So it’s been a few days since the New Year and I’ve been taking on the frustrating, tiresome, and seemingly unending task of cleaning out and streamlining my wardrobe. Yesterday I cleaned out 4 large bags of clothing to be donated, and yet somehow my closets and drawers are still full.
In thinking about what I want my wardrobe to look like when I’m finished with it, I would like to get rid of everything (except for really high-quality items) that I don’t wear. And that’s a great deal of it–I’d say I only wear about 10-15% of my wardrobe regularly.
Even though I’m getting rid of a lot of stuff, I would also like to make some new additions to my wardrobe. Clothing not only represents your aesthetics, but also about your habits as a consumer. So for 2008 (and beyond), I’m going to try to buy more clothes that are made without unethical labor practices (i.e. sweatshop free) and more clothes made with organic cotton. I’m also thinking about buying organic cotton bedding.
It’s so hard to tell what’s sweatshop free and what’s not. Even if it’s made in the USA, that doesn’t gurantee that it’s made any more fairly than elsewhere in the world. But good ol’ American Apparel is pretty reliable, and reasonably priced, which I guess is why it’s such a staple among college students. And even better, they’ve recently included a few organic pieces into their store.
The organic fine jersey tee comes in a girly or unisex fit and a handful of beautiful and rich colors. I particularly like ultraviolet (as shown above) and galaxy. It sells for $15.
The organic unisex fine jersey v-neck tee comes only in natural, but I think it has a slimmer fit and longer sleeves than the normal fine jersey v-neck. It sells for $17.
For denim, everything made by Loomstate is 100% organic cotton. Since it’s premium denim, their jeans are a bit pricey, and they’re also quite difficult to find. Levi’s also has an “eco” denim line. The skinny jeans shown below retail for $68, which isn’t that bad.
And of course, I’ve also been on the hunt for a solid and sturdy canvas bag/tote that isn’t so frumpy looking. Luckily, after the “I’m not a plastic bag” craze, a lot of designers have been coming out with eco-friendly bags. I particularly like this one by Beau Soleil that’s made from organic cotton and has lots of small compartments/pockets. It sells for $44 from shopbop.com.
As for the Frye boots that I’m still coveting, I’m going to go hunting for them at vintage stores in the city on Monday. I look on wardrobe_remix and it seems as though somehow everyone has managed to buy a pair for ridiculously cheap prices (as low as 25 cents!) at yard sales, thrift stores, etc., so maybe I’ll have some luck tomorrow.
The thing with “sweatshop” clothes is, at least in China, they are actually some of the “best” places people can go to get work. Sure compared to here in America it does seem unethical, but people there would probably kill to get that kind of job.
And while the sweatshops don’t have the best conditions, their alternatives are actually even worse. And they get paid more than what they would have been paid elsewhere for the same job.
:: shrug ::