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....

Update

I'm still here.  So far, so good.  Soon I'll have a report on quality.  In the meantime I wanted to drop a few notes here.

First, I'm a bit disappointed that one of my fair trade organic cotton socks that I've owed for about 6 weeks already has a hole in the bottom. I didn't wear this pair of socks excessively.  I would guess I've worn them about a dozen times.  I doubt I snagged it on anything.  It's just worn. 

Second, and this is totally on me, I have a stain on one of my new tunics.  This has been a frequent problem of mine.  Doesn't matter when you are spending only a few bucks on a shirt.  But, when your spending $40.00+ it hurts.  I've worn the shirt only a few times and now I can't wear it anymore.  I guess I should start bringing a stain remover with me wherever I go.  The thing is I didn't know I had a stain until I washed it.  It was a really small stain.  Don't even know how I did it.  If this keeps up it's going to get rather expensive.

Third, as I've already discussed in the previous post there is an unintended consequence - I have discovered I don't need as many clothes.  I've slashed the amount of clothes in my closet.  My hope is to slash some more.  It's not just the wanting to have fair trade/living wages, etc. clothing.  I've also been loosing weight so I've been getting rid of a lot of my clothing naturally.   I want to keep the number of clothes down even after I loose weight.  I'll keep a limited amount of clothes of quality.  However, what I don't know is come fall I might have to buy clothes that are second hand/not fair trade, etc. because it just might be too expensive otherwise.  (I did allot for this in my very first post- if I loose more than 10% of my body weight I'm allowed to...and I've already exceed 10%.  Another unintended consequence?  Maybe.)

Soon I'll post on how to identify quality, etc. 

More about purchases and my closet

I spent last weekend cleaning out my closet.  I've discarded more than half of all my clothes.  In part because I've lost some weight and also I was holding on to a lot of clothing that I no longer wear.  I've been pleasantly surprised though of how much I still have.  It seems that I don't really need to buy a bunch of new clothes.

The purchases I've made have all arrived.  I bought three beautiful tunics from www.novica.com. They were Fair Trade made in India.  My t-shirts, hoodie & socks from www.wearpact.com were of really good quality and I should get a lot of use from them.  The purse from www.swordandplough.com should be a long-term purse (instead of switching every week I want to use this purse indefinitely).  I'm pleasantly surprised that so far all my purchases have worked out well.

Now that my purchases are here I will next be discussing quality.

It's time to make some purchases...

I haven't bought anything to wear in three months!  I've decided to start out with some easy items that even if I lose weight I'll still be able to wear.  Socks, a sweatshirt hoodie jacket, t-shirt and a purse. 

I have to find these items that is fair trade and ideally made with organic material. 

Socks, Hoodie and T-Shirts https://wearpact.com  They are responsible in making sure their partners are paying a living wage and treat them well in responsible working environments.  Check.  No Child Labor. Check.  No toxic pesticides in their cotton. Check.  Non-GMO Cotton. Bonus, Check.  One down side is I don't see any size measurements to confirm I'm buying the right size.  They do have a generous return policy.  I'm buying 2 pairs of socks, a navy hoodie and two t-shirts.  I only spent $67.00.  Nowhere near as much as I feared.

That leaves a purse.  I have really missed my purse buying.  The last few weeks I've been saying to myself that I'm living a life of deprivation.    I'm getting tired of it.  Weary in fact.  When you are used to running into a Target and picking up a new shirt or purse every week or two it starts to bother you.  It's not like I don't have lots of perfectly great clothes sitting in my closet.  But, there is something about that new purchase.  I'm still trying to kick the overall habit of buying but I also want to build my wardrobe with quality items that are purchased from socially responsible sources.  I found a company a couple of months back that sell purses, http://www.swordandplough.com/  They take old military items, such as parachutes and hire veterans to sew purses.  It creates opportunities and reduces waste.  Plus, its veteran owned and made in the USA by companies that hire USA Military.  So, it's more than a win-win.  Plus, they have a purse that, although expensive, I really love.  I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. 

There was another reason I wanted to get a start on buying some clothes.  I need some clothing comparisons for my review of how to identify a quality garment.  So, soon I hope to be able to compare with my clothing expert bad quality vs. good quality and share. 

Nothing to Report...

Over the weekend I stopped at my local Target.  Not for the obvious temptation (fashion!) but since I was there I thought I'd make my way around the aisles surrounding the clothes.  I could see quite a few pieces that, if I hadn't made this promise to myself to abstain from, I would be seriously considering purchasing.  When I first made this new year's resolution to myself I wasn't entirely sure I could pull it off.  I'm still not.  It's not like I bought new clothes, purses, etc. for myself all the time.  But, I would by a shirt here and there.  I've been loosing weight and some of my jeans no longer fit.  They look obviously large so it is time to replace.  Jeans and shoes are really difficult to find if you want to pursue this crazy method of purchasing.  Fortunately, I was able to dig out a couple of pair of old jeans that I haven't been able to get into for a while.  I'm glad I'm loosing weight but I've been worried about how to proceed on buying new clothes.  I don't want to buy something while I'm loosing.  If you don't buy clothes made in the fast fashion industry you will end up paying a pretty penny.  I don't want to do that and then end up having these new ***expensive*** clothes sitting in my closet.  At some point I'll have no choice but for now I'll wear ill-fitted clothes.  It's just the way it has to go for now.

I'm trying to hang in there...but it's been tough!

The True Cost (Documentary - 2015)

This documentary is a good and painless way of expanding anyone's knowledge of the changing clothing/garment industry.  Most of the same themes that were detailed in the previously reviewed book,  Over-Dressed the Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion were explored in this documentary.

The following points were made in this documentary.  Up until the 1960s the USA made 75% of their clothes.  Now we make only 3%.  Worldwide the fashion industry is a $3 trillion industry and 1 of 6 people work in the industry.  The most profitable year in Bangladesh history was the same year as their infamous tragedies (2015 as mentioned in previous posts). 

I already knew about the benefits of eating organic food but I never gave any thought to organic clothing.  I've already had my concerns about big monopoly seed/chemical companies like Monsanto who are also involved in seeds of cotton.  It might not just be in the wearing of the clothing that could be a problem but it could be causing illness among the farmers not to mention when we get tired of the clothing it sits on landfills. Did you know that each one of us throws out 82 pounds of textile waste annually?  These textiles are not bio-degradable and will be sitting in land fields for 200 years releasing these chemicals.   India has been introducing these seeds and chemical farming techniques which aren't cheap.  These farmers have ended up owing these big conglomerates and end up loosing their land.  There are 250,000 recorded farmer suicides in India alone from these chemical companies taking over their land.

Leather for shoes and clothing that are being treated in India is polluting their waterways and people are suffering from diseases as a result. 

Surprising fact...did you know that fashion is the #2 polluting industry in the world?  (Oil is #1.)

As I have been learning about the fast fashion industry I've noticed how interconnected some of the issues I've been concerned about for years -  food industry, worker safety, fair pay, declining manufacturing in the USA and environmental waste.  My hope is I'll be armed with the knowledge to make responsible and informed purchases in the future. There is still so much more to examine.  In future posts I'll be reviewing how to identify a well made product,  exploring places to purchase from (and I'll be sharing my experiences in making purchases), a review of these feel good companies and if they are truly effective (you know those companies who offer to give away one shoe for one shoe purchased).

More information about this documentary can be found at http://truecostmovie.com/ Currently this documentary is being show on Netflix.