mostly Primark shit). Now we have a few thrift stores, most secondhand stores priced higher than the original store… what I try to do is to buy only 1 piece of clothing monthly for better quality and wearing it as long as possible: I do buy online secondhand, some fast fashion (I allow myself 4 pieces yearly out of the 12) and some quality or ethical brands.
After losing weight this winter, I donated all my clothes because they were three sizes too big, I refused to shop in the stores for fast fashion, I have spend months thrifting my new wardrobe, everything is well made and a good ethical name.. I saw in my search a lot of fast fashion too on the thrift store racks lots of Shein….Zara etc…most of it looked cheap, looks like it would fall apart… I had patience and thrifted the best wardrobe… I will never buy fast fashion again… I paid little to nothing for my new wardrobe… you just can’t beat it
This was a very informative and interesting interview. I am one of those 'over 50' women who has several pieces of clothing that is 20+ years old (I can count on half a hand how many times I used a clothes dryer). Lastly, I checked out Aja and Lora Gene's clothing line and can honestly say it is absolutely fantastic-quality fabrics and creative design concepts at a fair price. This just goes to show it is possible for clothing to be made without resorting to using sweatshop tactics, cutting corners on quality, or charging exorbitant prices.
here are some of my tips for keeping your clothes nice (functional) longer -machine wash on cold (i wouldn't be able to explain it well but hot/warm water doesn't actually make your clothes any more clean. if i remember right cold water actually cleans it better) and on gentle cycle. i only wash my towels on normal, everything else is gentle -if you use a dryer, put that on the gentle cycle too. heat wears stuff down pretty quickly. -if your laundry loads aren't getting fully dry in the dryer, those dryer balls are a lifesaver. it's weird how much of a difference they make. -SKIP THE FABRIC SOFTENER. it's not necessary at all, and the way it makes your clothes softer basically makes the fabric thinner and flimsier over time. plus it's a waste of money. -dryer sheets are a scam -like they said in the video, a clothes drying rack or clothesline will do the least damage. i do use the dryer for most of my clothes but anything that's on the more fragile side i hang/lay flat to dry. i think that's all i have now, but if anyone has anything to add please do!!!
Yes to all of this. Warm water for clothes, as far as I understand, was really more of a consideration for white clothing back in the day. The bleaching effect helped get the whites whiter. But with modern day laundry detergents, you really don't especially need it even for that. I wash everything in cold water. It holds up better and it saves a little electricity.
As a knitter, I'd like to add for sweaters/knitwear*: dry flat, preferably pinned to shape on a towel. In knitting this is called "blocking" and it's basically magic how good it makes your garment look. *technically t-shirts and a lot of other contemporary garments are knit fabric, and while hanging them to dry will stretch them out over time, I never bother drying them flat
On the subject of hand-me-downs, with fast fashion poisoning the consumer landscape such that affordable/cheap clothes last for 1-2 washes tops, today’s clothes can barely survive to become hand me downs. Fast fashion is terrible for poor people as much if not moreso than those who can afford real clothes, which are getting more expensive and rare in comparison. The missing middle of relatively affordable but not dirt cheap, unfancy but well constructed clothes is vanishing.
It’s taken me a month to knit a sweater. 40-80 hrs. If i were to be paid $7 an hour (below federal minimum wage and not livable) it would cost $280 for labor on the low end. Then, add the yarn. I use natural fibers a majority of the time, so yarn can range from $90-$250 depending on how much I need and what the design is. It really puts things into perspective, how much work goes into things when you start making them instead of buying them.
As you shared, Aja, about your awakening volunteering at a charity shop, it reminds me that a big awakening for me has been learning to mend my clothes. I've learned this technique to patch a hole where you go over it with thread horizontally and vertically to make a weave of fabric over the hole. It's amazing, and so gratifying to learn. And it's really time consuming. It's opened my eyes to noticing which pieces I find myself constantly mending. Sometimes I debate mending something because I got it so cheap. It doesn't feel worth it to put so much time into repairing it. Especially because those are often the pieces that need mending so much more frequently because they're made of low-quality materials. So it's shifting my thinking when I buy. My new metric of if something is "worth it" is if it's high quality enough and if I like it enough that I can see myself taking the time to mend it when needed over the course of its life.
At this point I want to know how to identify clothes (online and in person, if possible) that were manufactured before this era of poorly-made clothing.
@@ifetayodavidson-cade5613 Examine them inside out for quality finishing - seams, hems, etc. examine for broken threads (NO), matched patterns at seams (YES), and educate yourself about fiber-feel, as many older garments are missing this info
I work with second-hand clothes, and the amount of shein we throw into fabric recyling is abhorrent. Plus, I've learned a lot of people straight up don't do laundry. I can't believe people literally buy disgusting thin polyester rags and think it looks cute.
I knit a lot of my own clothing, which does make me appreciate the individual items a little more than store bought, but i never understood the "never repeat" sentiment. There are some items that I love so much I can't wait to wear it again, I just can't fathom the idea of being like "that one's done, next!"
In middle school I had a handful of outfits I liked so I wore them on rotation. The girl that sat behind me noticed I worn the same thing over and over and started making jokes about it. She would walk into class in the morning and say “oh I see you’re wearing your Wednesday outfit again.” It didn’t make me want to change but it stuck with me how toxic she was😂
I feel like the the concept of disposable clothing and diet culture are very connected. Anecdotally it seems that many people see clothing is disposable because they don’t see their body as being permanent yet, and we are all waiting for our bodies to be “perfect“ before we invest in clothing.
Connected to this is when assugj a moral value to us being a particular clothing size, which if our weight or shape changes we try and squeeze into that garment adding a huge amount of wear and tear t seams and construction (especially if it's poor quality) to hold onto our perception of ourself at a particular size
Thanks for introducing Aja Barber. I was able to check out her audio book and I’m almost through it in one day. I was already trying to move to sustainable fashion. But hearing all the ways fast fashion exploits not just the workers but other cultures and communities. It was a real eye opener and inspires me to consume less and more thoughtfully.
I own some pieces of clothing that are genuinely older than me. Shirts I inherited from my grandmas which were even bought or handmade in the 70s/80s and I wear all the time. Also yes to going to the charity shops in rich neighbourhoods, lol!! I found a glorious Johnston of Elgins cashmere/silk turtleneck once at a charity shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, for £5.99. I couldn't believe my luck, I snatched that thing so fast I barely even checked if it was my size xD
I relate to the feeling of not being able to keep up to trends as a teen. I was working class growing but whent to school in a upper/upper middle class area. I got bullied for my clothes. When I got the chance to get my own clothes in sixth-form and university I use to buy a lot of fast fashion. Over the last few years I have satarted to shop second hand more and look in to the ethics of the clothes i like through the good on you website. I currently have a 4 seasonal capsule wardrobes. When i need to replace things i go shopping with a iteam in mind then i buy the most ethical option available to me.
