Last year, whilst stuck on the couch for months recovering from a wee bit of surgery, I buried myself in Foxtel and books. And although the Real Housewives of New York City got me every morning at 9.30, it was a book by Lucy Siegle that kept me occupied till someone came home in the afternoon to give me food (seriously, I was a prisoner in my own home). ‘To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out The World?’ outlines in some serious depth the paths that our clothes go down before coming to us, as well as the ethical side of clothing and its cohorts (i.e. the shoes I no longer wear and the bags I seem to collect). Siegle’s book not only made me rethink the way I buy clothes but also had me seriously reconsidering my place in the fashion industry. Did I really want to be involved in an industry where it is the norm for cotton to come handpicked by school children in Uzbekistan? Or where I will happily ignore the fact that the faded details on my favourite jeans would have come at the cost of a workers respiratory health? I’m thinking not. But I certainly don’t think I have the self control to completely turn my back on fashion when it’s an amazing creative outlet and an absolute necessity to daily life. Plus, I really like dressing up and I’m pretty sure I can’t give that up.
And so, my morals are now being guided into creating an ethically and sustainably sound collection of knit samples for my final year major work (although I think I’ll have to throw something else in there to actually make it ‘major’). Fingers crossed I can come up with an idea that actually has substance - and isn’t completely based on the Real Housewives...
P.S. Read the book, it'll change yo life!
P.P.S This is the start of my wall of love. C'mon inspiration, I know you're out there!
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