Are the Victorians Responsible for Fast Fashion? Ft. Dress Historian Dr Serena Dyer
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
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-CITATIONS-
[1] Godey, Louis A. 1887. Godey’s Lady’s Book. Magazine. Private Collection.
[2] Newbery, John. A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy, and Pretty Miss Polly. 1760. Book. London. British Library. www.bl.uk/coll....
[3] Lewis, Ann Frankland. 1775. The Dress of the Year 1775. Watercolour on Paper. Los Angeles, CA. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. collections.la....
[4] A Lady in Full Dress in Augt, 1770. 1770. Etching. The Lady’s Magazine. www.npg.org.uk....
[5] Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine. 1862. Vol. 10, No. 57. London: Samuel Orchart Beeton. archive.org/de....
[6] A Woman Sewing. 1853. Etching. The Seamstress, or the White Slave of England. www.google.co.....
[7] De Ban, Jules, and Lucile. 1922. Design for a Woman’s Day Cloak-Mantle. Chalk, Ink, Toned Paper. London. Victoria & Albert. collections.va....
[8] Marty, André-Edouard, and Paul Poiret. 1922. La Belle Affligée. Print. New York, NY. New York Public Library Digital Collections. digitalcollect....
[9] Jacovleff, Alexandre Yevgenievich, and Paul Poiret. 1920. L’Heure Du Rendez-Vous. Print. London. Victoria & Albert. collections.va....
[10] Robert Church & Roberts Limited. 1914. Clothing Manufacturer Photo Album with Emphasis on Female Garment Industry Workers. Photograph. Langdon Manor Books. www.langdonman....
[11] Lucy in the Dressmaker’s Workroom, at the West-End of London. 1858. Etching. Private Collection.
[12] Punch. 1845. Cheap Clothing. Etching. Punch, Vol. 8, 1845. archive.org/de....
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Okay I need to say this because it’s been on my mind for two years. I am a thrift store worker. The number one reason I don’t put clothing onto the rack for resale: is dirty. I get rid of 90% of clothing donated to my thrift store because donators don’t spend the brief amount of time needed to send their things through the washer and dryer. If you want to be sure your donations will go to a new home. Wash it, dry it, fold it. This will drastically change how thrift stores work.
Edit: THANK YOU to all of those who wash your clothes. We many thrift store workers appreciate it.
I agree. I volunteer at a charity shop here in England and we have the same problem which is very unfortunate.
I manage a charity thrift store, this is so true. We have to get rid of anything with pet hair, dirt, dust and stains. We have no way to wash everything, so it would mean the world if people washed their clothes before donating.
And I feel really thankful for working where I do, all of my clothes are bought secondhand or make by me.
I always send washed and dried clothes. I can't be bothered to fold something i don't do myself
My boyfriend works the donation door at our local thrift store and he talks about this all the time. Sometimes if something dirty is a name brand, he'll buy it, bring it home, n ill clean it/repair it and then gift it or sell it again. I got some nasty stains out of a 90s Channel jacket recently, that was a good feeling knowing it could have just been tossed.
@@sarahburton3110 I so agree I volunteer at charity shop to and last week one of the volunteers I worked with that day with told me why they still wear gloves (I did not think to ask where they are because I am a idiot) and she told me that some people were clearing out old house and there were three notable bags of clothes inside bad number 1 was clothes stained with shit and smelt like it too, bag number 2 was the worse because the people who brought it in put wine glasses in it and didn't mention itso naturally the glasses broke and their hands got cut to pieces. and bag number three? dirty underwear. Like this is a extreme example but a little care when you put things together for donations goes a long way
i always die a bit inside when a youtuber does a shein haul and goes on and on about how good the quality is, meanwhile i can see all the unfinished edges and can hear the shitty polyester crackling in the mic. people really have no idea what good quality is anymore.
I have to admit I’ve never watched one of those partially because they sound disgusting but I just I wonder how they can even put some of those things on in front of a camera I would be afraid of walking down the street and just ending up naked after 15 steps
"It isn't literally falling apart! Such craftsmanship!"
_One wash later_
"I stand corrected. Welp, into the garbage chute."
Before I knew how ethically awful shein was, I saw one of this and thought I could give it a try since it was cheap and good quality. It's probably the worst clothes I've ever had. The only decent ones were a pair of socks
The bar has been set so low for clothing quality that you need a excavator to get to it 🙄
honestly yeah but at the same time i've seen some spend $30 on a skirt and complain about how expensive it is and how its not worth the price and i'm just like??? that's like the absolute bare minimum you should be paying??
i was at a fair admiring a sellers small batch dyed yarns; i noticed small photos of individual sheep pinned up around various batches. i asked. the seller KNEW the NAMES of the sheep, how old they were, and even volunteered that the wool wasn't the same each season!!!
I'm on the fibre and textile circuit in the UK, and this is totally a thing. I have an Alpaca fleece I bought from a vendor at Yarndale who have a petting farm and the fleeces are by products that they sell to supplement their income. I got to meet the alpaca who provided the fleece. It was awesome, though he was very tired and moody after being 'on show' all day for selfies and children of all ages.
Love love love small businesses for this reason!! Everything's so personal, and you can tell the owners' and workers' passion is in their work! They love what they do, so they make it their purpose :)) Also hand-dyed yarn is the BEST
As a spinner and knitter, since I started doing those things I have become so much more aware of the creation cycle of clothing and how little people nowadays know of it, and how precious fabric should be and isn't.
I grew up on a sheep farm in New Zealand and I can tell you the wool does change year to year. You get different density per fleece based on weather and how good the grass is that year. Unfortunately now lots of wool just get binned because it is too expensive to process. That drives me crazy.
Oooo, I run a sanctuary and do this with my babies wool and if it can't be spun I'll leave the wool in a pile and let the birds pick at it for their nests
okay...dating myself here, but i remember even in the early 80's seeing things in stores and saving my money for MONTHS to get it, and the satisfaction of going into the store when I'd finally managed to save enough babysitting money to get that item. It was still there, in the store, on the manequin, sometimes even on sale because it was end of season. Now it seems like if you like something and you don't pick it up right away, it's not there when you go back. It feels like we've been brainwashed to buy buy buy before it's gone gone gone. 😣
Yes! I would go "visit" my jacket, or whatever it was
Yeah you don’t get chance to save your money to buy something anymore, if you did it would be gone somthing else in its place
Oh my gosh! Same experience here lol working all summer to get that particular shirt or what have you for school in the fall. And then taking care of it so you had forever lol
I was fortunate that I had a fair amount of spending money, although not enough to just throw it around. It was the same for me, though. Those things I feel in love with were prizes to cherish and additions to a carefully constructed wardrobe and they lasted for years! I had a few less avante guard pieces that I probably wore for 15 years. I have a wool cape that I still wear today. I was an men's X Small (they actually made those then!) so I could get almost everything on clearance.
This part. This is one of the biggest marketing ploys now I feel like. Since they produce so many different clothes, things you like don't tend to stay around often so you're likely to miss out on it if you don't buy it right then and there. It's just another method in how they get you to keep buying stuff all the time. I had to work hard to get out of "impulse" buying because I'd buy something I had only a slight interest in to avoid missing out and regretting it later only to hate it or not want it anymore once I had it. it's a terrible cycle.
My mom talked about working in a clothing factory as a child in Hong Kong in the 60s or 70s, it's not clear when since all she told me was "I started working when I was nine" and that's really kept me from ignoring the cost of all the fashion available to me growing up in the west. She had tinnitus from the loud machines and knew how to fold all the plastic bagged shirts pants etc by muscle memory. When my friends cluelessly try to sell me on how great they think Shien is, all I think is the cheapness means there's a human cost. The low consumer price of Shien means the high impact on folks like my mom. Buy less and mend what you already have before mindlessly consuming, please.
My mom thankfully did not have to engage in child labor (except to help her family on the farm) in mainland China, but she entered the garment factory once she immigrated to the US in her late 20s. She may have done sewing in her early 20s in China. Not sure. Even though she was always paid minimum wage and health benefits, sometimes she was mandated to work overtime for several weeks in a row in order to fulfill client orders. Thankfully that’s not normal and usually she has a M-F schedule. Even then, my mother always complained about how tired she was. Her back would hurt from hunching over the machine. She also had a long commute and operated a carpool for her colleagues who didn’t drive as the factory was outside the city. I grew up to like the style of the clothes her factory made for their own brand (one of the few factories owned and operated by an actual clothing brand). She always told me,don’t waste your money buying from this brand. They sold these clothes for $100-200 a piece. Meanwhile my mom would sew so many garments in an hour just to make $10 an hour. It made me conscious of the profit margins and markups and the human cost. That my own mom would have to work 10 hours just to afford one piece of clothing from her own employer. Yet in 10 hours time, my mothers hands would’ve touched many pieces of clothes.
I ended up learning to sew as an adult and now I fully appreciate what goes into making a garment. Even though I don’t usually keep what I sew (mostly because the end result isn’t what I imagined it would be), I put a lot of emphasis on buying quality materials (fabric, buttons, zippers, etc). I can’t stand the idea of cheaply made materials. It ends up being a very expensive hobby and not much to show for it. I usually give my handmade clothes to friends or I sell it to a thrift store. Hoping to avoid landfill whenever possible.
I just can’t stand places like Shein. It may be questionable whether high end brands use sweatshops or not. Hard to say which brands use ethical factories. But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Shein engages in sweatshops. How else can they afford to sell clothes for $5?
My entire consumption model has changed. Anything I buy, whether it’s from the dollar store or luxury store, I have to absolutely need it or want it enough where I wouldn’t throw it away right away. Because I dare not buy something with someone’s life in vain. Child labor, sweatshop labor, all the unethical practices to directly harm the worker’s life. I cannot under conscience buy something knowing I would throw it away the next day. It hurts my heart to think anyone could sacrifice their life to make something that consumers would find so disposable. Such a lack of care or meaning or understanding. Ughhhhhhhhhh
I heard about the nets being installed around factories to prevent suicides, kids sewing labels into GAP kids clothes they'll never get to wear while being paid very little (or nothing), the collapse of a building in Bangladesh that was manufacturing clothes for major brands like Walmart Kmart and half dozen others, the women (perhaps a few men as well) were forced in at gunpoint by the police the day after a massive crack appeared in one of the pillars on the first floor. were so many killed and many more were injured, many lost limbs and would be unable to work in the future. As the sole income earners for their family that would be a problem and the company's whose clothes were being made in that building all refused to pay compensation to those people and their families. It would have cost something like $2,000 per person to take care of them for the rest of their lives and not a single penny was paid out. I can't support any industry that treats people as though they're more disposable than the garments they produce. Unfortunately at this point though it's difficult to find clothing that's responsibly made and material to make your own is absolutely ridiculously expensive. I'm sorry your mom experienced that. It seems humanity has really lost its way....