During my corporate career, beginning in the 80s, we were all quite happy to have ten different work outfits. This was enough to wear each one only twice per month or so. It was unthinkable to wear an outfit just once, if we bought something that turned out like that, we would consider it a total shopping failure. Everything was of such good quality, I miss that so much. Most of today’s apparel is absolute crap, it’s all made of plastics, to which I have skin allergies. I have to shop at the Premium High Street level to get anything decent. Because the prices are much higher, I buy fewer items and choose them with great care. I’m currently having to replace my entire wardrobe because of permanent weight loss. I’m happy to be healthier and slimmer, but it sure is expensive, I need everything except socks, footwear and accessories. It’s just not possible to go from a size 16 to a size 6 and wear the same clothes, only some simple skirts could be altered. Really, I’ve had to completely remake them, cutting them almost in half. Most of my old wardrobe was 20 or more years out of style anyway, but I still have sticker shock, I never bought an entire wardrobe in a few months before.
Spitting facts!!!! So true about having a personal style and how the fashion industry makes you think you have one but ultimately just want to make you buy what they decided for you. And tailoring is amazing. It makes you appreciate clothes so much more and makes them look soo much better. I also never tumble dry my clothes. And stopped buying fast fashion.
Didn't always see myself as a major fashion gal but body image issues, the quest to find the perfect combo of clothing that always looks/feels great and suits who I feel I am every day, and more Yd has resulted in overbuying (even though I stick to thrift or quality brands). An odd solution/experiment I came across was to put EVERYTHING in bags or boxes except a few basics, wear those 3 - 5 things as much as possible, then pic out one more thing from the bags/boxes and see how many combos I can make and how long I can wear what I picked with the original items before taking another item out of the bags. It's pretty contrived and maybe a sign my life priorities are out of wack, but it has been interesting so far and can recreate that draw of shopping (which is probably what I need to let go of in the first place though).
Hard waistline!!! This makes total sense!!! Thank you. I like soft/ elastic waistline. We need our stomach and abdomen to breathe and that needs to expand and contract every like 6 seconds!!
I never tumble-dry my clothes, unless I want to deliberately shrink something before hemming. The hot dryer ruins clothes, especially anything with Spandex or elastic.
Wearing one of my favorite pieces today: a Lands End Drifter sweater from the early 90's I thrifted about six years ago. 100% if you must buy something, go for quality not trendy. And take care of it.
As an Eastern Europen I wanna say Zara ain't cheap, but getting something fixed by local tailors is. So if we do get anything from Zara that needs mending, we bring it over to the pros (or at least my fam does)
There is nothing more reasonable than classic bespoke clothing. Yes, it's expensive to order but the fit makes the pieces a lot more durable because there is no tear and wear. If you don't have the money to go to a tailor you can either learn to make your own clothes or you can search the second hand market, buy too big and have your finds fitted by an alteration tailor.
As someone who's planning to get top surgery with the next year or two, my relationship with shirts has a big “???” right now. I’m waiting until post surgery healing to go through *everything* and see if I still like the look/fit of anything
This video just told me i am a 50yo woman at heart lol. I have clothes that are older than I am (the trick is getting clothes from grandparents). My blazers are at least 10 years older than i am.
Having grown up poor we had to buy cheap and make it last. It was all my parents could afford, that informed my shopping habits. I still feel that need to buy bulk for cheap but it is a habit I am unlearning. I try to buy pieces that will last, have better wash habits and try to buy on clearance to satisfy that need for the best price. I can afford more in price now but it goes against every grain of my being so it is a struggle.
Furniture and appliances are the same way. The material wears out so much faster than in the past. I’ve seen furniture from the seventies and eighties where the material is still as good as the day they bought it, compared to today where it wears out in just a couple years or less.
Zara's "repair service" actually helps perpetuate fast fashion, while still getting credit for its "sustainable" initiatives. People are easily convinced that these companies are actually doing something, just because they have "responded" to the negative press. Social Proof ("everyone is buying fast fashion so it must be acceptable/ok") normalizes the quick rise of and pervasiveness of fast fashion. The consumer thinks, "at least they're taking a stand and doing something about it". Doing fact checking is virtually impossible for two reasons: companies are not transparent, and they know that people are lazy. What a great topic, guest and show today!
I never understand, why people claim that they can only afford Fast Fashion, when there is the option to buy second hand. I mostly go for higher end brands like Ralph Lauren, Lacoste or Boss. Yes, I know that not everything is perfect for these brands either, including working conditions and that you mostly pay for the brand these days. However, the advantage of this brands is once the clothing item is used and the price has dropped, they actually hold their value. I bought some second hand Ralph Lauren clothing, wore it for 2 years and then sold it for the same money I paid for. So in fact, I didn't spend anything and the item is still used buy someone else and not thrown away. I'm not gonna lie, I still buy some Fast Fashion items from time to time. Personally, I really like Uniqlo, Mango Man and H&M's "Premium" Line. However, I mostly go for classic, timeless pieces, that I know I will wear for years. I always think about if I really need a certain item and never buy by impulse. Within the fashion brands, there can be a huge difference regarding materials and quality. As an example, I bought a suit by Mango made of 100 % wool, because it fitted perfectly on me off the wrack. H&M also tested made to measure shirts a few years ago. I bought 3 dress shirts that were made for my frame and I've worn them ever since. So my point is that we as consumers must be more thoughtful about our purchases if we want to change the systems. That does not mean to totally boycott every fast fashion brand. I won't blame anyone that buys a single piece from Zara or H&M if it is a thoughtful purchase and the item will be worn for years. However, I will blame people who shop mainly as a hobby and for the released endorphines during the shopping process or when the package is delivered. I blame those people who need to do a shopping haul every season and end up not even wearing half of the items.
Thank you for speaking out on this topic! The amount of waste the fashion industry generates is wild, and it's even worse because the major polluters aren't doing anything about it. I want garments that are made to last and produced by people who aren't being exploited. It's almost impossible to find nowadays!
The problem with fashion is the type of fabrics that are produced and used. A young woman who has a YT channel created a video about how to tell which fabrics are which and how to buy the few sustainable available on the market. Her name is Anna Bey. Other than ethical sustainable fashion, she also talks about leveling up inwards and outwards in terms of skill sets and other. I def recommend her channel. I don't subscribe to all of her ideas, some are great to keep in mind, though. She has a cheat sheet of fabric content, and affordable brands.
@Eli Hinze 😅 I was hoping I could find the video link before replying, but she has too many video vlogs by now. I'm glad you enjoy her content too. Have a great week Eli! 🌻
Ok, one thing that I’m not seeing discussed in the comments but I would be curious is buying clothing for children. I am a single mom, three kiddos, and clothing for ever growing kids gets expensive. And these fast fashion options have been the most helpful to me (primarily H&M and Amazon for my girls- I only JUST found out about Shein the other day lol) But thrift shopping is stressful for me, I rarely am able to find a place in my area that has the right size, and something they like and isn’t “fast fashion”. They don’t have an excessive wardrobe or a ton of clothes, we have a handful of outfits (which they constantly complain is not enough compared to their friends) but this topic is stressful for me because financially I feel like those cheap places are a huge help? I’m absolutely open to ideas I just haven’t found an affordable answer
Look to see if there’s a kids consignment sale in your area. There’s one twice a year in our area. You can sign up to consign your old things and then if people buy then you get a cut. And you can shop for new stuff on the cheap.
