How to See the Value within Our Clothing
These days, I’ve been finding a lot of joy in getting dressed. I’ve been identifying some simple pieces that make me feel edgy, chic, and true to my style descriptors. I’ve also really been thinking about the value in a piece of clothing that can last throughout multiple seasons, years, and style shifts. There are a couple of conversations I’ve been having about the “value” of clothing that are important for me to talk about here.
White Tee Shirt | Advocate the Label
Where do our clothing values come from?
One close friend of mine, Kali of In Spades Blog, and I talked about this topic of value the other day. We’ve talked about it a lot but it came up again because I saw Jenna Lyons (who had been someone I admire) is a judge on a style panel for a designer challenge hosted by a very questionable, fast-fashion company, Shein. Shein has been challenged for its super cheap trendy clothing and opaque manufacturing practices. Who makes the clothing? Where is it made? It is quite obvious that clothing that cheap cannot possibly pay its workers a living wage. And yet, the brand thrives. Even in this day and age when the messaging of sustainability is trying to fight the undercurrent of fast fashion, it’s sending a clear message. What is that overall message we’re receiving? If you pay someone enough, make something shine enough, they just might support the brand… Even if they are unclear as to their production & manufacturing practices and employee care (or lack thereof).
The messaging has been confusing and for you, dear consumer, I can see why. We scroll on Instagram and see the “Clothing Haul Videos”, the “Keep or Return Reels”, the “Amazon find under $20 Insta story” and it’s very clear to see that we’ve been conditioned to seek out the budget finds by the dozen. Maybe it’s the scarcity mentality, fear of not finding it ever again, or maybe it’s just lack of understanding of what we’re doing to the earth when we seek more things at a lower cost. But it definitely does something to us when we see a $70 tee shirt. We take pause, think twice. Maybe think, How can the cost of a tee shirt possibly be $70 when I can just as easily (if not just as quickly) find another for $15?? Well, let’s dig a little bit into the cost story of a basic tee shirt:
Costs of producing a tee shirt
Fabric Cost - a well yarned/higher quality cotton will cost more
Cotton Content/Type - Pure Cotton will cost more vs Cotton blend (or shorter fiber cotton). Organically grown cotton will cost more than conventionally farmed cotton
Location - The country it’s made in (countries such as China, Bangladesh, or India have lower requirements for production and labor costs and often the US doesn’t think twice about monitoring the factories. But even in the US, you can still find factories without good production monitoring systems.)
Economy of scale (10000 shirts will cost less to produce than 100) so the more a brand is making the lower the cost tends to be.
Marketing costs
Image || Cost of Tee Shirt - Purnaa
‘If a company is using eco-friendly and sustainable processes to make T-shirts in small batches… with a small ecological footprint, those products would definitely cost more. But at the same time, “you can get what looks like the same thing made… for $5.’ - Margaret Bishop, Professor of Parsons School of Design.
WE need a value mindset shift
So what’s the bottom line? What’s my message to you? Let’s shift our mindset. Let’s take the time to place a higher value on a piece of clothing that has a traceable story behind it. We begin to devalue because we know we can find it again at a $20 price point which for some reason is more justifiable to let it go to ruin more easily. But what it tells me is that there’s a lack of connection with who we buy from and what we wear.
What I hope to do in my job as a stylist is to bring back the connection to clothing, the story behind the brand, show you where the value is in loving a piece, paying a little more for something, because you understand who made it, what went into making it, and how it came to be held in your hands.
It is also a wonderful thing to have found that piece of fast-fashion and to love it, wear it, and also have it for years to come. This is not a message to end all of fast-fashion shopping but to be more thoughtful and intentional with our purchases. To be slower in our shopping process and more interested in learning the story behind the brand. What’s my point? Buy less. Think more. Invest in the brand story.
The Story behind a brand: Advocate the label
So let’s jump into the story of the brand, Advocate the Label. Of which, the white tee I am wearing is from. Advocate the Label is a non-profit, mission-driven apparel line that gives 100% of each purchase to support victims of human trafficking. Gemma, the founder of Advocate the Label, started out as a volunteer in the realm of Human Trafficking and found herself wanting to do much more than just volunteer. So she founded Advocate the Label, with the mission to support victims of human trafficking in every faucet of their healing journey.
100% of the profits from The Perfect White Tee fund long-term safe shelter, mentorship, and pathways to education and employment for survivors of human trafficking. Advocate partners with local San Diego (and are working to expand within the U.S. in the coming years) non-profit organizations, such as Generate Hope and The Nazarene Study Center for Justice and Reconciliation to support victims of human trafficking through all the stages of their healing journey (advocacy, education, job & living support).
Advocated started out with a mission to to produce one item of clothing, following the production of the garment from start to finish, at one small, family-owned garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh, you say? Yes, the very country I referenced above. If you look closely at the tag on The Perfect White Tee, it reads, ‘Made with love (heart) in Bangladesh.’ So I asked the founder of the brand how can a garment be ethically made in Bangladesh when so many stories report otherwise. And here’s how:
From the founder, Gemma: …The hunt started for an ethical manufacturing partner through the Fair-Trade Network. We knew we wanted them to be WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production) and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified but we were also looking for a story that aligned with our mission. Enter a factory in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has some of the highest rates of violence against women, with torture, trafficking and acid attacks common place. The government does not offer any support or safety for these women, and for a country of 163 million, they only have 15 NGO safe houses. We were lucky enough to be put in contact with one of them, and found that a local manufacturer in Dhaka actually employed women and girls from their safe house. We contacted them and were able to take a virtual tour, meet the workers and see the conditions. They are Fair Trade Certified, WRAP and GOTS certified and the owner has a huge heart for these women and their families.
They are inspected annually by independent contractors who ensure they meet the Fair Trade, WRAPS and GOTS certification level, and as we branch out to other manufacturers around the world we will continue to use these standards to ensure we are part of the solution, not the problem.
Gemma knows the specific factory that The Perfect White Tee is made in in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She knows the owner, has virtually (due to COVID travel restrictions) met the workers and has seen the inside of the factory in which the tees are produced.
Advocate The Label
The Perfect White Tee from Advocate the Label
Every product sold directly supports the survivors of human trafficking.
100% organic cotton.
Ethically made.
True to size. Size Inclusive from xxs - 6x
Wanna learn more? Here are some useful resources for you:
Fashion Revolution - A non profit organization whose goal it is to bring awareness to who is making your clothing and under which conditions.
Good On You - Developed an ethical rating system for sustainability of brands. They offer advice and information as part of their pact to contribute to the UN’s Sustainable development goal to: Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Unraveled - The Life and Death of a Garment - (book) - The story of the global marketplace as told through the life cycle of a pair of jeans.
New Standard Institute - A think and do tank using data and the power of citizens to turn the fashion industry into a force for good.
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production - They certify socially responsible factories in the garment industry.
the point of value - invest in the brand story
I learned a lot through the process of writing this post. I’m in the middle of reading Unraveled by Maxine Bédat and have had some long conversations with Gemma over Zoom and email to really learn a lot more about my assumptions I had in the beginning about what is produced where (and that not all low standards of production and manufacturing can be applied to every factory in only certain countries). I’ve also learned that just because something says, Made in the USA, that doesn’t immediately imply it’s ethical. I’ll reiterate my point, as I hope this hits home for you:
This is not a message to end all of fast-fashion shopping but to be more thoughtful and intentional with our purchases. To be slower in our shopping process and more interested in learning the story behind the brand. What’s my point? Buy less. Think more. Invest in the brand story.
xx, Conni