I really do hate how minorly “poor” people want to excuse themselves in buying this garbage bc “I can’t afford anything else.” To that i say: dont buy anything at all then. Any dress that costs three dollars was made by someone who’s starving, working so hard just to barely live. It isn’t fair to push your hardship onto other people. We need to scale back our lives and scale back our consumption. And we need to fully reevaluate how so many of us are relying on instant gratification of internet purchases. All of them are tremendously harmful to the planet and to less fortunate people that get caught up in the mess.
@@LawnOrnament I see where you're coming from but it's not really easy to find clothes that are responsibly made and I don't know very many people who could afford them even if they could find them.
I made myself a coat about 10 years ago and the fabric just for the outside (no lining or Hardware) was almost $300. I recently checked the price on the fabric and it was $87 a yard. That would make it almost $500 now and how many people have sewing machines or the time to do that?
As far as "don't buy anything at all" I'm pretty sure daily public nudity isn't a thing our society is ready to accept. Besides, the median income in the US is $31,000 with the rising cost of food, fuel, housing, childcare, and the lack of increasing wages it's really hard to tell people to not save money where they can. Almost 70% of households in the United States are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Most people can't afford a surprise bill of $400 without going into debt to cover it.
To tell people not to buy the clothing that they can afford doesn't do anything to solve the problem. It just puts the blame on the consumer instead of where it belongs, with the fashion industry itself.
My mum was a tailor too. I never buy Shien or other such fast fashion. I try to be a minimalist and have few garments, but of good quality and I use them till their "death"
I'm a full time roofer in germany. Workwear is also slowly getting the fast fashion treatment through marketing strategies. Because of your channel I learned how to sew and am able to fix my workwear myself so I don't have to buy new clothing. Neverless I do have to buy new workwear and I do experience the lack of quality over the years. 😑
This!
It's a shame to hear that's happening just about everywhere, especially because a lot of media also trivializes the importance of quality in making and materials
@@comicgeek1870 it really is important though if you are uncomfortable working then you are less safe because it's irritating and distracting.
Denim is not denim any more. My work pants used to last YEARS. now I struggle to find work pants that last a single year
If you're happy to learn to sew more and duplicate your workwear from the worn-out stuff you don't mind picking apart, it may be worth investing in a sewing machine (new or used/refurbished) that can sew through a few layers of thick denim or other thick fabrics. It really shouldn't be that way for heavy-duty stuff, though.
(I'm a motorcyclist and I'm worried that at some point I'll have to start tackling sewing with Kevlar-type fabric to make comfy and quality riding gear for myself. 😕)
I'm a cosplayer. In that community, there is nowadays also a fast fashion element. People will buy a trending sweatshop cosplay to wear at a singular event and then throw it out. To me, that is bonkers, because those are not cheap! That's about a hundred dollars per day per event, no entry included! How are people doing that? I cosplay mostly thrifted or carefully self-made things with a ton of details, because that's what I like. I don't fault people for not being able to do that, buying cosplay is perfectly fine. Heck, I've done it! However, please, RE-WEAR things. I admit I'm not always the best at that myself - but I am proud that I resell things I no longer wear and have not thrown anything away. The point being, consider cost per wear and be smart about it, and thrift whenever possible. Whether cosplaying or not.
THIS!!!! The expectation to have new cosplays at every event is bonkers to me. 1. I love the characters I chose so I love rewearing my cosplays and 2. It’s expensive so of course I want to get my moneys worth and 3. They took my time to create which I also want to get my times worth out of them
I'm not a cosplayer, but I follow some on Instagram and the amount of work going into a costume, the love put into it, makes them wear the costume again and again because they love it and are proud.
This will not be the case for something bought, sadly.
That might be the reason for wearing it only once.
This is why I prefer to make my own. But I've bought cosplay before (when desperate or it was a swimsuit) but I'd never just toss after one wearing. Buy the characters you love and rewear them. They last if they're taken care of. And you can resell if they're taken care of.
Who's going to talk about single use Halloween costumes??
OMG THIS. I bought a cosplay once, and I couldn't even use it because the size was wrong. And I still have it because the character isn't trendy anymore and no one is cosplaying that character 💀is infuriating to see all those cheap aliexpress full suits, with horrible printing and worse quality taking over well made, carefully crafted outfits in events and some competitions 😒
(In a local one, a nameless fullsuit temporary waifu won 1st place, while a full armored guy got 2nd place, yes I know, WTH)
Now I have been working in a cosplay for like 6 years now, and honestly I don't even think I'll take it to a convention ever, because the sole idea of all I've said, is just depressing 💔
sorry i haven't watched this video yet but in india we find out as early as in grade school history class, how during the industrial revolution colonisers destroyed our cottage industries of fine cotton weaving, and forced our cultivators to sell cheap cotton for british mills, and then forced us to buy their mill-manufactured clothing. because they needed quick profits corresponding to the speed of their machine production. so.. yes victorians definitely are responsible for fast fashion.
Thanks for sharing. Wasn't that one of the reasons why the traditional Indian spinning wheel became a symbol for fighting against the colonisation?
@@snazzypazzy yes partly! rejection of british factory-manufactured goods started in the early 20th century. this included cloth but also salt, sugar, matchsticks, etc. at this point the traditional weaver's machines which used to make the fine cottons and silks were already endangered, and the thicker, coarser fabric created in the spinning wheel, called khadi or khaddar, couldn't really compete commercially with factory products. but yeah people were trying to say they preferred khadi to imperialism
It’s called innovation, if it’s so terrible, why are Indians still doing it to themselves today?
If the old ways are better, why isn’t everyone in India regressing to cottage industries?
India is amongst the countries today with the most sweatshops, employing 12.9 million workers.
And it’s not just fast fashion, for many years Dior, Saint Laurent and other fashion brands have been quietly using Indian embroiderers & labor.
Perhaps we should consider all of the nuanced aspects instead of complying with the uni-dimensional strawman stance of woke zealots.
@@royalbloodedledgend F}%^ you very much.
💯 and SUPER important to highlight!
Ok but can we appreciate how Bernadette conveyed the “20th century” consumer 😆
Scrolling 1950s Tik-Tok. 😂
Hilarious
It's the new hairstyle.
Bernadette and her custom tailored outfits that would probably cost >$1,000 if she didn't do them herself.
@@hypothalapotamus5293 : Actually, she has a video that shows her wardrobe. It is very small. She does have inexpensive fast-fashion items, but she takes care of them and has had most items for many years.
As somebody that has never (nor cared to) kept up with seasonal fashion trends, these fast fashion brands make it incredibly difficult to find and buy quality clothes when the clothes you've owned and worn for 15+ years are getting threadbare and spouting holes fast enough to finally call them worn out and need replacement. I _want_ to buy something nice that will last, but online stores for new and used clothes both are full of these things that are made to last _maybe_ one wash cycle if you're lucky.
I spent all day at three malls just to get a decent professional blazer (because I got a little tubby for my old one, alas) and I was just sick seeing all the "fast fashion" junk that is meant to be worn once and then tossed out. Probably most will go to a landfill, because the thrift stores won't want out of season fad stuff, and the working people overseas don't need badly-made festival wear and bodycon party dresses.
Preach. I despise clothes shopping and endeavour to do it as little as possible, but clothes just don’t last as long as they used to. I miss the days where you could go buy a pair of jeans, wear the almighty shit out of them, and still have them last 5+ years.😢
yes!! I feel this so well! I don't like to buy clothes because I 1. don't care about trends and 2. I don't like spending money. so it sucks that when I do buy clothes the clothes are not very good, even when I'm not specifically buying "fast fashion". the people not following the trends still get so many of the downsides
Look up RUclipsrs like Alyssa Beltempo, Justine Leconte and Daria Andronescu, Use Less, and others who are promoting slow fashion - they have brands that they work with and recommend who are much more sustainable for the environment and pay their workers far more fairly than fast fashion brands like Zara, Primark or Shein. Those brands do exist - of course they aren't perfect but it's a start.
Can we talk about the struggle that is trying to find ready to wear clothing made of natural fibre fabrics nowadays? I feel like this pandemic has made it even worse!!
This is one of the primary reasons why I really want to learn how to make good, durable clothing myself, so I can make things out of natural fibers!
It's hard enough to find natural fiber clothing, but now I'm also seeing an increase in "recycled fabric" clothing that is just using more synthetics. On one hand, it sounds like a good thing, but I just can't help feeling like recycling the plastic into more plastic clothing isn't quite the step in the right direction?
@@runeseaks Yes, and recycling fabric requires a lot of water and energy. It’s not quite such an easy process yet. I’m not sure if the process to turn bamboo into fiber has improved either but I remember watching a video years ago and it was a very involved process. So potentially cellulosic fibers like rayon (bamboo) may still be on the naughty list of fibers. On the other hand, I noticed recently that Banana Republic started to use more natural fibers again. They were heavily into synthetics for a number of years. Hopefully there’s a return to natural fibers.
@@SL-lz9jr Lyocell (basically a type of rayon, brand name Tencel) is a bit better. They use a closed system, reusing the water and such , so is a bit better than viscose rayons.
I know. I normally try to get clothes mostly (at least 95%) made from cotton - or for summer some viscose. I don't buy from shein but from the same lower-middle-price-class brands as before but it gets worse and worse every year. Less cotton clothes or everything is 50% cotton and 50% modal. When I finally order or buy something made from cotton the seams are often horrendous! After one wash there are lots of loose threads. I don't know where I should buy clothes any more. At some point when all my old clothes get holes I will have to buy more than one new shirt at a time.
@@runeseaks you're getting a good start by watching Bernadette and all her peers. These people are WONDERFUL.
But you do need to learn the basics, to be able to understand exactly what they're saying. I don't always understand!
Somewhere in your area there might be a sewing club, or a set of classes. That might be helpful.
I've also heard that the plastic in clothes can't be recycled. It's mixed in with cotton/linen/wool, or it's mixed with other extruded-plastic fibres. I may be wrong, but it makes sense to me.
I went to a design college and was fascinated by the apparel design program, always peeking at the students work, taking electives under apparel when I could. But the exploitation, waste, and environmental impact was something I wanted no part of, and went off pursuing my web application design degree instead. Apparel became a hobby. I sketch designs for myself and make a portion of my own clothes, and mend things here and there. I love acquiring skills in couture techniques and have honed my textile judgement. Only now I'm pondering how a professional focus on apparel could actually factor into my life (I'm 40). It feels like such a difficult space, even with more interest, mainly because of what people can afford, or feel they can afford.