There’s once upon a child in some places, could be similar stores in your area. I’m childless, but checked one out for a gift. They are like the plato’s closet of kid’s clothes. And by buying less fast fashion, maybe that would lead to quality hand-me-downs
Thredup and kiddizen are great places to thrift online, tons of selection, kids can pick out what they want. When I can't find things thrifted I do try to buy higher quality so it can be passed down to my younger kid.
Have friends who literally can't find clothes due to size (let alone nice good quality ones) that fit well, AND are strapped for cash. And I can't find clothes to fit well as I've put on weight due to not being proportional (possibly lipodema?)
I've been able to hold off of buying new othes for awhile because we emptied out the grandparents so they could move into assisted living so I've mostly been wearing their old clothes.
Men’s 501s are the only jeans that fit me, too. The waist is a bit lower, and more generous, for those of us with poorly-defined waists or pain/sensitivity in that area. I have both a serious back problem and a thicker waist. I searched for women’s jeans for fifty years and never found a single pair that fit, they’re just enormous on my skinny hips and thighs, but tight on my waist. Plus, 501s are 100% cotton! Elastic-waists (at least back-elastic) and 501s forever!
I try to only buy clothes I love that I want to wear out❣️Preferably organic, hemp sustainable, ethical hopefully - linen, bamboo, higher vibration fabrics that are not polyester.
Cheap poor quality clothing that looks cheap, doesn't last and has no value. I believe in shopping less is more and quality over quantity as the French. Americans especially regardless of cost seem to wear very poor quality clothing.
I know aja said she isn't on TikTok, but there are some good anti-fast fashion/slow fashion communities and hashtags now, like the visible mending videos! People make really cool designs with Jean patches and sweater yarn darning.
I have to disagree with leaving a plus sized garment behind at the thrift store for the benefit of making it available to a plus size person. What if this person never comes along. The garment stays there possibly ending up in a landfill or worst, an oversees landfill, when it could’ve been put back in circulation on a reseller platform at a still affordable price.
About Hermes bags: I’ve always thought people who have them cannot REALLY afford them if they don’t have at least 20 times their value available in investments/cash plus multiple properties and a good income. Because it is never JUST about a bag (or any good for that matter) when it is that expensive. I’m going to sound awful, but to see Hermes bags sitting on anything other than custom built cabinetry really doesn’t make sense to me. All I’m saying is: regarding luxury, there’s a reason Bernard Arnault is currently the richest man on Earth.
Would making my own clothes be more ethical? I am a decent sewist and I wonder about that. I'd also love to know how to source eithically made fabric. x
And you could prob sell them on Depop now for $$. I'm 40 and I embrace the 90s trends coming back, but man I see some things in ultra hip vintage shops for a chunk of change that I think to myself, ok back in the day that was just a kind of whatevs totally un--hip shirt.
Sometimes... You just got to be okay with the fact that your clothes look worn. Some of my clothes have stains (damn you balsamic vinegar!), and I just keep on wearing them. If YOU care about my worn clothing that's on you, not me... But I am not buying a new short because of a lil splatter.
It’s not just paying the living wage that you need to think when you look at these ethics, you also have to think about the security of the workers. Work conditions are as important as their salary at the end of the month.
As a cobbler its always nice to see us mentioned in the sustainability conversation!
Some bonus tips:
1.Check the lining! Often companies make the outside portions of a shoe leather, and then use a cheap PU fake leather as the lining. This will start to flake off eventually and is basically impossible to repair (Short of recreating the shoe entirely). Shoes will generally have a sticker indicating the material of the upper, lining, and sole, either written or marked as symbols (diamond for "man-made materials", a cowhide shaped symbol for leather).
2. If there is a fancy/unique piece to the shoe, ask if the company provides replacement parts! This could be anything from rhinestones, chains, zippers, hardware, heel wrap leather that matches the upper, etc. It's unlikely that a cobbler stocks a perfect match, and it can totally change the look of the shoe. Generally the more expensive brands are much better about this (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Marni come to mind recently)
3. If you are buying second hand do not be afraid to give the soles a good tug. Old shoes can have glue that is fully dried out, rubber soles that are cracking or crumbling, etc. Almost always repairable, but potentially as/more expensive as the shoes themselves.
Great tips! Everyone should have a good cobbler. Mine has extended the life of many well-loved shoes, and do repairs and good maintenance that can prevent damage (like adding grips to the soles).
If I could’ve chosen a trade, cobbler and jeweler would have been them. I wish my job gave me that kind of knowledge on quality products. Our last cobbler in my city just closed his shop so I’d have to find a cobbler an hour away in the next closest city. It’s really sad.
I had the first thing happen to me! I bought leather boots but the sole started to completely separate from the top in less than a year and it clearly wasn't repairable and I didn't understand why.
I wore and abused my favorite pair of heels. My local cobbler fixed the sole/heel in about an hour and I get to keep loving my heels knowing how to take better care in the future :)
Y'all are great :) 👠👠
My boomer mom has had the same pair of sunglasses since the 1970s. She has always said that if you wait long enough, stuff becomes fashionable again!
They have to be quality to last for decades! I only recently gave up on drugstore sunglasses made to go over glasses because they keep falling apart.
To bad you buy glasses now and they break 2 years later
Boomer mom.. what does ur other moms say
When Aja Barber mentioned feeling physically ill at the mall after experiencing where the abundance of clothes wind up - it really hit the nail on the head of my experience working at Starbucks. I was like "oh, I get like one plastic cup every once in a while when times are good so is there really a waste problem?" And holy crap did that change when I realized that my store was going through milk jugs faster than we had time to sort the trash from the recycling so everything became trash. Next was when WHOLE boxes of cold cups come damaged or get dropped on the floor and then 30 cups go straight in the trash. This is the industrial side that comes well before individual choice. Did you know that EVERY food item is individually wrapped in plastic? Which are all held in cardboard/plastic and stored in freezers using fossil fuel... Yeah, I quickly learned that my individual choice was not the scope of waste...
As a knitter that recently made my first sweater… I’m stunned by how exceedingly low the cost of fast fashion is. I used to think a ~$70 wool sweater was pricy… buying the wool yarn alone is commonly more than that (particularly if you are purchasing from a small ethically sourced business). It makes me reevaluate the cost of everything in my wardrobe, and the reality is that a significant portion of what I own is because it was financially within my reach and not necessarily because it is something I wear commonly.
Same! I'm currently working on my first sweater and I think I spent about $100 on the wool!
100% this! I've only made one sweater, but factoring in the material and the time it made me realize why $200 for a nice sweater isn't actually the insanity I once thought it was - the insanity is actually $20 for a knit sweater because it becomes so clear to you that someone has been grossly exploited for that price to make sense.
@@justinedraus2010 Agreed! And apparently the exploitation is even worse for crocheted products! I've read that while things can absolutely be machine knit (and often are), there are no machines that can replicate crochet stitches so cheap crochet products are a sure sign of exploitation.
