Ethical Clothes

Well perhaps not quite…  more of an “I’m not dead yet!”   Gap is in trouble and closing 175 stores in North America.  With so many clothing chains struggling perhaps it is time to start thinking about the fact that our love of cheap clothing is not sustainable. Despite the fact that estrogen is not used in the sport, they… Read more →

This spring my entire family went through our closets and discarded anything that did not fit or we did not love.  It was amazing the amount we got rid of and the amount that was still left.  All of us (me in particular) own way too many clothes.  The fashion industry relies on us buying more and new clothes every… Read more →

Ever wonder what happens to the clothing we discard?   Some of our “donations” get shipped overseas to India where the clothing is unraveled and made into new things.  The women who sort and process the clothing have some interesting questions for us. Interesting questions such as – Is our water too expensive to wash our clothes? Their absolute bafflement… Read more →

John Oliver this week took on the fashion industry.  His focus was on “fast fashion” and looked at brands like GAP, Walmart, H&M, Children’s Place, Joe Fresh and Forever 21. He highlighted the fact that these companies claim “We had no idea!” whenever issues are found in factories that make their products. Inventories should be increased only after the customer… Read more →

I really wanted this blog to be somewhere people could go and see under what conditions their clothes were made and where they were made.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am finding the non-answers, half-truths and constant follow up  to be exhausting and I have been unable to really address the issue. Those working in sweatshops around the world are… Read more →

Cleanclothes.org released a report in 2014 entitled Stitched UP and it takes an in depth look at the poverty wages for garment workers in Eastern Europe and Turkey.   From their Executive Summary: Traditionally, the exploitation of workers within the garment industry is seen as a problem felt most keenly in Asia where stories of poverty wages, dangerous working conditions, and forced… Read more →

After starting this blog, I now cringe when I hear people talking about the “great deal” someone got on their clothes.  Paying $20 for a dress?  Someone paid the price, if it was not you, chances are, it was the woman (or possibly man) who made it.   Interested in what it is like to work in a sweatshop?  A… Read more →

I have been quite derelict in updating in recent months.  I must admit some of this has been due to a very busy schedule.  However, I have also been rethinking how this blog could work.  When I started this, my hope was to have a collection of stores that were open to sharing information about where their clothes were made.… Read more →

Nordstrom has both their own brand and also carries clothing from “branded vendors.” They have an abundance of information on their website about their corporate responsibility.  They do not list where their products are made or what exactly their standards are for their “branded vendors.” They do seem to have strict auditing and standards.  However, there is something the way… Read more →

Mexx publicly lists the countries where it products are produced.  They have a set of standards they call a “social compliance programme.” From their website: “Mexx applies rigorous standards in working with its sourcing partners. Through our social compliance programme, all companies producing for Mexx are obliged to accept a legally binding Code of Conduct. Mexx has zero tolerance policy… Read more →