I am purely an amateur, but I learned from several younger friends who are also plus-sized how terribly fast fashion suits their bodies. The lightweight fabrics that drape so nicely from size 6-9 frames, are utterly unsuited for a 14+ frame; you need a more structured fabric, or a bit of lining or interfacing. Not just sizing the pattern up and leaving all else the same.
I would really like to learn more about alterations and fabric choices, even if it's only to make or alter items for friends and family. I can see the need for it.
I did a two-year apparel design and development program, with a heavy emphasis on the development portion (stitching, patternmaking, and technical design). My class had a very wide range of ages, only two of my classmates were 18/19, most were 25-35, and a couple were over fifty. This is pretty common for technical schools/community colleges, and I think it makes for a very respectful and professional learning environment. I knew I didn't want to work in fast fashion, but it was super interesting to learn about how the industry is structured, and just how many people are involved in the production of ready to wear clothing. I ended up getting an internship at a tiny local corset company through that program, and now I work there full time as a stitcher/corsetmaker. Small-scale domestic manufacturing does still exist, although it's not something you can get rich doing.
I was definitely on the younger side among my classmates at 21/22, and most of them were there looking for a career change. Some were already working in the apparel industry, and looking to gain skills to further their careers or start their own businesses. Just to say that if you want to go back to school, you likely wouldn't be the oldest person in your class, and a good program has local industry connections to help students find work after graduating.
you could made us IT geeks look cheek (chèque?)
@@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195 The word you are looking for is 'chic'. 😊
I took fashion design to improve my sewing skills and to learn how to make patterns. I was thinking of going into tailoring re-creation costumes. For various reasons, I ended up not doing that, yet I now have greatly improved sewing skills which I use to tailor my own high-quality clothes. I almost never buy ready-made anymore.
I have noticed problems getting good-quality fabric, however. Even before taking fashion design, I learned to spin and tried my hand at weaving. I'm wondering if things are going to get so shoddy that it will become necessary to make our own cloth again. Fortunately, I live up north and wear lots of wool.
I've also switched almost totally to ankle-length skirts, partly as a reaction to uncomfortable pants which get designed tighter and tighter, and as a response to the total lack of dignity in women's clothing anymore. It all seems to be about kitty whiskers and butts, the tighter the better, hence leggings being worn as trousers, pencil skirts, and jeans that look painted on. I'm just fed up with it all. Uncomfortable and undignified. I'll design and make my own clothes, thank you very much. Go back to the styles when women wore pretty, feminine dresses with a modicum of modesty.
Having worked in a fabric production/clothing manufacturing factory [and having had both my lungs and ears damaged as a result] in my youth forever changed my attitude toward fashion. Although now retired from my office job, for decades my business attire consisted of pieces that were 'timeless' and 'classic' in that they never went out of style. Seeing the industry from the inside kept me off the trend merry-go-round because I knew someone, somewhere, had suffered for the 'new hotness' and I just couldn't participate. Hoping this video will make folks stop and think.
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Indeed, though even if you do know the problem exists actually finding good sources that are not guilty (or as guilty anyway) is very very tricky, bordering entirely impossible. You can spend a small fortune on stuff that claims to be good, but its the same junk quality made in the same junk factories with a different brand name. Often one of the formerly great quality old European brands that is but a shadow of itself, and no longer knows what quality means... Though in my case its almost always machine tool and their parts and accessories not clothing, as I don't buy much clothing - however that is still the same problem just in another area.
@@foldionepapyrus3441 I just try to limit my “new clothing” consumption and stick to thrifted or handmade clothing. Even in handmade, it’s hard to say which raw materials are ethically produced. But the idea is conscious consumption. If everyone stopped mindlessly consuming, the industry would be forced to change. They won’t change so long as we continue to buy, buy, buy.
@@SL-lz9jr I don't think that would force the worlds industries to change much - As long as its cheaper to produce in a sweatshop somewhere else, and even 'better' you can claim its ethically sourced all down the chain and charge the massive markup... Too many greedy scumbags will try and get away with it.
Not saying consuming less isn't a good idea though, it just doesn't create verifiable ethics and decent practices in all the middle men or big business. Their thinking being 'somebody has to think of the share holders and stock price!' and isn't it 'wonderful to make 5500% profit by not bothering about our workers safety, the environment, etc any more than we have to for the publicity'
I suppose my "technique" to avoid fast fashion is called "have a slightly older cousin steadily outgrow their clothes from ages 3-16."
Same, and oh, "I've grown out of these shoes but they'll fit another family member and I'll give it to them because they've said they like these shoes.
that's mine as well, except that i am the slightly older cousin and i would wear things far past the time when i would outgrow them
😂 that was my entire childhood. My entire wardrobe was hand-me-downs from my sisters and various family friends. I would like to say it was for ethical reasons, but we were just really dirt poor. I think the only "new" items I ever got were school uniforms.
There was this dress on Shein that I wanted for so long, but I knew it must be a knockoff of some actual quality garment. So I finally sat down and found what probably was the original, and it was on sale! 4 times the price but now I have my dream dress and it won't die immediately.
Probably not made of cheap polyester (think crap lining material for a jacket) and likely with some form of lining?? I've got a beautiful dress from a supermarket that is 15 years old - 100% cotton dress with cotton lining - wear all the time in summer. Now similar dresses same shop but it's polycotton and not as nice made.
Tu at Sainsbury's to all my British people. Very good quality for the most part.
The Vimes Boots Theory is incredibly applicable here. Yes, the garment is affordable for someone low income but it will only last wearing/laundering a few months which leads to having to replace it more compared to a more expensive/better made garment lasting years.
Yes he was right, only the wealthy can afford to be poor.
To finish the explanation - it ends up costing more to be poor than to have money for good quality things.
I think about this all the time. When my family was unhoused we paid more for everything because we lived off of the dollar store. And Vimes is the only cop I trust.
@@shannon1954 Not having anywhere to store stuff you bought in bulk and limited ways to cook and clean really keeps you in the red. It's such a damn shame
Terry Pratchett's School of Economics
I've noticed over the years that the quality of my husband's usual brand of blue jeans went way down. His old pairs lasted him ages, but now I can spend $40 on a pair of jeans and there's a hole in them within a year. And it's not like he's abusing them, either. He's a music teacher!
Often brands make the same jeans but different quality depending on where they are selling it. Levi’s At Nordstrom is a higher quality than the same Levi sold at Walmart.
They are of thinner fabric. That's why
I am so glad you finally have gotten a chance to do a video on this. It is bizarre to think it's been so long but understanding how we've gotten to this point of fast fashion is so needed so we can do better in future. Thank you for this insightful guest speaker and the discussion. Fast fashion has become a unwieldy terrible beast. Let's hope knowledge and awareness will help us to one day defeat it.
The USA has issues treating workers like humans too. My brother works in a window factory here. Over half (closer to 3/4) of the workers aren't legally in the country and work on stolen social security numbers and management knows it because the same guys come back with new names every year. They have mandatory overtime working 12 hour days at times with days off frequently cancelled. My sister's husband works Uber which has few worker rights as well. Both their families buy Shein and Walmart clothes thinking it's all they can afford, and hold onto it. It isn't worn once at all. Worker's rights aren't just terrible in China/Bangladesh/etc. (My state Ohio has no guaranteed breaks or meal breaks, no guaranteed sick/maternity pay or vacations, and overtime can be demanded for however long the employer wants. Wage theft by employers making rules that result in unpaid labor is an issue too)
That's awful! Here, overtime is something the employee can choose to do, not something that is immediately expected of them. Where my partner works they actually have strict limits where they won't let you do more than a certain number of hours per week. They are allowed to bank a set amount per week as "flexi time" so like if you work 30mins more Monday to Thursday you can finish early on the Friday (what my partner does) or bank up the time to add days to your holiday allowance. Though they cap the amount of holiday days you can earn from flexi to stop you overworking.
It really is true that America is basically just 50 3rd world countries in a trench coat.
I'm pretty new to the channel, so maybe it's a question answered in some older videos. I was thinking about that comment that we don't recognize how quality clothes look like, and I can certainly agree that it's definitely true for myself. But I was wondering, how does one cultivate the ability to recognize quality clothes? It's probably a silly question, but I'm genuinely not sure how to achieve it when I had such a poor baseline all my life. The book recommended at the end looked interesting, but I'm not sure that understanding a slice of history is enough here. Does anyone have any advice?
Another You Tuber, Justine Lecont, has done a video on just this subject: "How to recognize good versus bad quality in clothing" (or something like that). But for everyday, average purchases, simply ask yourself before you buy: Will this hold up to a few dozen washings and still make me happy? Is this actually fashionable or merely trendy? Will I still wear this proudly in five years? Is it versatile enough that I can give it half a dozen different looks by changing either the way in which I wear it or the accessories that I use with it?
Natural fibers are generally more expensive than synthetics. They often require a little effort on the part of the owner (special washing instructions, touch-up with an iron, etc.) That's a GOOD thing! It means you have a greater investment in the piece and want it to last. And THAT, in a nutshell, is the antithesis of how fast fashion wants you to think.
i think learning about different materials used for clothing (e.g. cotton, linen, wool, etc) is a good start. and learning the basics of sewing can help a lot too as you will understand what good stitching is and if the stitching is damanged in any way
Hmmm, if I wanted to learn about quality fabrics and such (and you have to touch fabric to learn), I'd go to my local fabric store. Especially small owner led shops will LOVE to tell you what is good, holds up and sometimes even how it's produced. Same for small shops with sustainable fashion, often you may also find a bunch of them at arts and crafts markets (with the owner/tailor at the booth).
For example if you ever visited scotland you have a bunch of opportunities to learn about wools, like the Harris tweed weaving or the local kiltmakers.
On a trip to japan the 2nd hand kimono shops are a dream in touching awesome silks. And many items are even hand sewn.
There are of course fashion museums, but in the shops you can touch the fabrics :).
My Green Closet also has a few videos on garment and fabric quality as well, IIRC.
ngl my quick tip for beginning to get a sense of "quality", quotation marks used because this isnt always failsafe, is to check the seams. check the seams of clothing around places they wear down, like under armpits or between the thighs, and pull on them a little. if they seem like theyre going to tear apart or fall apart in the wash in just a few cycles thats not great.
another quick check is the fabric. theres some helpful suggestions in this thread! but another is how dense the fabric is woven. if you can see the shadow of your hand through the fabric of the tshirt, that tshirt might not last very long! the loose weave of the fabric means it can more easily get caught on stuff in the wash and tear.