@@bernadettejohnson7430 I do crochet, and had to stop selling items/ taking commissions because people don't understand the time and cost that goes into a piece. I was barely meeting costs of production and pretty much donating my time to make the pieces I sold. I would constantly get dirty looks or even called out for unfair pricing. I can't comprehend how crochet items are being sold at shein for a small fraction of what it would cost to make them fairly.
@@norageallowed I 100% agree! My mom crochets and I really have to wonder how much she actually makes when she sells at craft shows. I know she buys her yarn on sale but like you said, the time it takes to make a piece, even if she does a lot of work in the down time of her main job...
It makes me so sad to think about how crocheted items can be sold so cheaply by big retailers and it is certainly not something I can support.
“Never get caught wearing the same thing twice” is one of the most absurd mindsets. It NEVER made any sense to me. Money saving, wardrobe space, and sustainability are certainly important, but even with all those aside, my question is this: if you love an outfit and feel great in it, wouldn’t you *want* to rewear it?
I’ll certainly, and eagerly, rewear outfits that I love. I mean, I might not wear it again in the same week, but I’ll certainly rewear it at some point. Seems incredibly silly and nonsensical not to.
Agreed. I am plotting right now on what event I can find so I can rewear this beautiful dress that I bought last summer that is simply stunning and makes me feel absolutely giddy lol
Chic, upscale, old-school women buy quality garments, wear them forever, and become indelibly defined by their signature look. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
@@marievento7316 Exactly! I was always taught to look at the quality and for longevity when buying clothes. Plus, I’ve always been a bit averse to “trends.” Not because I wish to be contrarian, but because styles rapidly going in/out of favor seems impractical.
I rather haphazardly packed a duffel bag last June and have been managing w the contents of that bag (plus a couple of needed cold weather additions) since then. I don't have an outfit for every occasion, but for my day-to-day needs, I'm fine. I do look forward to freshening things up a bit in the near future, but it's been an excellent lesson in simplicity.
I rewear again and again. Some pieces I've had for 25 years.
I had linen pants made last year. I wanted some for years, finally I found a seamstress, chose the fabric and fabric content, and ended up paying less than the transparent, not fitting pair I had seen at Zara. Now I have pants that are flexible at the waist, have huge pockets and fit perfect. I will wear them for a decade, at least.
Edit: I'm in Brazil, so even paying whatever she asked for, the seamstress was relatively cheap.
I've been thinking about trying this! I don't have the patience or skill to sew my own from scratch, but I just want ONE pair of linen pants that actually fits
@@stuffinsthegreat My skill is not up to par either. I would have to make two mockups minimum to achieve what the seamstress did with only my measurements. It is worth to pay for skill.
Not tumble drying and washing on delicate has definitely extended the life of my clothes.
I don’t even have a dryer lol. I have so many clothes from high school and that was 2014/16! Might not look as hip but I’m happy that way
I have never used a dryer in my life and i have a lot of clothing items i still frequently wear from 10 years ago. I am pretty proud, ngl.
As someone from the UK, my parents didn't get a tumble dryer till I was around 16 and it was just for sheets and towels lol. I have since moved out and I will probably never get a tumble dryer. Cloths hores and washing lines are waayy cheaper, better for your cloths and planet
and washing in cold water! Very few things get washed on hot or even warm--basically sheets, towels, and very rarely something super soiled (if it's sturdy enough)
Try also washing your clothes inside out. I had 3 tshirts I bought in Paris decades ago. One is still going. The friction caused the inside to wear down a bit in terms of colour...It was put onto this many years ago and it so works! In addition to laundering carefully of course and taking care of your items. I hand wash some things because cannot trust the 'wool' cycle which actually means treated wool that has polymers in it to stop felting.
The most annoying consumers of fast fashion are ppl who justify hundreds of dollars of purchases w “being broke”
Yeah and this applies to more than just the clothing industry. Hell, you can go to the thrift store and purchase gorgeous clothing and home decor pieces for very little. It takes a bit of time to get your bearings and know which thrift stores offer the best what.
@@Lacouxalso poshmark and eBay and marketplace, it's so easy to shop second hand online these days. Pretty much any item I want I'm able to find second hand
yeah those people so obviously have no idea what it's actually like to be broke
"i'm living paycheck to paycheck" well yeah cause you spend it all on copious amounts of clothing and fancy new tech
Yeah, a "haul" to "save money" is a contradiction in terms.
I studied clothing design 10 years ago and learning about the issues of ethics, exploitation, and environmental disaster made me fall out of love with the industry. I’m devastated it’s only gotten worse.
"we will be unpacking consumerism for the rest of our lives" so true 😭. Also am sick of this being put on me. Instead of creating ways to solve the problem, sustainable fashion has just created a new way for people with disposable income to show that they could afford it. A few years ago when i first learned about sustainable fashion, i started looking down on brands like HM despite the fact that today, while I don't shop there, a lot of the clothes i bought there have actually held up and this has helped me be less snobby about buying second hand clothes from those brands. Like either we buy them or off to developing countries it goes.
“I was buying from a place of inadequacy and it wasn’t bringing me joy” Aja, why don’t you come to my house and call me out by name
I have been trying to slowly phase polyester and other synthetic fibers from my wardrobe and it's insane how hard it is to just find clothes made of natural fibers these days.
Same here! I can't stand polyester because of its skinfeel, it traps moisture and heat and odor and I am trying to purge my wardrobe of it and purchase natural fibers but they are so difficult to find!
Would love a TFD collaboration with Bernadette Banner! She’s all about sustainable fashion and making, repairing, tailoring your own clothes.
Yes!
My wife adores Bernadette Banner, and she was part of her inspiration for her vowing to not buy any new clothes. Now she's started a home business as a seamstress, based on sustainable fabrics.
That would be an amazing collab! Also just wanted to say that watching her video on how to add pockets to clothing was a game changer for me.
Agreed! The amount of labor that goes into clothing is underappreciated and she knows more than anyone how much work quality fashion takes.
Happy Commuter. Yes, to bring in Bernadette, or Karolina Zebrowska, or Abby Cox into the conversation. There's also another great young woman V. Birchwood who talks about historical fashion and modern fashion. Definitely recommend her channel! 👍📱
I love having pieces in my closet that I’ve had for ages. I’m super proud of the closet I’ve developed.
One aspect of "sustainable" that really needs to get addressed, and is affecting our quality of life as consumers, is the issue of manufacturers skipping steps in the creation process to then on paper be "greener". I study fashion history and fabrication casually as a hobby and a common problem I run into with "sustainable" clothing lines is that often all the excess dye has been left in the garment after it was initially dyed, instead of rinsing out the excess. If you ever buy something that says "wash before wearing" that literally means they left the dye in and it is not safe for your skin to be exposed to that much excess "loose" dye that will rub off the fabric and onto you.
Non-green brands I've found, by contrast, continue to produce clothing that is dye-fast (again, beware; "natural dyes" often means they are not fixed to the garment and shed from it whenever exposed to moisture) or that was given the final rinse to reduce run-off. This does not mean you should buy from them over more ethical brands, but I am very annoyed at how the companies paying fair wages and "saving water" is becoming the new cover for saving money by skipping critical steps. I ruined two dresses recently, because I washed three dresses together on the cold setting and the "sustainable" one bled in blotches all over the other two. Think about the waste there; you buy one garment that is "better" for the planet and the workers at the factory, but then it destroys two other garments you were actively using... So then I had to go out and obtain new clothes to replace the ruined clothes.
