This week has seen two events which highlight important issues at the heart of the clothing industry. The first is this week's Meet the Manufacturer, the second the release of the documentary, The True Cost. My conclusion from these two events is that we, consumers, need to take more pride in the skills that we have in this country and be prepared to pay for them by buying high quality British menswear. If we do not, and we buy only cheap clothes, we run the risk of funding unethical, unsustainable factories that are dangerous for their workers.
Meet the Manufacturer
Meet the Manufacturer finishes tomorrow at The Tobacco Dock in East London. This event brings together buyers and manufacturers of British-made textiles and clothing. An excellent conference schedule has seen Patrick Grant, Caroline Rush, Christopher Nieper, Nigel Cabourn, Emma Willis and many others discuss the challenges and delights of making in the UK. If you don't know who these people are, don't worry, they are the top of their game in making and exporting British-made fashions and textiles.
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| Turnbull & Asser in Gloucester |
To make a financial success of such a business is a challenge. What was common to many of the speakers was their pride in making in Britain, their pride in the skills of their workers, their care for their workers and their belief that British products are top quality. Some advocate managing higher production costs by making and selling the high end products that we have the skills to make in the UK.
All put a very high priority on their workers' welfare and training. By buying good quality British clothing we support this country, maintain skills, can take pride in our clothes and (in general) know that the people who made the clothes have been fairly paid and treated.
For more information, see Meet the Manufacturer
The True Cost
This brings me to the second event of the week, the release of the documentary 'The True Cost' which asks who really pays the cost of our buying cheap clothing. The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in 2013, in which 1100 workers lost their lives, highlights the problems; with some British high street retailers using factories with questionable employment safety and welfare practices. These retailers buy their clothes from such businesses so that they can meet the demand for cheap clothing here in Britain.
Consumers want cheap clothes so that they can fill their wardrobes, give themselves choice and save money for other things. We need to promote the sustainability of buying clothes which last and have been made by well-paid workers. This is a question of education and documentaries like The True Cost will help to bring about such changes of attitude.
Meanwhile, we should try to buy British-made clothing (or from US, Australian, Italian, or wherever we live) so that we can be sure that most workers are well-paid. Their welfare is worth paying for.
For more information, see The True Cost
This article touched me , My shoes are made in England, My jackets are made in the UK from UK cloth, My shirts and trousers are made in Italy from Italian cloth, my socks are from the uk made from New Zealand merino wool.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to live a considered ethical life of quality over quantity but this costs around 5 to 10 times more than the made in China/India that is every where.
So I am committed to conscious commercialism.
Thank you, Darin. I appreciate the point you make. In general, we're more affluent than we have been before (in Europe and most of the western world) and this brings us responsibilities to those less affluent. It's difficult and not easy.
ReplyDeleteA separate issue is that better quality brings longevity and better fit and style to the clothes we wear. Why not buy less of better quality?
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
GF
I showed the trailer to my children (I'm of the age to follow this blog, but still have three under the age of 13!). The trailer really upset them, meaning they saw the injustice, and the absolute hypocrisy of the fashion industry and the whole idea of "fashion", at all cost. The Gospel of Consumerism. Materialism run wild. Sad, as it's impact can be seen everywhere. Clothing. Housing. Etc.
ReplyDeleteVanity and pride over style with manners is all that seems to matter these days. We live in a disposable society. As someone who supports worker co-ops and the co-operative business model, not to mention local business over massive corporations, the fashion industry, in terms of what the trailer speaks to, is a disgrace. There is a marked difference between the "Fashion Industry" and the more artisan "Clothing Manufacturers". We need a collective return to our artisan roots.
"Small is beautiful". "Economics as if people mattered". E.F. Schumacher had it right. Generally speaking. Buy local. Support local business, including local clothing manufacturers, who take pride not only in what they make, but in how it's made and where the cloth and materials come from. They also care about their people, their employees. Most anyway, paying a just wage for services rendered.
When the motivation is not purely profit, maybe things will change. But the masses want this junk.
James
I worked in an office on Jermyn Street for seven years so used to pass the various retailers on a daily basis. At one end you have shops selling 4/5 shirts for £100 and the other £200-250 for one shirt (ready to wear not made to measure). Clearly the latter will last longer probably look and fit better but it's a tough call to pass up the 4 for £100 offer! Consequently educating people of the true cost is very important so decisions can be made armed with all the facts.
ReplyDeleteThe old adage 'less is more' whilst mostly true, unfortunately conflicts with our current disposable society mentality.
All a bit glum really - I'm off to look at the shirts in Emma Willis's window!
Andrew, many thanks - I have to agree, it's not easy and it is the disposable mentality that needs to change.
ReplyDeleteThanks also James - it's a matter partly of education but, I agree, most people just want a lot of possessions, junk or not. There's a lack of pride in owning something well-made.
GF
Isn't there an issue here with the global fashion industry being so big and so much of it having been outsourced to countries with the cheapest labour (and often the most exploited workers) that it's simply no longer possible for the West / the more developed countries to make clothes in volume? We have lost the factories and the skills etc. and these are not easy or quick to replace, even if the required demand existed (which I don't accept).
ReplyDeleteI personally buy clothes and shoes made in the UK and I'm happy to pay a premium. However, if we are to face up to the problem we need to accept that people are now used to the high street selling clothes for low prices and there isn't going to be a mass movement to buy clothes made locally because it's 'the right thing to do'. Instead there needs to be pressure on the likes of Primark and New Look to source their products ethically and to prove this via some form of recognised certification body (as with Fairtrade for food), which would properly audit the supply chain.
I'm not writing this from a position of great knowledge, just personal interest, so maybe this has already been tried? I would like to watch The True Cost to see if any practical solutions to this problem are offered, other than urging consumers to buy more ethically, which is only going to have a limited effect in my opinion.
Well I just discovered, after purchasing one, that the current Mainline "Military Pea Coat" is made in China. The tag is tucked inside one of the inner pockets. The quality seems fine, but I was surprised and more than a little disappointed given Mr. Cabourn's public stance.
ReplyDelete