Nice deep dive with some fun moments! I don't understand fast fashion. I keep clothes for years and only buy one-two outfits a year. And I really don't like the feel of the more modern fabrics on skin. It's great that you looked at the psychology and mindset that leads to fast fashion.
I still wear a few outfits that I wore in the 1990s & 2000s, and which have come back into fashion. I also use 100-year-old fountain pens, which is REALLY enviro-friendly.
As a kid in the UK in the 60s and 70s, I remember my mum doing 'piece work' at home - piece work is paid per completed piece. She received crates of 50 items at a time...jackets, pairs of trousers etc. She was paid 2p (2 cents) for a finished pair of trousers and mistakes had to be corrected in her own time and at her own expense. For context, at that time a bag of potato chips / crisps cost 3p.
+
Sadly, piecework still exists even in industrialized nations, like the US. Even though it’s supposed to be illegal. My aunt did piecework in San Francisco. This was literally a decade ago. :(
That is so sad! It was the same in the UK
@@SL-lz9jr Piecework still happens now. I have a friend that works for Matilda Jane at home sewing by hand thangs that can't be done on machines, as well as piecing with her assigned machine.
For further context, farm workers at the time got paid 3d an hour for similarly backbreaking labour. The concept of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work has never been achieved for those at the bottom of the ladder.
I would love to get a video tutorial on how to tell if clothes are good quality. Like you've said, our ability to discern what we're actually buying has been skewed, so I would like to learn.
Unless it’s meant to be a lightweight fabric, you shouldn’t be able to see through it easily. Even stitching, if there’s a lining it shouldn’t bunch around hems or sleeves when worn, seams are bound or serged with the threads sufficiently flush against the edge of the seam, and if it’s really high end you want to see blind hems.
Most important is the fabric. Fine Tailoring can't fix bad fabric. Avoid fabrics that are not relatively easy to care for. Avoid fabrics that need fussy cleaning and care processes, unless you like either giving dry cleaners a profit, or walking around clothes air drying in your space. Avoid vicose like the plague, because it's not easy to care for. Natural fabrics are the best, but are becoming difficult to find, and they take a toll on the environment. However, natural fabrics mixed with polyester are hard wearing, easy to care for, and come in so many weights, textures and finishes. Polyester cotton is easy, but increasingly harder to find on the High Street.
Look this: ruclips.net/video/6a5lHAHf0Zk/видео.html Justine explains it really good.
As a senior in high school, I'd thumb through Mom's magazines looking for ideas. I'd then go to the House of Fabrics in Huntington Park, CA and find a pattern close to what I liked buy it ($.50)and then head home and paw through my Mom's barrels and boxes of fabrics until I found one that was right and then make it. Until now, I knew nothing of Shein. However, I have bought 25 years of Harley Davidson t-shirts and sweatshirts and leather stuff because I am not ever going to make a t-shirt of any kind and I've got a lot to wear out. I do make a lot of stuff using wedding dresses, large sheets like satins, saving the laces and trims too - from the Goodwill type stores and ripping, washing and making stuff or just storing until a need arises. Being fortunate enough to knit and crochet, I could live very happily never seeing a department store.
Great video as always and both ladies - you look lovely!!!
I do the same thing! I bought a suitcase of patterns off a friend and I thrift fabric.
What fabric shop sells 50-cent patterns? Vogue is about $30 each.
@@onemercilessming1342 She said it was when she was in high school. Since she also mentions 25 years of Harley Davison T shirts, it was a while ago. . .
@@onemercilessming1342 you can buy bulk patterns if you’re okay with getting what you get for fairly cheap, although I’m sure it isn’t as cheap is 50¢ a piece
I was someone that never had anyone to teach me anything so I taught myself to hand sew in high school. It was a very complicated stitch but it also would outlast the fabric. I would alter or mend the fast fashion in my closet. I've always wanted to make something from a pattern. But where can you get the paper patterns? The paper itself isn't something you can print out of a normal printer. I would love to get away from fast fashion like you & make my own creations.
As someone who is just getting into creating my own clothing (Due to size issues and style incompatibilities with fast fashion.) it's. . . So expensive to cloth myself, even if I do all the work personally. The cloth itself is so marked up right now that I can't get the quality fabrics to put on my body that I would really need to be comfortable and keep my clothing clean and unstained by life wear. . . I default to fast fashion because it's so much LESS expensive, and it sucks to have to resort to it. >.
For cheap fabrics, try looking for used sheets, tablecloths, or large button down shirts at a local thrift store. I have a charming dress that started life as a tablecloth and an old men's dress shirt. It's a bit more looking and you can't be as picky, but it's so much cheaper than my local Joann's even when I have good coupons!
I live in the Netherlands, Europe, and we have an online Market here, where people can sell and buy their stuff, new or second hand. I patiently search on that Market, till I find a person that sells high quality cloth cheap enough for me to buy it. There are people that buy a lot, and then have it laying around for years, often they want to get rid of it to make space, and sell it for a bargain. Maybe you can find a place like that in your area too. Most people are still honest and trusthworthy here, it is rare that I get conned. Much love!
The argument that many people make (as you mentioned) about fast fashion being a necessity for people who don't have a lot of money to spend on clothing has always been a difficult one for me because it seems to be based on the desire to have more clothing than is really necessary. I and everyone in my family on both my mom and dad's side all grew up poor and, because we couldn't afford to buy a lot of clothing, simply didn't. We had a smaller wardrobe of still very affordable clothing that we treated carefully so it would last. They weren't considered fashionable, but they did the job. But it seems like the argument to buy fast fashion, especially from a place like Shein, is coming from a place of wanting a large quantity of very trendy pieces that are going to be worn for an incredibly short period of time because the same fast fashion industry is putting things out of trend within a couple of months so they can sell more to consumers. It's an argument that just doesn't hold its own for me.
definitely agree. and on top of it, Shein doesn't even seem to be that cheap??? Checking the site, most regular priced items are $20+ Canadian, and even in the under $10 sale category, nearly everything under $4 is underwear and very cropped tops, and most everything else in the category are context-specific garments (ie, beach, club wear). Maybe this partially reflects putting summer season goods on clearance, but the aesthetic is reminiscent of what I would otherwise associate with the brand. It's not versatile OR cheap.
I love that you are still making videos about this topic and especially collaborations with such cool people! I do wonder about the last section about how possible it is to increase people's awareness of quality and whether this was really so much more accurate in the past, at least amongst people who did not make their own clothes? After all, and this is definitely not just the case with clothing, people's perception of quality seems to be very easily influenced (see expensive brand marketing) unless they put a lot of time into the subject. At the same time, there are so many of these problems in the world where it seems impossible to make the right choices without thorough research, we can't expect most people to perform such thorough research. I'm not saying that picking a topic to care about and making changes there don't matter or add up, but is it plausible to improve people's ability to spot good quality clothing on a large scale?
I was thinking the same thing. I'm always left feeling doom and gloom after watching videos and not feeling like there is a real, tangible way to tackle these sorts of issues. I'd love to see videos explore tackling spreading education and making real differences in these sorts of topics.
honestly, it is possible to some degree to raise this awareness. here where i live in central europe, at least at the time when i was in school and i believe it is still part of the curriculum, we had classes even in primary school for all children to learn basic handworking skills like mending, crocheting and knitting, embroidery, sewing, woodworking. although it isnt on most peoples upfront this-is-important-radar, still here people seem to have a bit more sense of quality because even if they didnt learn it at home from their mothers, they had some amount of contact with the topic as kids. if something like that can be implemented in schools here in switzerland, it can be done in other countries too.
One of the ways we can raise awareness is sharing the info about good manufacturers and craftspeople. Most people can't perform a thorough research, but the ones that do can share the information that they found. I'd love to buy from ethical, sustainable shops, but I don't know any, and if I ask on my facebook groups people know only a few names and most of the time the clothing is not my style at all sadly.
Sadly it is not easy, even with the internet. We are mostly "preaching to the choir" as Nana would say. Spreading the links of folks like Bernadette, Nicole. Abby, Karolina and all these historical sewers to our non-recreator/vintage family and friends is perhaps a good start.
Many school districts in America have eliminated Home Economic classes. My generation learned basic hand embroidery and machine sewing, as well as how to see through marketing tactics and do price comparisons on grocery and appliances.
Even then we weren’t discussing clothing values; how to identify quality construction and fabrics or how to mend and adjust. Compare that to homemaker books Bernadette has profiled on her channel. I’d say the campaign of ignorance has been long.
I think a large part of this theory is also due to paper printing becoming more readily available. It allowed for the monthly magizine to be printed for a “ frivolous“ topic.
Edit: wish there were more in person classes to teach sewing and making your own clothes or Adjusting clothes more common. Not just an old past time.
When i was working in high school, it was an actively discouraged past time.I would talk to people who have a button come off of a shirt and if I said well do you at least know how to put that button back on their attitude was usually that’s what somebody that’s cheap labor at a dry cleaners is supposed to do for me…. Note I was a dry cleaner manager for four years. I was mostly lucky that when I did have to do something super basic like that it was usually because somebody had hand issues
@@FioreCiliegia I’ve learned to hem my jeans since being 5’ is a bit of a pain at time. I can only hem straight leg, not flare but it saves money. Zippers are quite intimidating
@@xylindria9077 Perhaps buy a bundle of zippers from Amazon, and get remnant fabric from the store. Watch some RUclips vids on sewing zippers. Then practice practice practice when it's not part of an item you're making. That will get rid of the stress of "Oh No, I've messed it up!". You'll be much more relaxed about it when it's just a practice piece and not part of a piece of clothing.
People enjoyed fashion illustrations and photos long before clothes were cheap enough to allow this fast fashion cycle. Machines in factories that mass produce garments make this possible.
@@dsvance1 excellent idea! I see zippers all the time at the thrift store.
That was a really well-structured and informative video you put together. Really cool to see how you bring experts in and let them run freely without it not feeling like a Bernadette Banner video. Good job! And I really like the presentation style of Serena, how she tells a story and doesn't just present facts. Really cool video!
There's another layer of upper class fast fashion that my historian husband bought up: One monarch ( I don't recall which one and my husband has passed away, so I can't ask him) sped up the fashion trends to keep the nobility from spending their money on private armies and cannons, so said monarch didn't have to worry about rebellions.
Louis XIV. The Sun King
I’m so glad you brought up Shein because it and companies like WISH are horrible for the environment and for the workers that it employs. But I’m glad you show that there is historical relevance.