Overall this ramble-comment is just to say it's important to never take a word-concept and just trust it. Always question it's legitimacy and always understand there is no such thing as an inclusive "keyword". As Aja says here; eco-friendly is a separate concept from providing a living wage. There could be companies that do both, but it should never be assumed that because the company says they do one means they do the other. Also it's important to note that eco-friendly, sustainable or other green-vocabulary words DOES NOT mean it's healthy for your consumption; it means it's healthier for the environment; dyes with less pollutants mean the air and water are kept cleaner for everyone and everything around us; but that does not mean the dye is healthy against our skin, or that it's ready to wear; always be cautious and wash new clothes; include a "color catcher" sheet in the washing machine and examine it after the wash; how much dye came out? Next time you wash it; is there less dye bleeding out or the same amount?
(Last bit / tip; Indigo dye continuously bleeds out of a garment with every wash and that is normal and safe for that material; it's why your jeans fade over time; if they never fade, then that means there is a different chemical other then Indigo which is keeping your jeans their current stable shade of blue)
I love that you mentioned not using dryers for clothing. I grew up below the poverty line, going to the laundromat weekly to wash our clothes and we hung almost everything up to dry in our home-on doorknobs, in doorways, etc. My clothes (even though they were lower quality) lasted so much longer than they do now that I have a dryer in my home. I still have dresses from high school that I wear (I'm in my 30s). 😂
Leena Norms is a really great TH-camr who is passionate about ethical fashion and does videos where she shops her own closet to make fun and interesting outfits !! I definitely recommend for anyone passionate about ethical fashion as well as having fun with their clothes!
I personally, stoped shopping fast- fashion after the collapse of the building in Bangladesh- as I was completely turned off by the behaviour of the big brands towards the victims in that horrible disaster. However, now I realize that I was able to make my own personal stand against fast- fashion because I was living in an urban area with a lot of choices, variety and options. Now, I live in a more remote area and it is more difficult, as there are not many other easily accessible choices. For me personally, the problem with a lot of the small brands available online is that they are not inclusive in terms of accesability, sizes, colors and even styles.
Yes same here some ethical brands i love cater to smaller bodies so I can't find stuff that fits sadly as a curvier body
Something that I think about every time I listen to a podcast or video on 'capsule wardrobes' is my Mom's old copy of "The Secrets of Charm", a 1954 beauty/fashion handbook by the owner of the Powers model agency. The 'clothing' section gives instructions for a basic wardrobe -- not everything a woman would need, but a list of rock bottom basic requirements. The premise was that you had dupes for both summer and winter, so double the numbers -- a summer coat and a winter coat, for example. The basics list was, for both winter and summer: one coat, one suit (skirt suit), one formal day dress, one casual dress or co-ordinating blouse/skirt set, one after-five or evening dress, 'playclothes' (basically sportswear), a hat (!!) to match the suit or coat, and 3 sets of accessories (shoes, bag, gloves) to co-ordinate with the day/casual/after-five dresses. So: you were supposed to own, or at least to buy, 5 items per season, or 10 in total. There were lists of add-ons for 'housewives' and working women -- two extra professional dresses, dressy lounge clothes for entertaining, 'wrappers' or dusters for doing housework, that kind of thing. And there was a suggested schedule to allow you to budget for the purchases -- so every second year you buy a new coat, and in the alternate years you buy a new suit. But even with the add-ons and the clothes you'd have bought two years before, you would still not have many more than 20 items in your closet in any one season.
I'm sorry this is going to be such an enormous comment -- TLDR, I know -- but I think the changes are based on a number of things people don't talk about much. Women in the 50s and even the 60s were usually living on the edges of the household budget. Even if you had a job, you were still budgeting tightly, because credit and layaway weren't that common for consumer purchases. You would have needed to whittle your clothes budget out of the family budget -- from which you had to dress your kids, your husband, and yourself. So you needed a plan and a justification, too -- I NEED a new coat, I can't keep wearing that old blue velvet number to entertain your boss, because his wife's seen it a dozen times in the last 3 years, and they'll get funny ideas about us if I look shabby. Flexibility and having your own money -- and your own credit card -- meant that women could and did shop for themselves: by the time I was in high school the expected number of clothes had doubled or tripled.
Having a list of items you want/need has also really helped me stop impulse buying and trend shopping!
Also having the opposite is also true. If you end falling for the same type of pieces, but never actually wear them, they aren't worth getting, whatever the quality/aesthetics/price
Samuel Vimes and the boot dilemma REALLY drove home the cycle of cheap and cheaply made purchasing for me! Soooo cool that she mentioned that!
It's such a great metaphor, and then people do the SHEIN equivalent of buy 5 pairs of the cheap boots with $100 rather than buying the expensive boots. Like, guys, are you serious?
Your guest mentioned "taking the time" for certain clothing care. Taking the time requires HAVING the time and with the way the work week works here in the US, many cannot afford the time to take care of our clothing. She also mentioned tailoring. I've never had it done outside of prom as I cannot afford it. The drying rack was practical and we have one in our home that we frankly need to use more often. Loved the book rec and have added it to my list and will look for it at my local library soon!
22:57 avoiding tumble driers is also gentle for the environment ^^ I love using clotheslines.
Volunteering at a thrift store as an antidote to over consumerism is such a good idea
Yes but most of the volunteers are opportunistically grabbing the quality stuff, when the poor people don't get a look-in.
I wouldn't mind but the volunteers could afford to pay full price and they're sneaking out the good stuff.
It's an ethical issues. IMO.
@@deborahcurtis1385 this totally happens at our local thrift stores too . Wish it were different too but we gotta start somewhere .
@@muiawat Start by staying away from thrift stores and leave it to people who need the quality stuff.
@@deborahcurtis1385 there should be a rule against volunteers buying anything on the volunteer day- but I guess then there would be no volunteers. That would require volunteering purely out of the goodness of one’s heart.
@@catmq2729 Volunteering is supposed to be 'entirely out of the goodness of one's heart'. I am appalled at how selfish and opportunistic many are becoming, then justifying it as supposedly 'normal'. While I had a decent income I never shopped at thrift stores, reasoning that others needed the stuff more than I. Also I donated quality items. I'm sure I'm not alone, but saying that it's extraordinary to be altruistic is just wrong. Society is heading in the wrong direction. IMO
Yaaaas I love this conversation.
I am trying to not buy clothes this year, and I have been washing all my clothes on delicate cycle in cold water and air drying for years. And I am slowly learning how to repair more and more types of clothing or alter them to fit me better. I have vintage clothes in my closet and I love owning clothes older than me.
Also Loved the Terry Pratchett reference! The Vimes Boots theory is incredible and ends with the point that The Poor Man who buys the cheap boots spends hundreds more on boots in a 10 year period and still has wet feet whereas the Rich Man who can buy the more expensive boots still has his first pair and dry feet.
try putting your clothes on hangers they fall properly then and you do't alway need to iron them.
