buy ethical badge by heidi & seek
To coincide with the purchase of my new sewing machine, I'm making a pledge to myself to only wear ethical clothing. We all know why, so I won't give you all a rant! It sounds tough but I have sort of been doing this for a few years. Now I'm laying down the rules and sticking to them. No excuses.
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T H E _ E T H I C A L _ C L O T H I N G _ P L E D G E
I pledge to only wear clothing that is one or more of the following:T H E _ E T H I C A L _ C L O T H I N G _ P L E D G E
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1. Pre-loved
2. Handmade (preferably by me)
3. Reconstructed
4. Made with ethical / environmentally friendly materials
5. Made by a company with strong ethical policy & workers' rights
* Companies with environmentally friendly practices (such as cutting down on waste/energy/water) get brownie points
* If I get one little inkling of sweatshop labour, I'm outta there!
* Above all though, I think the most important thing is reducing the amount of things we use in the first place. Not purchasing ANOTHER piece of clothing just for the sake of it is the biggest statement we can make.
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Since I'm so un-trusting of Big Business, I'll probably be sticking to points 1, 2 & 3 mostly. I am trying to apply this pledge to all clothing and accessories, including underwear, bags and shoes, but as you can imagine some of these things will be hard to find. Bras for a start, so I guess I'll be wearing the current ones to death and worry about it later... but i do have a bra pattern lurking around somewhere. (update: ok i just realised what some of you may be thinking... i'm not into secondhand underwear! i was thinking more like organic cotton or homemade undies) My biggest downfall though, will be band tshirts. I'm a sucker for band merch, but at least I wear them for years. Vuori Clothing might be here to save the day anyway, they've apparently started working on band tshirts - Yay. And no more crap shoes! you know the ones i'm talking about, those cute and cheap shoes that only lasted 4 weeks.
I have to admit I feel quite lucky to not be one to follow fashion trends too closely or need to spend a whole pay cheque on clothing. That would make this pledge much harder. So, I would love to hear any tips anyone's got for me. At least I know that if my homemade clothing is turning out all funky with 3 arm holes and such, I could treat myself to some wonderful reconstructed clothing from Heidi & Seek of Melbourne.
Updates:
Ethical Shoe Ideas
Others who have joined in the pledge:
Clutterpunk
My Black Cardigan
MooBear
Little Eco Footprints
Sono-Ma
Textile Industry Reform and the Upcycle Solution
Charismagic
My first little sewing project since getting my new sewing machine: a teatowel bag with vintage bamboo handles.
Also I'm taking part in a contest at Loz & Dinny, I gotta make this retro trim into something fan-tiddly-tastic. But i haven't started! Eek!
x isis
14 comments:
Thanks for the feedback on my stall today Isis. What a bummer I missed you. I had a great day, lost of chatting and a few modest sales so not a bad debut. I like your ethical clothing pledge and can't wait to see what becomes of the trim.
Hope to see you soon,
G
Isis that bag is so so so cool! Please don't tell me that was your first sewing attempt?? I love your new pledge!!
I relate to this whole post. I'm the same with fashion trends, I have to make sure it's a lasting trend (like skinny jeans) before I buy into it, but I generally prefer to avoid them altogether.
I've been doing pretty well with buying just second-hand clothing. It seems that cool tops, dresses and skirts are easy to find but pants/leggings and jackets aren't.
I love your bag, I have yet to venture into bag-making but it's something I'd like to do!
Thanks for the lovely mention.
thanks mrs. smith
raewyn, no no, i've been sewing forever. just had a break while travelling.
hi hayley, i agree, pants are impossible to find but i have accumulated some jeans that i might make into skinny jeans. it really is amazing what some people will throw out
x isis
Ohhhh! You should have said hello! I love meeting clever crafty people alike! Don't be shy next time :o)
Hey, I've only just seen this post. Awesome. Is that your button on the side of your blog? Can I join in?
I've been doing Wardrobe Refashion for the last 6 months and basically I figure I can do the pledge for life. But your five points there summarise what it is all about for me too... and it's also a pledge broad enough that even people who can't sew or refashion (or think they can't!) could get on board).
I'd also like to do a post about this post in a few weeks if that's ok!!
Isis I would love to join in too. What you have written is thoughtful, beautiful and inspiring.
Thank you Nikki :) will be in contact
x isis
Hello Isis. Great pledge. I came here via Gina's site. I'd love to take the pledge also if you are happy for more to join in. I have more-or-less lived this pledge for the last 6 or so months anyway - except one top and one pair of leggings. I regret buying them and it would be great to have a pledge help me avoid such impulse purchases.
Would love you to join in Tricia! I will be in contact
x isis
I'd love to join your pledge, and spread the words to my readers. Are you sharing your button and pledge guidelines with others?
http://www.sono-ma.blogspot.com/
Hi Sono-Ma, you certainly can join in! I will be in contact
x isis
Isis you give me goose bumps. I would be honoured to have your pledge badge on my blog. I need to get my hands on a buy ethical pin!! My business would fall into Number 5. and my family and I live for all points you mentioned... So count the MooBear Team in!!!
xo Steph and Carlos
I just posted "Ethical Clothing Pledge- From Tasmania to Santa Rosa, California Why Our Shopping Decisions Matter", thanks to your support and inspiration, Isis.
http://sono-ma.blogspot.com/2009/11/ethical-clothing-pledge-from-tasmania.html
Thank you!
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