Seigle works at the guardian newspaper writing about all the quanderies that we might face contemplate as green consumers...Above is her new book 'To Die For' all about what is fashion costing the earth. Her recent article in the guardian,
Why fast fashion is slow death for the planet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/fast-fashion-death-for-planet
took my interest! It displays our consumer habits and how these have changed over the past decade. This particular excerpt grabbed my attention...
"Our ways of buying fashion and our relationship with the garments we own started changing in the mid-1980s. By 2005, academic research was picking up on the salient points. Louise R Morgan and Grete Birtwistle set up eight consumer focus groups, surveying 71 women about their purchasing habits. Nearly all confessed to spending more than they used to, but what's really notable is that they had absolutely no plan as to how long they intended to keep any of their purchases. They also admitted that when "cheap" fashion tore or became stained, its likely destination was not the washbasket, but the rubbish bin. The old way of buying clothes, in harmony with one's income and the seasons, the way people wore, washed carefully and darned, has nothing in common with the way we now consume."
I think it is really important to recognise this difference in our consumption habits so that we can actually evaluate what we are spending our money on. As a designer I do take pride in what I buy and wear and quality and therefore longevity is something that I strive for in every purchase. I was taught, 'A bargain isn't a bargain if you aren't going to get any wear out of it.'... Some say that us northerners are very good at being frugal with our money but in any case I think this is a really valuable lesson to swallow, digest and learn from....
Money isn't something that is always knocking about these days for many people and 'acheiving a look' isn't a top priority, rather looking nice and feeling confident in something that you know you will wear over and over again!
Take a look at the rest of her article at
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