Please collab with Justine Leconte. Thank you and you're welcome.
I enjoy her channel. Watched her fast fashion video this morning.
Yess I second this 🙌🏾
Yess! ❤
Yes ❤
Yes please
Aja Barber is so dynamic, learned, and funny. Such a great guest.
Ok, I read this book last year and I am so excited to listen to this interview. Changing the way I consume clothes has really forced me to change the way I consume a lot of other goods. I have to keep the conversation going in my head so I don't fall back into bad habits because the advertising is literally everywhere. Thanks for the interview
Thanks so much for the video. Can Aja come back and just list stores that are not fast fashion?
Thank you for sharing this interview. I used to be a big consumer fast fashion and secondhand stores. Where in Eastern Europe fast fashion killed most of the secondhand stores by imported charity stores stuff from England( mostly Primark shit). Now we have a few thrift stores, most secondhand stores priced higher than the original store… what I try to do is to buy only 1 piece of clothing monthly for better quality and wearing it as long as possible: I do buy online secondhand, some fast fashion (I allow myself 4 pieces yearly out of the 12) and some quality or ethical brands.
After losing weight this winter, I donated all my clothes because they were three sizes too big, I refused to shop in the stores for fast fashion, I have spend months thrifting my new wardrobe, everything is well made and a good ethical name.. I saw in my search a lot of fast fashion too on the thrift store racks lots of Shein….Zara etc…most of it looked cheap, looks like it would fall apart… I had patience and thrifted the best wardrobe… I will never buy fast fashion again… I paid little to nothing for my new wardrobe… you just can’t beat it
This was a very informative and interesting interview. I am one of those 'over 50' women who has several pieces of clothing that is 20+ years old (I can count on half a hand how many times I used a clothes dryer). Lastly, I checked out Aja and Lora Gene's clothing line and can honestly say it is absolutely fantastic-quality fabrics and creative design concepts at a fair price. This just goes to show it is possible for clothing to be made without resorting to using sweatshop tactics, cutting corners on quality, or charging exorbitant prices.
here are some of my tips for keeping your clothes nice (functional) longer
-machine wash on cold (i wouldn't be able to explain it well but hot/warm water doesn't actually make your clothes any more clean. if i remember right cold water actually cleans it better) and on gentle cycle. i only wash my towels on normal, everything else is gentle
-if you use a dryer, put that on the gentle cycle too. heat wears stuff down pretty quickly.
-if your laundry loads aren't getting fully dry in the dryer, those dryer balls are a lifesaver. it's weird how much of a difference they make.
-SKIP THE FABRIC SOFTENER. it's not necessary at all, and the way it makes your clothes softer basically makes the fabric thinner and flimsier over time. plus it's a waste of money.
-dryer sheets are a scam
-like they said in the video, a clothes drying rack or clothesline will do the least damage. i do use the dryer for most of my clothes but anything that's on the more fragile side i hang/lay flat to dry.
i think that's all i have now, but if anyone has anything to add please do!!!
Should we wash our bedding on cold and delicate as well?
Yes to all of this. Warm water for clothes, as far as I understand, was really more of a consideration for white clothing back in the day. The bleaching effect helped get the whites whiter. But with modern day laundry detergents, you really don't especially need it even for that. I wash everything in cold water. It holds up better and it saves a little electricity.
As a knitter, I'd like to add for sweaters/knitwear*: dry flat, preferably pinned to shape on a towel. In knitting this is called "blocking" and it's basically magic how good it makes your garment look.
*technically t-shirts and a lot of other contemporary garments are knit fabric, and while hanging them to dry will stretch them out over time, I never bother drying them flat
On the subject of hand-me-downs, with fast fashion poisoning the consumer landscape such that affordable/cheap clothes last for 1-2 washes tops, today’s clothes can barely survive to become hand me downs. Fast fashion is terrible for poor people as much if not moreso than those who can afford real clothes, which are getting more expensive and rare in comparison. The missing middle of relatively affordable but not dirt cheap, unfancy but well constructed clothes is vanishing.
It’s taken me a month to knit a sweater. 40-80 hrs. If i were to be paid $7 an hour (below federal minimum wage and not livable) it would cost $280 for labor on the low end. Then, add the yarn. I use natural fibers a majority of the time, so yarn can range from $90-$250 depending on how much I need and what the design is. It really puts things into perspective, how much work goes into things when you start making them instead of buying them.
As you shared, Aja, about your awakening volunteering at a charity shop, it reminds me that a big awakening for me has been learning to mend my clothes. I've learned this technique to patch a hole where you go over it with thread horizontally and vertically to make a weave of fabric over the hole. It's amazing, and so gratifying to learn. And it's really time consuming.
It's opened my eyes to noticing which pieces I find myself constantly mending. Sometimes I debate mending something because I got it so cheap. It doesn't feel worth it to put so much time into repairing it. Especially because those are often the pieces that need mending so much more frequently because they're made of low-quality materials.
So it's shifting my thinking when I buy. My new metric of if something is "worth it" is if it's high quality enough and if I like it enough that I can see myself taking the time to mend it when needed over the course of its life.
It's horrible. Cannot even thrift without that stuff overwhelming everything else.
At this point I want to know how to identify clothes (online and in person, if possible) that were manufactured before this era of poorly-made clothing.
My favorite local thrift shop won’t accept ANY fast fashion
@@ifetayodavidson-cade5613 Examine them inside out for quality finishing - seams, hems, etc. examine for broken threads (NO), matched patterns at seams (YES), and educate yourself about fiber-feel, as many older garments are missing this info
Dude, my nifty thrifty is choked up with LuLaRoe. Blegh.
I work with second-hand clothes, and the amount of shein we throw into fabric recyling is abhorrent. Plus, I've learned a lot of people straight up don't do laundry. I can't believe people literally buy disgusting thin polyester rags and think it looks cute.
I knit a lot of my own clothing, which does make me appreciate the individual items a little more than store bought, but i never understood the "never repeat" sentiment. There are some items that I love so much I can't wait to wear it again, I just can't fathom the idea of being like "that one's done, next!"
In middle school I had a handful of outfits I liked so I wore them on rotation. The girl that sat behind me noticed I worn the same thing over and over and started making jokes about it. She would walk into class in the morning and say “oh I see you’re wearing your Wednesday outfit again.” It didn’t make me want to change but it stuck with me how toxic she was😂
I feel like the the concept of disposable clothing and diet culture are very connected. Anecdotally it seems that many people see clothing is disposable because they don’t see their body as being permanent yet, and we are all waiting for our bodies to be “perfect“ before we invest in clothing.
Connected to this is when assugj a moral value to us being a particular clothing size, which if our weight or shape changes we try and squeeze into that garment adding a huge amount of wear and tear t seams and construction (especially if it's poor quality) to hold onto our perception of ourself at a particular size
Can you have Justine Leconte on? She would provide a great perspective.
I second Justine! Her videos on sustainable & fast fashion from working inside the fashion industry are great.
Justine just did a fantastic video overview of the fast fashion industry on her TH-cam channel and it was amazing!
