“Carrie Bradshaw has a lot to answer for”

What to Wear and Why: Your Guilt-Free Guide to Sustainable Fashion by Tiffanie Darke      

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Darke has nailed it with this look at overconsumption of fashion, the ginormous amount of waste, greenhouse gas emissions, products made from materials that won’t disappear for years, slave labor in places like China and Bangladesh, and us as consumers mindlessly buying more and more with little thought to the impact on the world.

Time to fess up. I’m a hoarder. I have vintage clothes collected in the 70’s, clothing I adore that I can’t use and find hard to give away. I did find a home for a 50’s dress I loved, but that’s just one piece. How to repurpose clothing I don’t want to see dumped in Africa. That wonderful slashed to the waist velvet ball gown, and bolero jacket cut on the bias that had been a friend’s grandmother’s worn at a mayoral ball in the early 1900’s. I can’t let that go to someone who won’t love it. Yes, in the 70’s I wore it and felt fabulous.

I’ve taken a stand and won’t buy directly from Shein or Temu, supported by questionable labor and the People’s Republic of China. If you think world trade domination is not their focus I have news for you.

But what about Bangladesh, the horrific fire of Dhaka, that brought into focus what our grab for fashion, our throw away fashion knockoffs, is doing on a global scale.

I underlined so much of this book it looked like a redacted Wikileaks pages. That was before shoes even raised their head. Oh my 🤦‍♀️

My question to myself is I know what Darke is saying, I applaud her research and agree, so can I act on  it or am I, like Carrie Bradshaw, going to ignore the ugly underbelly, the truth of the fashion industry. Can I reclaim an ethical stance? It’s not about guilt, it’s about the well being of our planet, and I might go further to say the stewardship given to us of this wonderful world that we humans seem bent on destroying. Capitalism and communism are seemingly aligned on this overwhelming production of clothing, although each comes from a very different perspective. 

Maybe I can start with what doesn’t fit me anymore. Ouch! That will hurt! Do I need ten various track pants, joggers? No, but can I wean myself away from the insidious hold textiles and clothing exerts on me. I’m like a smoker or gambler trying to give up bad habits. It’s hard,

I’m trying to take Tiffanie Darke’s words to heart because I do care about workers and their rights, I do care about the environment and waste, about the biodegradability of products. 

So to say Darke’s thesis is thought provoking is for me very true. Ironically, in the words of Nike, we all need to Just Do It!

A 1517 Media—Broadleaf ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change