Finding places to shop...

Received an email last week from Wear Pact that they are selling clothes at Target.  Wear Pact is a Fair Trade/Organic cotton company that I have bought t-shirts, hoodies and socks from in the past with varying levels of quality.  This is good news that Target is going to carry some sustainable clothing.  However, right now it appears to be just men's cloths.  So, two steps forward, one step back!

I emailed Texas Jeans to ask them about their factory and workers compensation.  Here is the response I received:

"Thank you for your interest in Texas Jeans USA.  We are still in business for sure!  We have been hard at work to keep up with our wholesale orders and also running our own website out of our factory.  We have currently restocked our website and will be working to maintain a better web presence in the future for our online customers.  

We employ well over 200 workers throughout all of the divisions here at the Texas Jeans factory. We are also a Military contractor that has to adhere to many strict government regulations regarding quality in our work, criminal background checks, and other various rules and regulations to be a contractor.  Our workers are paid very well in order to continue to produce some of the highest quality goods for our military, as well as our denim brand customers.

I hope you will give our Texas Jeans brand a try.  I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality and craftsmanship at such an affordable price."

So, soon I'll be buying some jeans from Texas Jeans USA. (I'm waiting to loose a little more weight.)  Their jeans are really reasonably priced. 

I kept getting these advertisements on Facebook about a company called ModCloth.  I really liked their designs but didn't know if any of their clothing would be made in the USA.  My sister, who has been interviewed in the previous post, mentioned that some of the clothes she has bought there say Made in USA and that they had a Made in USA section.  I emailed them to find out more and here is the response:

"Thanks for writing to ModCloth! My name is Franny and I'm happy to help you today :) When shopping the site, you may find all pertinent garment information, including country of origin, fabric composition, material content, length or heel measurement, and garment features like pockets, listed under the 'Details & Measurements' tab. Simply click the "+" sign next to 'Details & Measurements' and the tab will open up to provide a description of the item, as well as any pertinent size, fit, and composition details.

When shopping on the ModCloth Mobile app, you will be able to find this information listed under the 'Details & Fit' tab.

I hope this information helps! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. And as always, if you need immediate assistance please contact us via live chat or phone (888-495-9699)."

Turns out they have a TON of clothes made in the USA.  Although I do have some reservations about even Made in America factory worker's conditions it's still a step in the right direction.  Maybe with more orders, etc. the worker's will have more leverage in the future.  I ordered four shirts Monday.  They should be arriving soon.

I'm feeling quite a bit more hopeful about finishing out the year. Options are definitely opening up.  There are only two items that I simply can't find a satisfactory outlet for - tennis shoes and bras. 

It's funny that even the Presidential election has been highlighted to some small degree the focus of my blog. Although my whole focus isn't on just buying on USA clothing it has been brought up by a candidate who has a past of doing quite the opposite of keeping the jobs here.  (Do as I say not as I do I guess!)  Here is a link to a New York Times article that goes in more depth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/us/politics/donald-trump-trade.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Quality...an interview with an Expert Seamstress

One of my objectives during my journey was to reduce the amount of clothing I own keeping only high quality items.  However, this goal seems a bit too difficult to reach.  Last week I met with my sister, Barbara Henry for an interview about her experience throughout the years as an expert seamstress.  The interview was conducted at a new restaurant, Finns Southern Country Restaurant. Although it wasn't on purpose it was actually a fitting place (no pun intended, really).  The restaurant's building was the site of offices for the cotton mill that many years ago managed the vast complex that is now the Germantown Mill Lofts. 

Barbara has been sewing since she was ten.  (I'm going to leave out how many years she has been sewing - she might kill me!)  She was self-taught to sew a multitude of things.  She focuses mainly on clothing but does some home decorations.  Barbara is extremely talented at sewing.  I'm not just saying this because she is my sister.  She has been making elaborate wedding dresses, clothing and furniture covers for family and friends for years.  Plus, she has won a LOT of ribbons at the Kentucky State Fair for many different textile crafts including sewing throughout the years. 

I asked her if there have been changes to fabric in the years she has been sewing.  Fabric stores used to organize the selection of fabrics better.  They would have sections of the more classic basic fabrics such as broadcloth, poplin and twill.  Now it seems very much mixed together in fabric stores..  Plus, fabric stores put a lot of emphasis on fleece.  Fleece is much easier for people new to sewing.  Generally, the variety of fabrics is terrible.  This seems to make sense if fast fashion around the word is turning out clothes so fast it's not too much of a leap to think that is happening with fabric as well.   These trends in fabric availability started about 15 years ago.  Again, seems to be influenced on the rapid rise of fast fashion.  Also, if I thought at any point that the solution to counter fast fashion might be to pick up sewing (which really I'm not going to do if I'm honest) these observations about fabric have changed my mind.  Years ago Barbara said it was cheaper to make your own clothes.  But now since clothes are so cheap and the fabrics are pretty lacking, there's really no cost savings to be had here.

In thinking about quality I asked Barbara about which fabrics are more durable, how to identify a fabric's quality and how to keep clothes lasting longer.   Denim and corduroy are two fabrics that are durable.  These are heavy fabrics too.  You don't want a fabric that pills after washing.  (Of course this is hard to really test since you have already bought the item!)  To keep fabric/clothing from lasting longer wash your clothes in cold water and don't put them in the dryer.  The dryer is the #1 reason for damage to fabric.  Which means you'll have to iron.

We took some sample t-shirts to compare.  Two from Target and two from Pact (fair trade-organic cotton).  Comparing the stitching of the first two they were pretty similar.  However, there was more stitching on the Pact t-shirts.  The same Pack t-shirt was also holding up well in the wash (not too pilly).  But, of the other two shirts the Pack one didn't really hold up well against the Target brand.  The Target brand was at least a year old and I've worn it lots of time.  No noticeable pilling.  But the Pack t-Shirt had been washed twice and it was already showing signs of wear. I get the feeling buying Fair Trade makes you feel better about your purchase but doesn't necessarily mean the quality is superior.  One thing Barbara pointed out during the interview was that fabric was getting thinner.  I've noticed that a lot after she pointed that out.  I realized that when I buy t-shirts at Target I normally always have to wear an undershirt (usually a tank under the t-shirt).  The t-shirts are too shear without it.

In buying clothes in recent years Barbara has noticed a decline in general quality on brands that you would think are immune to the fast fashion industry.  Brands that are actually pricier have quality issues.  I've heard that expressed many times in my research.

So, where to go next?  I'm going to research fabric a little more in depth next.  Stay tuned....