Thanks for introducing Aja Barber. I was able to check out her audio book and I’m almost through it in one day. I was already trying to move to sustainable fashion. But hearing all the ways fast fashion exploits not just the workers but other cultures and communities. It was a real eye opener and inspires me to consume less and more thoughtfully.
Omg the colab I've been waiting for!! I love Aja and her book! Can't wait to listen to this later today
I own some pieces of clothing that are genuinely older than me. Shirts I inherited from my grandmas which were even bought or handmade in the 70s/80s and I wear all the time. Also yes to going to the charity shops in rich neighbourhoods, lol!! I found a glorious Johnston of Elgins cashmere/silk turtleneck once at a charity shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, for £5.99. I couldn't believe my luck, I snatched that thing so fast I barely even checked if it was my size xD
I relate to the feeling of not being able to keep up to trends as a teen. I was working class growing but whent to school in a upper/upper middle class area. I got bullied for my clothes. When I got the chance to get my own clothes in sixth-form and university I use to buy a lot of fast fashion. Over the last few years I have satarted to shop second hand more and look in to the ethics of the clothes i like through the good on you website. I currently have a 4 seasonal capsule wardrobes. When i need to replace things i go shopping with a iteam in mind then i buy the most ethical option available to me.
During my corporate career, beginning in the 80s, we were all quite happy to have ten different work outfits. This was enough to wear each one only twice per month or so. It was unthinkable to wear an outfit just once, if we bought something that turned out like that, we would consider it a total shopping failure. Everything was of such good quality, I miss that so much. Most of today’s apparel is absolute crap, it’s all made of plastics, to which I have skin allergies. I have to shop at the Premium High Street level to get anything decent. Because the prices are much higher, I buy fewer items and choose them with great care. I’m currently having to replace my entire wardrobe because of permanent weight loss. I’m happy to be healthier and slimmer, but it sure is expensive, I need everything except socks, footwear and accessories. It’s just not possible to go from a size 16 to a size 6 and wear the same clothes, only some simple skirts could be altered. Really, I’ve had to completely remake them, cutting them almost in half. Most of my old wardrobe was 20 or more years out of style anyway, but I still have sticker shock, I never bought an entire wardrobe in a few months before.
Spitting facts!!!! So true about having a personal style and how the fashion industry makes you think you have one but ultimately just want to make you buy what they decided for you.
And tailoring is amazing. It makes you appreciate clothes so much more and makes them look soo much better. I also never tumble dry my clothes. And stopped buying fast fashion.
Love Aja and all her work! Thanks for this wonderfully important discussion
We also need more size inclusivity in ethical fashion 😢
The Loud Bodies Brand she mentioned has everything from XXS-7X. Also, custom sizes are available if you reach out.
Didn't always see myself as a major fashion gal but body image issues, the quest to find the perfect combo of clothing that always looks/feels great and suits who I feel I am every day, and more Yd has resulted in overbuying (even though I stick to thrift or quality brands). An odd solution/experiment I came across was to put EVERYTHING in bags or boxes except a few basics, wear those 3 - 5 things as much as possible, then pic out one more thing from the bags/boxes and see how many combos I can make and how long I can wear what I picked with the original items before taking another item out of the bags. It's pretty contrived and maybe a sign my life priorities are out of wack, but it has been interesting so far and can recreate that draw of shopping (which is probably what I need to let go of in the first place though).
Hard waistline!!! This makes total sense!!! Thank you. I like soft/ elastic waistline. We need our stomach and abdomen to breathe and that needs to expand and contract every like 6 seconds!!
I started so late to get clothing at the thrift store. But the clothes have lasted me years and still going strong.
So glad to see this TFD-Aja Barber collaboration! And, very timely after the Earth Day and Rana Plaza anniversaries.
So good to see Aja on this podcast! Her book is a must-read.
I never tumble-dry my clothes, unless I want to deliberately shrink something before hemming. The hot dryer ruins clothes, especially anything with Spandex or elastic.
Wearing one of my favorite pieces today: a Lands End Drifter sweater from the early 90's I thrifted about six years ago. 100% if you must buy something, go for quality not trendy. And take care of it.
I love second hand shopping in Paris!!! My favorite! Great unique pieces!
As an Eastern Europen I wanna say Zara ain't cheap, but getting something fixed by local tailors is. So if we do get anything from Zara that needs mending, we bring it over to the pros (or at least my fam does)
Sadly it is the other way around in western europe
Clothing companies intentionally make poor quality items that won't last long. I've noticed this with jeans and shoes.
I absolutely love thrifting my clothes!
There is nothing more reasonable than classic bespoke clothing. Yes, it's expensive to order but the fit makes the pieces a lot more durable because there is no tear and wear. If you don't have the money to go to a tailor you can either learn to make your own clothes or you can search the second hand market, buy too big and have your finds fitted by an alteration tailor.
As someone who's planning to get top surgery with the next year or two, my relationship with shirts has a big “???” right now. I’m waiting until post surgery healing to go through *everything* and see if I still like the look/fit of anything
This video just told me i am a 50yo woman at heart lol. I have clothes that are older than I am (the trick is getting clothes from grandparents). My blazers are at least 10 years older than i am.
Aja Barker, I love you, you put so much in perspective
Having grown up poor we had to buy cheap and make it last. It was all my parents could afford, that informed my shopping habits. I still feel that need to buy bulk for cheap but it is a habit I am unlearning. I try to buy pieces that will last, have better wash habits and try to buy on clearance to satisfy that need for the best price. I can afford more in price now but it goes against every grain of my being so it is a struggle.
Furniture and appliances are the same way. The material wears out so much faster than in the past. I’ve seen furniture from the seventies and eighties where the material is still as good as the day they bought it, compared to today where it wears out in just a couple years or less.
It would be great to talk more about mending. I do some basic stuff myself but finding a great seamstress was a game changer.
Good morning and as always, THANK YOU!!!! I appreciate you!
Zara's "repair service" actually helps perpetuate fast fashion, while still getting credit for its "sustainable" initiatives. People are easily convinced that these companies are actually doing something, just because they have "responded" to the negative press. Social Proof ("everyone is buying fast fashion so it must be acceptable/ok") normalizes the quick rise of and pervasiveness of fast fashion. The consumer thinks, "at least they're taking a stand and doing something about it". Doing fact checking is virtually impossible for two reasons: companies are not transparent, and they know that people are lazy. What a great topic, guest and show today!
I never understand, why people claim that they can only afford Fast Fashion, when there is the option to buy second hand. I mostly go for higher end brands like Ralph Lauren, Lacoste or Boss. Yes, I know that not everything is perfect for these brands either, including working conditions and that you mostly pay for the brand these days. However, the advantage of this brands is once the clothing item is used and the price has dropped, they actually hold their value. I bought some second hand Ralph Lauren clothing, wore it for 2 years and then sold it for the same money I paid for. So in fact, I didn't spend anything and the item is still used buy someone else and not thrown away.