I used to have the Wish app on my phone. I never bought clothing from them because I observed that the sizes were all way too tiny. I also wondered if anything they sold was good quality. My Grandma could look at something and make a pattern. I wish she had been healthy and lived long enough for us grandkids to have known her. I could have learned a lot from her.
@@angelamoore1898 I have never bought anything on Wish. I know about it mostly from dancers trying pointe shoes from Wish. Based off of that, I would say that the quality is very much luck of the draw. There are some okay things there, but no way to predict if that is what you'll get.
I have an antique dress that is decorated with gorgeous green velvet Art Noveau embellishments. Originally it was thought the dress dated to around 1903, but I had an opportunity to have it looked at by a textiles historian at the National Gallery of Victoria and it turns out the dress itself is older (circa 1898) & the Art Noveau embellishments were added later. I love the idea that someone looked at was still a perfectly serviceable dress, and said to themselves, "How can I update this to be more fashionable", and then they decided to attach Art Noveau style curls and swirls in green velvet. Brilliant.
Such an interesting video! The consept of fast fashion makes me sick, especially when it happens in the quantities shein produces it. And even before the desing is being imagined, there has been a shitton things happening, like the fracking of oil to either get the poly-something fabric, or to grow and harvest the cotton. Then all the labour that seem very pointless when the clothes won't even last long. And then the landfill. Earth to Earth and dust to dust amirite?
Anyway, getting back from the sudden spiral into existential crisis, thank you for bringing another interesting fashion historian into spotlight, this was most educational.
I'm actually pretty disappointed that they glossed over that fast fashion is an inevitable outcome of a capitalist system and instead blamed individuals who aren't really the ones driving this system at all. Buying second hands or only buying good quality isn't a solution, even a plaster on this, it's just another hydra head of the fast fashion industry. Boycotts are pointless as they are usually leaderless and without a focused goal other than 'company bad'; unions and collective worker action is the only answer. The fact that unions weren't mentioned once at all is proof of how deep this problem of seeing fast fashion as a problem of individual morality, especially as Mills were the sites of the first organised labour and there are unionising efforts being crushed by these big corporations. What is needed to campaign for the rights of unions as well as repealing all anti Union laws that are holding back effective action. Much of the rhetoric in this sadly feeds the fast fashion mentality of individualism and leaves out what actually needs to be done to bring this disgusting situation to an end.
TwitchyWitch95 I don't think I can post a link here, but if you check 'Der zig fun di klokmeykers' in RUclips, you may like it :-)
I refuse to shop Shien. I will not support them because of what they do with their workers
I'm seeing a lot of Shien in thrift shops. Lots with tags still on too.
Me either!! Bravo for standing on principle!!
10:28 that's what I was going to comment. We can buy fast fashion and still behave in a non-fast fashion way (of course it gets harder because the clothes won't last as long). On the other side, if we buy clothes from sustainable stores, but are still buying something new frequently, we are still contributing to the problem.
I'm so glad I can't afford to buy then throw away, buy then throw away! Even if I had the funds to do so, I would never! I wear and use everything I buy until it literally shreds AND I'm a die hard thrifter first and always!! It's all about comfort for me ... but I'm an old gal too : )) That's likely a differing rub!! : )) Enjoyed your comment! & BB is the loveliest maestra ever!! So proud to share her content with my college students!!
Definitely. I’ve never bought from any of these super fast places like Shein; sounds like they may be beyond use. However I have a lot of stuff from stores like old Navy, H&M, Target that I’ve kept for years. Haven’t found a pair of jeans that can survive my thunder thighs for more than a year yet though!
@@fwizzybee42 LOL ... embrace those thighs ... they keep women warm in the winter!!!
@@fwizzybee42 I've pretty much replaced my jeans with long skirts and leggings (to prevent chafed thighs). Waaay more comfortable than any jeans ever could be.
@@dsvance1 Skirts just don’t really work for me in my lab job. Also personal preference that I’m most comfortable in lightweight, straight leg pants. I tend towards balms for chafing protection as I’m just not wild about the way stretch leggings feel. I know it’s a good option for a lot of people though.
I have students ... majoring in fashion .... who are ultra passionate about this topic!! Love hearing perspectives!
@@urbsketch Yas!! I've lived in a matchbox ... happily ... for 18 years. Love it and wouldn't trade it for anything.🌻
@@ReneesatItAgain Matchbox housing is why I can't be in real estate in the area I am in. They are overtaking the beautiful land.
You've been a huge reason why I've been trying to shop sustainably - if I want a 'fashion' piece, I'll try charity shops or second hand sites. Love the content
Thank you for saying its not the occasional purchases that fuel it.
I literally cannot afford much more than shein clothes. I'm plus size and i only have a kinda ok wardrobe because of shein. I want to make my own things, and have a lot of the skills, but the space and my mental health bar me from it.
I'm so happy im moving into my own flat, because hopefully I'll be able to make more of my own things.
I'm also plus sized. Once I started making clothes- by taking apart a favorite shirt that I loved and using it as the pattern- I found my hand sewn shirts lasted years and fit me nicer. Start slow, by maybe taking in a few tucks or changing the buttons to something different. So much can be done in small steps and little by little.
@@lauralake7430 yep! I'm actually super handy and have made a few of my own things (my living situation inhibits my ability atm) I'm so excited for my own space that i can really have as a maker space.
So many thinks are knowing how to pleat something into a waistband, and having good finishing skills.
Armscyes and crotches are harder, but with a little fiddling and practice are doable.
I'm financially limited and can't ever seem to find time to go clothes shopping in person (mentally as well, I hate trying things on and find I like clothes that just show up more than things I put on in the store and debated), so I've bought a few things from them... usually two orders a year, so 3 total now. I also get a LOT of fake nails from them, cuz I can't afford manicures. I feel bad now, and I don't know where else to shop.
@@janisjoplin7586 honestly, don't worry about it too much. It's "better" if you don't. But it's not your fault you do. Do what you need to do for your own mental and physical health. If you aren't well, you can't help others. And tbh, most suppliers are probably as bad; it's just not as remarked on. Like.. If i wasn't shopping there I'd be shopping primark and argos.. It's the same thing.
Like Laura said; if you can, start trying to diy some stuff.
Maybe try charity shops.
I've started learning to knit!
But these things take time. Be gentle with yourself. :)
@@thegreypoet9518 "Be gentle with yourself." That's exactly it. Do that with sewing, and you can learn. A little at a time. At your pace. You don't have to prove anything to anyone.
I'm a very good tailor/seamstress (not the same thing), but I'm also very slow. And if a seam doesn't come out like I want, I'm fine with taking it out and doing it again. It's a hobby and it's a pleasure. And I'm not proving anything to anyone. I keep at it until it's the way I want, then I enjoy wearing it for years.
I've been sewing for 49 years now. My schedule for a simple shirt or dress -- Day 1: Prewash fabric (if washable). Cut apart the pieces of pattern and press with hardly-warm iron. Day 2: Iron the fabric. Trace pattern onto butcher paper, including all marks. Cut out butcher paper pattern. Day 3: Pin pattern to fabric. Be very careful about alignment. This is the single most important step. Day 4: Cut the fabric/pattern. Day 5: Begin sewing. Press each seam after sewing. Day 6: Continue sewing. Day 7: Usually finish sewing the pieces together. Day 8: Do the detail work, like buttons and button holes. Let a skirt hang overnight before hemming. Day 9: Do the hem and any final touches. Press.
Some could do all this in half a day. I have stress as a condition. I had a "crappy childhood" (that's an actual googable phrase) and it causes stress every day. This is how I sew. It takes me 9-10 days to make an item. So what. It takes the time it takes. Because I allow myself to take the time I need, I find that sewing is meditative and relaxing. And I have nice clothes.
I think the biggest problem we have today isn't so much fast fashion, it's more that we have been taught to consume. We as a whole as a society have been taught since we were in diapers to consume. Everything! I'm going to a dance in a few weeks, I need a dress. Let's go dress shopping. Whew shopping is a lot of work I'm hungry let's get something to eat. Oh look there's my favorite burger joint. Let's gets some burgers real quick. You don't just get your burger wrapped up in paper you get the fries or onion rings to go with in a paper package. You get your favorite beverage too in either a plastic or paper cup with a plastic or paper straw. All presented to you on tray with paper. Once your done eating everything goes in the trash, and continue shopping without giving your trash a second thought. You finally find your dress next you need shoes to go with your dress. After trying on a 100 pairs of shoes you finally find the perfect pair. Now your thirsty let's go to Starbucks and get a venti latte in a plastic cup with a plastic straw. Once that's done you toss that with out a second thought. Now it's time for new make up, gotta look fabulous. While we're out let's get new jewelry, gotta have that bling. Wow that was a lot of work I don't feel like cooking tonight let's order take out. Your food magically arrives at your door in beautiful styrofoam containers with plastic cutlery to eat it with. Suddenly you ate too much and need a tums. Again trash gets tossed. Day of the dance arrives you get your mani/pedi and your latte. Then after the dance is done everything gets ignored until next big event and repeat process. Or just grocery shopping in general. Everything comes in a plastic bag or a box. Even if you cook from scratch. Your items come packaged up and tossed in to garbage again with out a second thought. At the end of the week garbage goes up to the street and garbage man comes and hauls the garbage away. Out of sight out of mind. We are cluess as to how much we consume. I think black Friday and superbowl show us just exactly how much we consume and toss. Not everyone has what it takes to be self sufficient either. I myself am an aspiring homesteader and working towards self sufficiency. We actually toss about a third of what we consume. Paper products are burned and the ash turned into the garden. What can be mulched gets mulched and plastic and styrofoam gets tossed. Even clothes get reused from one kid to the next. With the exception of my daughter, anything she out grows either gets upcycled or donated to charity. Fast fashion is just a drop in the bigger bucket of the real problem. We are all guilty of it on some level too.
May I ask, do you have municipal recycling collection in the US? I think it is near-universal in the UK to have plastics, paper, metal and glass collected every other week. Some areas have compostable waste collected too, and we also have a green bin for garden waste. Because of this, in my household we throw very little away. Just asking out of interest!
@@sarahmillard6401 not where I live, unfortunately. Otherwise I would be separating everything that can be recycled out of my garbage. In big cities they have recycling programs, but not where I live. I live far out enough that we are at the very edge where the garbage company comes out to pick up. The ultimate goal for us as homesteaders is to be completely 100% self reliant and not the system.
@@sarahmillard6401 Sarah, we do have recycling in some States. But sadly, most to some people are absolutely clueless as to how to separate actual recyclable pieces from organic pieces. I was taught from an early age what recyclables were and which were biodegradable and which were organic and good plant food. Where I live people just mix in recyclables with organics and trash in the 'recyclable container' and it makes me angry! Because when the men or women go to pick up the baggie, it will be filled with crap rather than recyclable items.
