Top: Zara
Skirt: self-made (with help, I mean, obviously.)
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: Target
Time for another FFB post. This month we're talking ethics, which is appropriate because, strangely enough, I've been thinking a lot about this topic in the past few weeks. And I've been thinking about it in terms of my clothing in particular.
B and I try to live simply. It's not that we're always good at it, but we try. We don't do flowers in our house except for the kinds that we plant because the flower industry makes me feel sick and icky. We don't do diamonds. We try to buy locally as much as possible and we make an effort to not buy stuff we don't need (I struggle more in this area than B). As someone with my particular educational and personal background who is currently working and living in rural Central America, it's hard to not be more aware of where things are made, especially clothes.
I've already talked about the americanas and I don't think I've really gotten through the ethics of those just yet. But let's talk new clothes for a minute, shall we? Like, maybe we should talk about my Zara shirt and the fact that Zara's been using child and slave labor to make its clothes in Brazil.
I'm not naive enough to think that they're the only retailer pulling such stunts. I don't do American Apparel, Forever 21, or Walmart because I don't agree with their business practices (similar to Zara's). I'm not the MOST educated on this, but I try to use what I know to help me make better shopping decisions.
I don't care so much if things are produced in the States, because I know that there's a need for jobs abroad, but I do care about a certain level of justice when it comes to working conditions. And I realize I can't always know what these conditions are like. I'm tempted to stick to the thrift stores, though those bring another set of questions (US American consumption, for one) but I think making clothes can be another way to fight the man. Maybe?
We'll see how my sewing class goes....