I'm not gonna lie, I still buy some Fast Fashion items from time to time. Personally, I really like Uniqlo, Mango Man and H&M's "Premium" Line. However, I mostly go for classic, timeless pieces, that I know I will wear for years. I always think about if I really need a certain item and never buy by impulse. Within the fashion brands, there can be a huge difference regarding materials and quality. As an example, I bought a suit by Mango made of 100 % wool, because it fitted perfectly on me off the wrack. H&M also tested made to measure shirts a few years ago. I bought 3 dress shirts that were made for my frame and I've worn them ever since.
So my point is that we as consumers must be more thoughtful about our purchases if we want to change the systems. That does not mean to totally boycott every fast fashion brand. I won't blame anyone that buys a single piece from Zara or H&M if it is a thoughtful purchase and the item will be worn for years. However, I will blame people who shop mainly as a hobby and for the released endorphines during the shopping process or when the package is delivered. I blame those people who need to do a shopping haul every season and end up not even wearing half of the items.
There was an influencer event yesterday in Charlotte where they sold their effing shein 😂
This was awesome. Truly resonated with me. Thank you!
Fabulous some UK based info and a great plus size brand I can get in the UK.
Thank you for speaking out on this topic! The amount of waste the fashion industry generates is wild, and it's even worse because the major polluters aren't doing anything about it. I want garments that are made to last and produced by people who aren't being exploited. It's almost impossible to find nowadays!
The problem with fashion is the type of fabrics that are produced and used. A young woman who has a YT channel created a video about how to tell which fabrics are which and how to buy the few sustainable available on the market. Her name is Anna Bey. Other than ethical sustainable fashion, she also talks about leveling up inwards and outwards in terms of skill sets and other. I def recommend her channel. I don't subscribe to all of her ideas, some are great to keep in mind, though.
She has a cheat sheet of fabric content, and affordable brands.
@@hameley12 I love Anna! I haven't seen her resources on fabric types yet, though, even though I'm a subscriber. I definitely need to look that up! :)
@Eli Hinze 😅 I was hoping I could find the video link before replying, but she has too many video vlogs by now. I'm glad you enjoy her content too. Have a great week Eli! 🌻
I’m here for the elastic midsection❣️
Ok, one thing that I’m not seeing discussed in the comments but I would be curious is buying clothing for children. I am a single mom, three kiddos, and clothing for ever growing kids gets expensive. And these fast fashion options have been the most helpful to me (primarily H&M and Amazon for my girls- I only JUST found out about Shein the other day lol) But thrift shopping is stressful for me, I rarely am able to find a place in my area that has the right size, and something they like and isn’t “fast fashion”.
They don’t have an excessive wardrobe or a ton of clothes, we have a handful of outfits (which they constantly complain is not enough compared to their friends) but this topic is stressful for me because financially I feel like those cheap places are a huge help? I’m absolutely open to ideas I just haven’t found an affordable answer
Look to see if there’s a kids consignment sale in your area. There’s one twice a year in our area. You can sign up to consign your old things and then if people buy then you get a cut. And you can shop for new stuff on the cheap.
There’s once upon a child in some places, could be similar stores in your area. I’m childless, but checked one out for a gift. They are like the plato’s closet of kid’s clothes. And by buying less fast fashion, maybe that would lead to quality hand-me-downs
Thredup and kiddizen are great places to thrift online, tons of selection, kids can pick out what they want. When I can't find things thrifted I do try to buy higher quality so it can be passed down to my younger kid.
I hated how H&M created the "sustainable line" and I wondered if it was just an excuse to sell somewhat crappier products
Have friends who literally can't find clothes due to size (let alone nice good quality ones) that fit well, AND are strapped for cash. And I can't find clothes to fit well as I've put on weight due to not being proportional (possibly lipodema?)
One of my favorite episodes thus far! Can't wait to read the book
I've been able to hold off of buying new othes for awhile because we emptied out the grandparents so they could move into assisted living so I've mostly been wearing their old clothes.
Damn… not her dragging me about shopping to fill the holes in my life
Men’s 501s are the only jeans that fit me, too. The waist is a bit lower, and more generous, for those of us with poorly-defined waists or pain/sensitivity in that area. I have both a serious back problem and a thicker waist. I searched for women’s jeans for fifty years and never found a single pair that fit, they’re just enormous on my skinny hips and thighs, but tight on my waist. Plus, 501s are 100% cotton! Elastic-waists (at least back-elastic) and 501s forever!
so thoughtful and instructive.
Charity Shop volunteering!! That is an amazing concept!!!
I try to only buy clothes I love that I want to wear out❣️Preferably organic, hemp sustainable, ethical hopefully - linen, bamboo, higher vibration fabrics that are not polyester.
Cheap poor quality clothing that looks cheap, doesn't last and has no value. I believe in shopping less is more and quality over quantity as the French. Americans especially regardless of cost seem to wear very poor quality clothing.
The French buy a ton of fast fashion too, it's a global (western) problem. But I get what you are saying.
Not just western problem, every high developed country where people have purchase power
I know aja said she isn't on TikTok, but there are some good anti-fast fashion/slow fashion communities and hashtags now, like the visible mending videos! People make really cool designs with Jean patches and sweater yarn darning.
I have to disagree with leaving a plus sized garment behind at the thrift store for the benefit of making it available to a plus size person. What if this person never comes along. The garment stays there possibly ending up in a landfill or worst, an oversees landfill, when it could’ve been put back in circulation on a reseller platform at a still affordable price.
100%
It’s better a secondhand garment is purchased and used than sent to the landfill because the hypothetical plus size person never bought it
About Hermes bags: I’ve always thought people who have them cannot REALLY afford them if they don’t have at least 20 times their value available in investments/cash plus multiple properties and a good income. Because it is never JUST about a bag (or any good for that matter) when it is that expensive. I’m going to sound awful, but to see Hermes bags sitting on anything other than custom built cabinetry really doesn’t make sense to me. All I’m saying is: regarding luxury, there’s a reason Bernard Arnault is currently the richest man on Earth.
Fast fashion or not, when u buy too much then there's a problem.
Congrats on 1M!! 🎉
really enjoyed this, thanks!
Would making my own clothes be more ethical? I am a decent sewist and I wonder about that.
I'd also love to know how to source eithically made fabric. x
i still have a few pieces from the late 90s! Still in my rotation.
Same! I'm 41 and still have a few pieces from when I was 16. :) And many from my twenties.
And you could prob sell them on Depop now for $$. I'm 40 and I embrace the 90s trends coming back, but man I see some things in ultra hip vintage shops for a chunk of change that I think to myself, ok back in the day that was just a kind of whatevs totally un--hip shirt.
Sometimes... You just got to be okay with the fact that your clothes look worn. Some of my clothes have stains (damn you balsamic vinegar!), and I just keep on wearing them. If YOU care about my worn clothing that's on you, not me... But I am not buying a new short because of a lil splatter.
It’s not just paying the living wage that you need to think when you look at these ethics, you also have to think about the security of the workers. Work conditions are as important as their salary at the end of the month.
I love styling clothes I have been handed down from my cousins and my mom's vintage clothes!
Excellent video. So very true. 👍
Leena Norms has a video all about dressing for a changing body!
we consume fashion the same way we consume food: too much of both