I've been buying everything without packaging or plastic bags for almost seven years. And try to give my herb garden lots of love. And if I have a container, I reuse it as much as possible around the apartment for cleaning or washing things outside. Thank Goodness we found a farmer's market in our area, not all communities have one.
Honestly you Abby Nicole and everyone have saved my sanity as I started working back in an office this year I decided to buy only second hand/good quality and it definitely has improved my mental well-being to not be constantly worried about what I am wearing. Before I was always too hot too cold too tight too loose now I go all day without thinking about my clothes beyond how amazing pockets are.
Particularly interesting that backlash is temporary, that companies can let the storm blow by and then continue with their practices. Also of note is how the profits from bad manufacturing behaviors put pressure on other companies to compete. And lastly the psychological ploy that pits the desire to be fair and humane against our desire to belong and do well. All important points to remind us that, as consumers, our choices really matter. Thanks for this topic and your channel in general.
I realize I’m a person out of time and step, but I’ve sewn since I was 5, so if I’m going to put out my hard earned money to buy something “ready made”, I always make sure it’ll last several years. I’m proud to say most of the clothing in my closet is 1 to 2 decades old. And 3/4’s if it made by myself or thrifted. Timeless basics, good quality natural fibers. Never go out of style. Plus I don’t care for much of what’s on a runway these days, it looks really ridiculous. But I have to say, this past decade it’s been hard to find ANYTHING in a natural fiber. Hence my last purchase was a decade ago. But I would also like to point out this is not just fashion but tech, cars and appliances. My first washer & dryer lasted 25 years. My second 6 years and this last one didn’t come with a power cord you had to order and pay extra to plug it in. Where do you think all that debris is going? Sad really sad.
My disability got worse during the pandemic when everything was closed and my clothing size went up by one. So I suddenly found myself needing new clothes and with an unusual amount of time. So I got on ebay and bought myself new jeans. Really high quality brands for prizes even a poor disabled person could afford. I know I will be able to wear those jeans for years. I also went through a bit of a gender expression change. I already was nonbinary but through needing new clothes I also found myself exploring new styles and I pretty much got everything even shoes secondhand.
Found an amazing handmade and wonderfully tailored velvet blazer for 10€. Only needed to get two new buttons for it and sew them on. The real good velvet I definitely never have been able to afford ever before and I also found a vest later made from a similar quality velvet. That stuff is so warm and I've got so much use out of it last year and now again during the colder seasons.
It really paid off for me to actually look into myself and what I like and find my style instead of following trends.
I handed down a lot of things to people around me especially some of my partners younger cousins because I always kept my stuff in good condition and they always wanted my stuff anyway so it worked out great.
Does anyone know of places to go for information of the subject of the ~potentially unethically produced~ fabric itself? Making ones own clothes in an attempt to stave off the inexorable machine of fast fashion is wonderful, but when producing my own clothes I have found it extremely difficult to know the production history of the fabric I am making it from. The process seems as secretive and as potentially exploitative as the making of the fast fashion garments themselves. I would love to know more about the production of fabric on as grand a scale as this video addresses production of clothing.
This reminds me of a story my grandma told me when I asked her why she had a weird number tattooed on her hand. She worked in a clothing factory when she was a teenager and her first job there was to stamp the little fabric tag with the shirt size for the men's dress shirts they were making that day. It had little needles like a tattoo gun almost. You can probably see where this is going
One day something happened and she got her hand stuck under the machine and the ink stamped into her hand again and again and again, permanently scarring and tattooing her. People got her unstuck and bandaged her and... she was sent back to work after lunch.
I am so grateful workers rights have come far since then in Canada, but I know it is not the case for much of the world. So much still needs to change.
I bought a tailor made coat from the 60’s, last week in a thrift shop. I have never seen anything like it. I took the lining out to replace it, and study how it is put together, and it is a piece of art. I want to make clothes like that.
I am watching this while wearing a casual jacket I made in 1978 as it is very chilly in my sewing room here in almost winter Australia. It is staggering how often people are changing their clothing these days and the terrible cost to those who make the garments.
Because you've been talking about it before, and also because I'm a uni student with very little funds for clothing, I've taken to repairing my clothing and being mindful of the items I buy. I get clothing around once a year, mostly secondhand. I wear my clothes until they're no longer wearable. And because I'm a fashion history nerd, I'm starting to collect materials (and I have a vintage but still running sewing machine now!) to sew my own clothing.
I'm lucky to live in a city with some still thriving fabric and sewing shops, since it produced a large amount of textiles for North America until around 1985. For the life of me I cannot find a good wool weave or wool suiting fabric, but I'm going to do some more exploring to try and find the hidden gems here.
My Eng Lit survey class this week examined the 1660s journals of Samuel Pepys, and what he spent on fashion was jaw-dropping. He ordered one coat that was 17£, at a time when a typical household staff member would have been paid 2 or 3£ per year. I was amazed to find this parallels the Worth dresses of two centuries later. Part of the point of fashion was a show of wealth, and the current quantity over quality trend seems to be a way to compensate for not functioning at the showiest level. The net losers are all of us when we don't develop the self-awareness to value our time, our selves, and others, as the precious, rare, and fleeting things we are. Thanks for this thought-provoking examination of an issue which we need to spend more time considering and energy addressing.
In my economics degree, we looked at how the price and demand for fabric has changed over time, especially with cotton which has become cheaper to make I think it was mentioned that fast fashion did kind of start in the Victorian era.
There is a company making jeans to order where I live in Germany where you can send them back (and back) to be altered until they fit properly. They have an idea about the life cycle of a piece of clothing that is also mentioned on this channel, and I find useful as a guide.
The idea is that a well made garment will over time also look worn but still be usable. For example a well made, fitted pair of jeans starts life as "your good jeans" only to be worn on special occasions, then casual wear, then around the house or garden wear, then perhaps either jeans 'for messy jobs' or salvaged for usable fabric remnants for another garment or cushion cover or similar.
In addition to taking care of our clothes I find that this idea helps guide when and what I need to buy new.
Thank you for pointing out that abusive/unethical labor practices have been a part of the apparel industry for basically as long as it has existed. I work as a stitcher for a tiny company, and I often think that the market value of my and my coworkers' skills does not match up with what we deserve to be paid.
I do not work in the industry, but I feel that way about tailors as well. People complain about how expensive tailoring items is, which really rubs me the wrong way. I remind people to think about how long it takes someone to complete the task, and calculate their hourly wage based on that. They aren’t getting rich off of you!
@@jordanbelknap9168 Yes, exactly. Tailoring especially. There must be people out there who enjoy doing alterations, but for me, the going rate for hemming a pair of pants does not make up for how annoying it is to do. Modern clothes aren't usually constructed in a way that makes alterations easy, either.
I'm pretty convinced that it isn't enough to *know* it's an issue. We need a solution that we can give people, or it's just too depressing to think about, and we guiltily put another sweat shop special in the cart.
Bring back home economics classes! For *everybody*. Imagine... sewing, mending, and account balancing... that could be useful. O.o
Oh my gosh! Bernadette with loose hair is a BABE!
I think another thing that fast fashion has ruined for people is we all sort of accept that none of our clothing really fits us properly. Like I'm quite short, so almost every pair of pants I buy myself are just too long, and I have no excuse I could hem them shorter just fine but I don't. We sort of just accept that the size on the rack is as good as were gonna get and deal with our shirts riding up all the time because they don't sit with the curves of our bodies, we deal with sleeves being too long or too short, mostly because if we're only gonna wear it once or twice why should I bother spending $50 to get it fixed? It also means that when something fits you properly you don't recognise it and you, in some ways, feel more uncomfortable in something that fits you how it should.
Fascinating talk. As a recovering shopping addict and “have to wear something different” person, your channel continues to educate and inspire me to SLOW DOWN and look for quality not quantity. Thank you to you and your lovely guest.
I first began learning to sew by repairing clothing for my family. I am interested in making my own garments, especially in learning to fit and alter them. I bought a lot of thrifted fabrics to practise with, and regularly make shopping bags or pet blankets that I donate to our local shelter, as well as learning piecing and quilting.
Almost all of my clothing is thrifted, and I darn socks for my husband and myself so they will last longer. And thanks to you, I feel quite good about my thrifty ways. 😸
Same! Spending the time to care for my clothing, or figuring out how to make a mend look intentional, feels a lot more creative than trying to replace it. Particularly if it’s something that actually fits well, or that I love. I’m pretty sure that I’ve mended at least one item every week recently, between me and my kids.
Learning to sew my own clothes has been a real eye-opener.
I darn my socks too. My Mom and Husband think it's a waste of time, and the thread. I disagree... ...I am also mending some old jeans. If you find a pair that fit and are comfortable it is so worth it to me. I am overweight and I try to find second hand clothes because my size tends to fluctuate. I am only just recently starting to sew, for the first time since 9th grade and the hideously ugly Home Ec project put me off trying to improve.
I wish I knew what quality clothing was. I don't mind paying more for quality, but I don't want to pay for "the name of the brand", and it's hard to make the difference 🙄
Single use fashion?!?! This is disgusting!😭 I have to hug my sewingmachine. I cannot remember the last time I threw away a piece of fabric. I sew my own clothes and I love patchwork.
I’m not saying this doesn’t happen, but who is actually buying new clothes every few weeks, and just how badly are they maintaining their clothes (and/or how bad is the quality of that clothing) that these items are falling apart so quickly??? My clothes aren’t from upscale stores by any means, but even so, I have jeans and shirts and things that are over 10 years old and still completely wearable. Is this one of those situations where a few outliers like fashion influencers are having a ridiculously disproportionate impact because of just how much stuff they’re buying, do I live in a weird little bubble unaware of how most people do things, or what?
Look, I get like 90% of my "new" clothes from thrift stores, but clothing in general is kinda making me nausious. Goodwill is charging through the roof because tiktok has made it "trendy" to buy from thrift stores. I don't want to buy new things when I know how to thrift. And I've had to thrift my entire life because of poverty. I was 12 and we thrifted a wool coat. I needed that because before that I was wearing a jacket and a vest and freezing. People don't understand poverty anymore. People who cannot afford a new coat will literally use anything, will wear anything. Yes, I need a new coat now because the insides have been ripping to shreds due to the fact that I've had that coat for 6 years and my body is different, but dammit I will wear that for another 4 years because we bought it on sale from Yonkers. It was expensive.
I found an orange jumper from a thrift store the other week. It was basically brand new and fit me! Me! Plus size me! I just don't understand how people can throw out brand new clothes!
