These are the kids on the show!
Readers, I got lucky and found a little cable gem! It's a story of six UK kids that love to shop for cheap clothing, then travel to India and get a rewind experience of where the garments come from. Spoiled to the core, this docu-reality series leads them through the sweatshop way of living in India.
PAUSE
I had to do a mental closet check of where I shop. For most collage students and kids in their early 20s love to shop at that popular forever store for clothing, I know I did. And honestly, I'll still hunt there for belts especially, because they actually fit me. Now I shop as high quality as I can afford. But what if it comes from the same place?
PLAY
The Indian tailors get paid about 10 cents for garments that sell for 15-20 dollars. In one particular episode the youth sleep in a sweatshop and must complete a quotient of garments for the day. They make the kids (self centered ones from the UK) sew! It's cute to see them struggle on the machines!
PAUSE
I want an industrial sewing machine!
PLAY
Once they are finished, they must present their garments for inspection. After bringing in the bag of blouses the youth understand how much hard work goes into each piece, over and over, so thousands of people in another country can wear the same blouse. Out of their goal of 36, only 15 were completed correctly. The average wage for the tailors is 5 pounds for 400 garments!
PAUSE
It's a bit reality show but with a heavier dose of reality than show, but very watchable with a dash of ignorance. Maybe after sewing consistently for a couple of years, I've come to appreciate my skills, but I'm not doing 400 garments per year either!
Another thought favorite readers, where does our cheap fabric come from? I often take a quick iPhone pic of the fabric label for my records and I don't recall seeing where the fabric was made. Are we sewing ourselves into an un-green situation?
This show airs at various times, so check your listings! I recommend at least 1 episode to jet the gist. Their are 4 one hour shows. I do hope that you can watch at least 1 episode.
I'd really love to hear your thought and insight!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
That sound pretty interesting to watch. I don't think I get that channel :-(
ReplyDeleteSound really interesting. I found it in the listing and set the DVR for the next showing on Sunday morning! Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteHi Taki J, if you don't have the channel, there's a link on the Blood, Sweat & T-shirts website for a video clip. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteGreat Erica! Mine is set to record the last episode on Sunday morning also! Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteReaders, In my area it's channel 113, BTW.
I don't get that channel, but it sounds really interesting. I've become uncomfortable with how disposable we seem to expect clothing to be. I don't need a dress for ten dollars, you know? I'd rather make one that I will keep forever, and which fits. I also wonder about textile mills, but I think it's impossible to be totally green anymore.
ReplyDeleteI do buy my belts at Forever 21 though... I also have a hard time finding belts that fit, and theirs do.
As far as I know, that show was part of a series: 'Blood, Sweat & Luxuries (or something like that), originally aired by BBC (3 or 4 I think, since I couldn't watch it) early this year. There is also an episode about handbags.
ReplyDeleteAbout fabric: polyesther etc. are oil derived fibres, essentially plastics so those come with all of the issues commonly associated with oil and plastic. Viscose/rayon is made from leftover organic material (often wood pulp) by artificial/chemical means. While this means material, which would otherwise go to waste, is used, the process used for the bulk product is anything but green (there are 'green options' in viscose, though). Cotton is, of course, a natural fibre, but growing it requires lots of water in parts of the world which don't have an adequate water supply anyway. And loads for harmful pesticides are used. Origanic cotton isn't treated with pesticides but grows a bit slower, increasing the water issue. Wool and silk are, of course, animal fibres and can therefore come with animal treatment issues. That covers most fibres common in clothing fabrics although I should add that a lot of the environmental harm is done, not in the production of the fibre but in processing and colouring it (that accounts for the issues with products like H&M's origanic t-shirts: those are made of organic cotton, processed normally). There are truly 'green' fabrics on the market, often using fibres new to the clothing industry, like bamboo, but they are not available to the home seamster.
In short, it's very, very hard to be really 'green' in the choice of clothes you buy or make (just as in ally other areas, like food for example). However, you can be certain of cutting out at least one step of sweatshop labour if you make your own clothes and buying natural fibres limits the amount of waste you produce in the long run. Of course, if you can, it also helps to look for 'fair trade' or 'organic' labels, however with the growing popularity of green living, there are many different ones and some look a lot better than they really are, so if you consider paying extra because the material carries a label like that, do you homework.
Hm, I was preaching a bit there, wasn't I? I should add: I know these things because I sometimes work with a small local eco-brand and in my experience the things suggested at the end of the post are all a single hobby seamstress can really do.
ReplyDeletePrior to moving to Sweden back in Singapore, I took up a course in Fashion Merchandising. In this course, garment manufacturing was covered too. I saw many many pictures and videos about the labour conditions in india, bangladesh china, etc. It is so sad to know that what we put on as clothes these days are made from poor countries and sadly they are not rewarded with proper wages based on their hard work. This is one of the reasons why I was determined to make my own clothes as much as possible. On the other had, at least they are given a job and it's a skilled based on. Thanks for sharing this post!
ReplyDelete"It's cute to see them (kids) struggle with their machines". (blog post above) Really? I checked the online dictionary just to make sure I understood this. Yep, "Cute: attractive in a childish way". When my mother was young she worked in a sewing factory and hated it. She sewed the fly on men's pj's all day long. These jobs have since moved overseas to places like India. Also, like the children in this documentary/reality show my mother was paid by the piece. Same price no matter what size garment--so if you could grab the kid size clothing you could make more $. She says the more experienced women would do this and she thought it unfair.
ReplyDeleteStitchywitch, it is a great feeling to know we've skipped part of the ugly process of cheap labor, buy DIYing. So far as being totally green, may not be 100% possible, but those who make a effort of +90%, live a completely different lifestyle. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteLauriana, so far as posted on my local station there's no handbag episode yet, maybe that will come later. Here in the US, I believe that organic and green fabrics are becoming more available. For years now, my local independent fabric store has carried green fabric, and I do believe that they are available on many online retailers also. Thanks for you input!
Hi Uma, sounds like you took an eye opening class! I'm waiting for your sewing hiatus to come to an end! Soon I hope! Thanks for stopping by!
Tocutedobs, well there's a misunderstanding! The kids I'm referring to are the selfish, self-centered kids from the UK, NOT actuallly child labor. Obvi, you haven't seen the show!
ReplyDeleteI'll clarify that!
This is a very interesting post and it is something I wonder about all the time. On the one hand, I don't want to buy anything that was made inhumanely. On the other hand, would the economy of that particular town be worse if their sales dried up? So I come to the conclusion that we are paying too little for clothing. Due to ignorance, we have come to feel entitled to very inexpensive goods. And maybe our huge walk-in closets don't need to be so full.
ReplyDeleteNothing against anyone else (I also love fashionista blogs and they cheerfully confess to having enormous wardrobes). But it's not for me. If given the choice, I would pay more and have fewer pieces in my wardrobe. If there was a way to get those kids out of the factory and into the school room, I would definitely pay more for my t-shirts and simple have fewer of them.
a little sewing on the side, you have some good points! Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteOn another note: I'm feeling like a tank top today!
Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI noticed yesterday while browsing the fabric on the Joann's website that sometimes they will list where the fabric was made. I was looking at an Alexander Henry print, and was put off by the sale price of $8.00/yd, but saw "Made in South Korea" and thought I should buy it just to support fabric that does not come from China.
Very interesting indeed. Food for thought, for sure!
ReplyDeleteKatrina, I wonder if there is any evidence that fabric mill conditions are better in South Korea than those in China or India? I'm unaware of any facts. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Susan!
BTW readers, if you have time go to the Planet Green Network website to watch the video clip of the show! The next episode airs Sunday AM in my area!
Very interesting post and I have been thinking about this for a while now. For those, who cannot find the complete episodes, there a some short videos at the BBC site:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/blood-sweat-tshirts/
I study Textile and Clothing Management so I could accumulate quite some knowledge that I would like to share with you, since I read some misconceptions on here.
Firstly, bamboo fabrics are not green or ecological. Bamboo fibers are produced using the same process that also produces viscose fibers which requires a lot of harmful chemicals. A greener alternative to these are lyocell fibers which are sold under the brandname tencel. Although the process resembles that of viscose, the harmful chemicals are substitued by untoxic ones.
When looking at labor costs, China has actually become quite expensive, which results from a higher level of expertise. In other countries, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and India, sewers are paid a lot less than in China.
Concerning eco-certificates, the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is the best one there is right now as it also considers working conditions and the chemicals used during the whole textile chain.
I hate that we usually can't see where our fabrics are coming from and how they were made. I guess the most ecological way is to buy used fabrics at thrift stores and their likes, since they would otherwise end up in landfills.
Sorry, for being such a know-it-all but I hope that I could help the one or other :)
Great info Julietta! One of the greatest challenges on this topic is gathering factual information. The mainstream media basically stays away from the topic unless something drastic happens or a celebrity is involved. It's something to consider with every purchase! Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteI almost always shop at thrift store or garage sales and rarely buy new items, more out of the need to save money but I also like keeping things from the landfill by reusing and I feel like you can find high quality items usually at lower prices than stores like F21 or Old Navy that have questionable production methods and cheap results.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts Maggie.
ReplyDelete