Goodwill is charging up the @$$ for clothing now because rich girls can thrift all the time. I can guarantee you that Goodwill isn't increasing the wages of the people who work there tho.
I think what worries me about shopping for better quality stuff is I have no idea if it'll last longer than the cheap stuff.
Like will the $34 tee shirt truly last longer than the $15 tee shirt? I'd love it if that were something people put in their clothes reviews. You know like "5 stars it 3 years later and I still wear this shirt once a week"
Yes that’s how I feel too!!! So much “high quality” stuff I’ve seen is still low quality, just with a bigger profit margin for the company. Corporations are a plague, especially megacorps. You can think you’re buying food from a more ethical brand only to find out they’ve just been bought out by nestle or something. They really should have to label themselves more obviously, I think it might finally sink in how many options have been taken from us
I think fast fashion also really limits our options. Everything is homogenized with easy, basic seams and little decoration or detailing. When it came time for me to buy plus- sized maternity clothes (admittedly, a niche), I was gobsmacked that the ONLY jeans I could find were acrylic skinny jeans with holes in the knees (with NO POCKETS! ARGH!). Couldn't even find cotton t- shirts. They simply don't make non-acrylic maternity clothes in my size. I bought just enough to not go naked and am now judiciously sewing a few pieces for myself with my limited amounts of energy.
Side note, I have taken tons of inspiration from historical maternity wear that uses lacing, pleating, and belting to grow with you! Genius!
Sought out Our Lady Bernadette to companion me as I cut out a pair of pants for my toddler. From the remnants bin. So proud. Nothing is 100% ethical, but feeling pretty good about my choices today. Thank you, Miss Banner, for empowering me in this, many past, and many future garments. (You and your leather thimble are doing Good Works.)💜
I remember in the 90s when they were complaining that fashion was no longer a season, but a month and soon to be per week. There was no internet like we have now. It was blamed on fashion magazines that used to be quarterly and then monthly and, at the time, weekly.
Thank you so much for this video, it’s a topic that needs to be addressed again and again! To charge the world we need to educate people. One by one if must need.. Again, thank you! 💜
I wish you would have commented on the accessibility issue for those of us that are not “straight sized”. It is hard to find garments that are not “fast fashion” that also allow consumer who are not “straight sized” access to t garments that are currently on trend. Also garment that are “plus” or “extended sizing” always cost more than their “straight sized” counterparts. This also contributes to fast fashion because sites like Shien produce trendy clothing in those extended sizes.
Fast fashion as you call it happens because people have money to buy it and is driven by trends rather than what is just a well made garment. I will always remember what an exciting day picking up bags of chicken feed was. This was mom’s main fabric shopping since she picked bags for the print of the cotton and got those in multiples for how much she needed of that print. They came home, were emptied into the feed box and the fabric was washed and readied for sewing.
It was a brilliant marketing scheme by the feed/flour manufacturers. You were going to buy the products that had the prettiest packaging! My granny had eight kids and this was a source she used to clothe all those children.
Thanks for the eye opening video, I make dance costumes and it's a huge problem to get the fair price for my work.... Also it was really funny noticing the add for shein that pop up into my screen while watching the video
I'm 66 years old and have a limited wardrobe now that I am retired. Basically, I created a "uniform" based on my lifestyle and preferences. I live in jeans and T-shirts with a few nice blouses/shirts I wear over them to dress them up a little. I have my daily jeans and my good jeans that I wear out to dinner or whatever. Since I attend church regularly, I also have several "Sunday Dress" outfits that consist of nice skirts and tops that are also seasonal (Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer) since I live in a cold climate. These double as special occasion outfits, too, like going to a play or concert. I have never been a "fashionista" and have been teased by those older than I (my mom and older sister) and those younger (daughter, daughter-in-law) for having no fashion sense; but I try really hard to purchase things I know I can wear for several seasons because they really don't go out of "style." While I can't afford the highest quality, I do buy the best I can afford. I may add one or two pieces each season when other pieces start to look a little worn and are demoted to "around the house wear." I seldom donate clothing to thrift stores because no one would want my totally worn out clothes! Thanks for this insightful piece; I am armed with conversation ammunition!
The way you treat your clothes is what I aspire to as a young woman. I grew up with fast fashion so I’m still learning to recognise good quality and fit, as well as what suits my needs and style. I think I’m getting better? And I’ve gotten better with mending. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to write a similar comment to yours :)
After having worked in retail for a certain number of years to what a more high-end place even there the quality is starting to get really really bad. The designer handbags that we were selling were made of the same stuff as the handbags that you could buy at your local you know five dollar store and lasted just about as long for 200 times the price. And unfortunately what I have noticed over the years too is that unfortunately for a lot of us that are in that lower middle class market a lot of us want to get something that’s a higher quality but our pay range doesn’t allow for it. When I got a raise in my position it meant that suddenly I needed an entirely new wardrobe because what I was wearing previously was not considered formal enough and it was not easy for me to afford all of those things that I then had to go out and get not to mention they all had to be dry cleaned because that’s how that works suddenly my expenses went way up just because of a pay raise. And in a lot of ways I had to compensate by trying to find places where I could get something that was a lower quality because that was the only way I could maintain my budget for a while. When unfortunately my decent quality stuff does finally die and I’m forced to finally replace something because it Hass to be replaced can’t be fixed anymore I am often put in the position of do I save any money for the purpose of getting myself in a better position in the future or do I now suddenly have to spend 80+ dollars on a new pair of shoes that will last me 5 years, because the only alternative is something super super super cheap and low quality but will hopefully last a year or two if i baby them. In a lot of ways unfortunately even the good stuff now is now subpar at best I’ve gone out and bought some really nice brand work shoes for quite a bit of money and then had them break within three weeks because materials are all coming from the same places. they might’ve put more money into the design and they might’ve put more money into paying their workers which is great but quality materials are still not happening. I’m finding that $200 handbags last roughly as long as $16 handbags these days
Re: working conditions in a knitting mill > I worked in one in the 1960s in Canada. Working conditions were basically the same as they would have been the the 1860s, that's how old that mill was, and so were many of the machines. The machines were LOUD, we had no ear protection; there was dust everywhere from the fibres, we had no masks, no air conditioning and windows were not allowed to be open, because the thread might break due to breeze. Paid the minimum wage, under the eagle-eye of the boss to work as hard as possible. Conditions didn't change until the son of the owner became more humane. Talk of forming union was forbidden. Watch the movie 'Norma Rae' with Sally Field, if you want to see that reality.
This is so wild to me because although I do buy modern clothes, I keep them as long as possible! Can't even imagine throwing something away after one use. Something I find weird though is that quality (which I basically judge by if something doesn't break and if it stays looking nice because I don't know much about sewing/fabric lol) seems so random. I have clothes from cheap high street stores that have lasted me 20 years and I have more expensive things I've bought from supposedly decent brands that broke immediately.
I seem to have more luck with children's clothes, I've found some good brands that seem to last really well. But then my daughter can't exactly keep wearing them for years because she's still growing 😅
Even when you ARE bombarding the consumer with how wrong fast fashion and sweat shops are... some of us literally can't afford to change our habits. I don't buy fast fashion (I'm, still wearing stuff I bought twenty years ago because I care not one whit for what's in style and I'm starting to make my own clothing too) but I do pretty much have to buy tshirts, socks and underwear that were made in some sweatshop somewhere because ... well, if it's even possible to buy socks and undies that WEREN'T (and are any more durable than the cheap stuff), I have yet to find it. And in my job, I need effectively disposable tshirts because I inevitably get glue or paint on them or rip them (I have a hamper of my already painted shirts that I wear for dirty jobs and I keep wearing them till they disintegrate past decency), and even though I do have the skill to make my own tshirts, I can buy three or four made shirts for the price of the fabric for one, and I HATE IT.
Even with North American brands like Haynes and Fruit of the Loom, everything's made in Indonesia or Bangladesh. And I've tried a few more expensive options and now and then I find something domestically made within my budget, but they don't last any longer! I don't believe I yet have the skill to make my own skivvies, and there will be no making of my own socks... so I darn my sweat socks when they get holes, and I sew up holes in underpants until the fabric disintegrates, and I wear patched and painted work clothes...
It is absolutely possible to knit or crochette socks. Wool has anti-bacterial properties, linien and hemp too. It also make these fibres odour resistant
Shein clothing is just trash. I would argue that fast fashion started in the 1990s. The volume of clothing produced has increased by 1000% and I blame the internet and mostly moving manufacturing from America to China, Mexico, Vietnam etc. the ability to lower to cost. When I was in high school I maybe had 30/40pieces of clothing total. Now I have 250. And I’ve edited and edited.
Not sure what "Victorians" have to do with this. This happened all pretty much all at the same time in all first world countries i.e. Canada, the USA, Germany, the UK. A more appealing title would be "the 1800s".
Its “yay new Bernadette video!!!!” And then its “new FAST FASHION Bernadette video!!” Um yes putting the tea on immediately
not to be thirsty on main but bernadette looks sooooo good here
I always felt out of touch with fashion, didn't understod the need of looking a certain way. When i was little i asked for clothes too big for me 'cause i liked the cozyness, and 15 years later i can wear them normally xD Nowadays i only buy clothes once in a blue moon. My problem is shoes. I walk a lot, on non paved path, i need them to last, but i have to buy new every year 'cause they wear so fast :c
A note on the quality issue; I've noticed this a long time ago, not because of fashion, but because of a childhood blanket I still have. Pocahontas was and still is my favorite Disney movie, and I've had that Pocahontas comforter since about 1995 or so, and have obviously washed it several times since I was a child. It's barely faded. I have two different blankets of how to train your dragon from 2016-2018ish, and they both look as if they're the ones that are nearly 30 years old. Quantity over quality has been so awful for so long 😔
I'm also glad y'all mentioned that poor people can really only afford the shein-level of fashion. I always get a really classist feeling when people stare down their noses at other people who can't afford anything other than shein or say, Amazon or Walmart. I'm lucky that I have sewing skills and can make my own clothing, but a lot of people don't have those skills, or don't have the time because they're too busy having to be a slave to capitalism just so they can pay bills.
Anyways, I'm still in the middle of this video but it's been interesting so far.
For better or worse, both my grandmas lived through WWll. They taught me what to look out for when buying clothes; not to fall for trends and always put quality over quantity. Meaning, I'm the kind to wear my clothes until they almost fall apart. Also, people can't tell quality anymore. I bought my woolen, high end winter coat for 45.- at the thrift shop. The pink Nike winter jacket next to it was tagged with 70.-, though it was much lower quality.
Even boots are far from perfect coz you know should know about an accident that happened at marathon. A runner's Nike broke in half in one of its souls and Nike paid nothing to the owner of sneakers. So the carrier of that sportsman ended
One contributing factor today has been the rise of cheap global shipping. Manufacturing overseas for cheaper labor is only possible if the comparatively small shipping costs allowed the companies to make profits.
I would love to see an uprise of cobblers. You can see them in the cities here in the US, but I wish they were more available in ALL rural areas. I’ve met many people with TONS of shoes they rarely wear and keep buying more. Yet, they could get three good pairs and have them repaired.
In prior centuries they didn't have sewing machines. All clothing was hand sewn one stitch at a time. So not only could clothes be sewn much faster in factories but home sewers could make clothes at home. Also fabric no longer had to be printed by hand. It's pretty obvious if you studied history.
I dunno...couture sure seems like fast fashion to me. I have never met anyone who wears something once and throws it away. Most of the people I know buy cheap clothing because they can't afford anything else.
Great video, thank you. So many thoughts.
Idea for more awareness: Perhaps bringing back sewing at the high school level, for the US, and other lower level grades for other countries would help teach people how much work goes into clothing they were. What quality is and that there isn't a short cut for sewing cloths. As in, somebody sewed this, it wasn't a machine that just magically produced it. Once I discovered 'quality' when I started sewing, I haven't even been able to buy items that are 'standard' prices because I am so critical of the fabric quality and craftsmanship. (This might be a side effect of my profession in quality assurance... 🧐)
I will say, having just looked at the shein site for the first time, in addition to the insanely low prices I would suspect that there is a big 'high' that people get from buying cheap clothing. It is fun to find 'deals' and it is great to get 'presents' in the mail.
My grandmother was a young woman at the end of the Victorian period and she reminisced she could sew a new blouse in 45 minutes. She opined they never looked as crisped once they were washed and ironed.
Although I haven't, to date, done much thrift store clothes buying, I have donated clothes still in reasonable shape (no holes, no stains, no major worn [thin fabric] spots) when something no longer fit. I would ALWAYS clean garment before donating. My early memories of clothes shopping with Mom were at major/high end department stores (Lord &Taylor, Woodward and Lothrop, Garfinckel's, etc) during their "post season" sales.
I learned to use a sewing machine and make clothing in a freshman year high school home economics class. It was an elective, no longer terribly popular, but useful. Basic cooking was also covered. After ignoring fashion for most of my life, I discovered a joy in fashion as wearable art. In the process, I have rediscovered my enjoyment in at least the idea of designing and making my own clothes.
Also, I have always gone for classic styles as they don't look "dated" as soon. I have never gone in for the latest trend. When one is used to buying quality garments on sale, one is often appalled at the full retail cost of same and so buy fewer and only as needed.
Seriously though those super cheep clothes don’t last. If it’s the only thing you can afford you’ll probably end up buying clothes way more often and spending more in the long run. But then now even expensive clothes don’t last as long as they should anymore either. It’s a mess. It’s hard to find stuff that will last since just price and brand don’t necessarily guarantee this anymore.
The only solution is knowing how to sew so you can fix things yourself, and also can evaluate the quality of any garment you buy for yourself. But people aren’t taught. And then you have good quality materials like leather being dismissed as bad because of their negatives without thinking of the even greater negatives of other far less durable materials on social media. More animals will often die as a result of pollution from those materials that are labeled “vegan” because they are mostly just plastic with a bit of marketing. Plant leathers might’ve a solution, but they aren’t as cheep or long lasting yet themselves. But then animals do have to die from leather, and now you are contributing to the meat industry too, which is often awful it it’s own right. Which is especially true if you buy that leather jacket or purse only to use it for a season or two rather than as along term commitment to an item made of very durable material.
It’s all a completed mess, and we often fail to look at it through the multiple different layers we have to to be able to fully grasp what we should actually care about.
I can go on about how leather is great and would produce less waste and possibly less animal suffering in the long run, but that fails to account for the super fast trend turnover and how in the current lunate durability isn’t apparent an important factor in many people’s shopping habits. If they bought real leather items that would just mean that they would throw away those perfectly usable things at close to the same rate as the plastic stuff they buy now. That kind of high turnover rate in materials made from animal products might just make everything worse.
And cotton too. Theoretically it pollutes far less that synthetic materials because it’s a crop and not plastic. However, growing cotton eats up a lot of water which isn’t places can’t afford to spare it, and the you have the dying processes that use even more water, and now using lots of cotton leads to even more problems.
We can’t win unless we wall collectively change our clothing habits. No fast turnover. Which means poor people need access to clothing that is both affordable and durable, and middle class and rich people need to stop wearing things only a few times before getting rid of it.
The problem is how this is supposed to happen. You and me, single individuals trying to change all of society by following these principles ourselves helps, but let’s face it, not by a whole lot. It’s like individual car owners being encouraged to drive less when the real problem of fuel pollution are blatantly more to do with large tankers owned by multi million dollar companies.
What about making thrifting trendy? I mean it did get trendy, and that only made it harder for the less wealthy to buy used clothing because prices went up.
Should there be government interference? Should we make companies be held responsible for producing such low quality stuff and for encouraging such reckless buying habits? That would probably take super cheap things off the market, but then we might have to subsidize clothing for those who can’t afford the new price of clothing.
Idk. It’s a hard one.
I remember just a few years ago thinking Banana Republic or H&M must be the epitome of quality because it was so expensive (to me at the time). Now I'm realizing it's just a small step up from Shein or Aliexpress products. I've been drawn in by "it will last you a lifetime" only to have the item start to fray, the color fades, or a simple stain refuses to come out a few months later. I'm now better off than I was a few years ago and I hate that even though I am spending five to ten times what I used to on my clothes (even thrifting), they last the same amount of time and are made of the same scratchy, synthetic fabrics. They have no structure, no lining, and no seam reinforcement in important places; I'm no fashion expert but I can tell these things are needed just by wearing the clothes. So, I, inevitably, regrettably, end up passing my clothes on in search of something that fits better, feels better, and will actually last me a few years.
Tbh at this point it feels less like there's a fashion trend and more like there are multiple fashion trends happening at once
Never browsed Shein but I am shocked at the four pound dress that keeps being mentioned as an example. You can't even get clothing at charity shops for that cost!! And it is actually going to good causes which makes the price even more reasonable.
Absolutely agree with what you say about quality having decreased since the 90s. Having been born near the end of the 90s, I had never held a well made piece of clothing in my hands before I started going thorugh my mother's and grandmother's old things. I went to a thrift store and found the most gorgeous coat, made of a stiff material and actually tailored! with darts and everything! I was blown away. And it looks so much better too! I only then realized that all my life I literally just didn't know any different. and then to find another garment that's clearly out of the 80s, which was 40 years ago, was a miracle. That any piece of clothing could last 40 years without falling apart is beyond me. My fast fashion sweaters dont last 5. That people used to hand clothing down to their family members makes so much more sense now.
My mother still has clothing that she made herself in the 70s and 80s. She grew up poor (post WWII Europe) with one schoolskirt, two blouses, a set of Sunday clothes and perhaps some handed down clothes for cleaning on Saturday. You bet she was very careful with her clothes and took good care of them! Very different from people today.
I was born in the early 90s and was a teenager in the mid-2000s, when after a terrible crisis and poverty decade mass market had been introduced to my country. My parents used to blame me for not being able to treat my clothes well enough and ruining them when I was a teenager, and it’s only now I understand: it wasn’t me, the quality of the fabric itself has changed dramatically. And I have little interest for fashion, I like practical clothes and wear them literally until they fall apart, mend them (because I hate shopping for clothes), and then make something of them when it’s nothing to mend. I guess I’ll have to learn some more sewing as mass production gets less and less practical.
I.... It never occurred to me that hand-me-downs would logically become less common as new clothing became lower and lower quality. I'm pretty sure that literally ALL of my non-underwear and non-stocking clothing in my childhood were hand-me-downs from my sister, who in turn received much of it from a neighbor who was a few years older than her, who in turn had received most of it from HER older sister. For my part, I was quite happy with this system, because every time my sister obtained a garment that I really liked, I knew it would be mine in a couple years. Jealousy whom?
It is far from the most horrific thing about fast fashion, but the realization that such a system is far less common now than it was twenty years ago causes me emotional distress on a personal level.
As a parent I'm interested in your take on fast fashion as it pertains to kids clothing. Many of us talk at great length about how adults do and don't interact with it, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone discuss strategies for avoiding it when clothing children. Buying second hand is the most obvious answer but I think there's a lot of sneaky details. Holiday and special occasion clothes tend to be practically single use items that aren't particularly considered. Halloween is probably the biggest offender, followed perhaps by graduation gowns.
Another tangential component of fast fashion that has caught my attention is the manufacturing of other textiles; literal fabric obviously, but also linens and other decorative items are not exempt.
Ironically, while writing this I've received text marketing from two stores encouraging me to buy fabric and home goods.
Yes I’ve noticed fast homewares are increasingly a problem. And even tech! I’ve seen people say things like it’s been a year so I need to freshen up my space. Or even redecorating for the seasons… Rearranging instead of replacing would do the trick just fine. I’m sentimental so I just don’t get it! And you’re so right about kids’ stuff too. Even just thinking about the craft materials I went through is awful to think about
@@em6644 I often just rearrange my house by moving items from room to room inside of replacing them. It's part of how I remember to clean everything😅
We need third party audits who are powerful enough to interview employees randomly (like via glassdoor) but also set eyes and feet inside factories and demonstrate that the working conditions meet a standard. This might be one of the few ways that consumers can buy up; by knowing a standard is being tested against (like how lifts/elevators should have some traceable history of repairs and inspections, so too should fashion companies).
A lot of consumers are tricked into thinking the clothes are made by machines instead of people
Excellent video! I have a tip, for everyone who's struggling to stop themselves shopping on certain websites. (It can feel like an addiction.) You can instal browser extensions that block websites for you. This helped me to re-focus on my goals to not shop there. After I think a month I lost the urge to check the page, and I haven't looked back. I use leechblock for firefox, it's very customizable, but there are others too. I know there are phone options too, but I don't use those. Good luck!
this was really educational! I'm definitely going to try and get more quality (and less exploitation) in my wardrobe over the next few years. I'm wondering if there's something like Emmy design but for men's clothes.
I knew quality had went down over the years but I was shocked when my aunt asked me if I wanted this touristy “New York” T shirt she had gotten 25 years ago. It was the thickest cotton T shirt I had ever touched but it was still pretty soft for being lost so long lol.