Cleaning Up The Fashion Industry

A few months ago I was contacted by a lady named Sarah (pictured above) and asked if she could interview me as part of the research she is employed to undertake in the field of sustainable fashion. Sarah, originally from the USA and presently living in Copenhagen, is currently employed as part of a large team funded by a Swedish company named Mistra who are apparantly researching lots of different angles related to sustainable fashion over a number of years. The aim is to discover ways to transform the global clothing industry into something significantly less damaging, both socially and environmentally. I don't know about you, but I was really heartened to know that there's an organisation putting serious time, money and effort into such an endeavour.

Sarah interviewed me as part of her 'early adopters' section of research. It took a couple of hours, and basically gave me carte blanche to witter away about how I feel about clothing and sustainability and what lead me to feel that way. Sarah, who has a personal interest in this field of studies, later agreed to permit me to interview her, as I really wanted to find out more about the her and her work and share it with my lovely readers.

Sarah: I work with the Mistra Future Fashion project. Mistra is a a Swedish foundation that focuses on environmental research [which] recently put forth
funding for an interdisciplinary research program concerning sustainable fashion called "Mistra Future Fashion." The research project consists of an international collaboration of researchers looking at all areas of the fashion system - from business models to textile production, to policy making and consumption: to better understand how we can push forward a competitive sustainable fashion model. My individual research project is looking at the consumption of fashion - with a focus right now on those who are early adopters of sustainable practices in their fashion consumption. My hope is that by learning from those who have taken a proactive stance, we can push the mainstream audience into more sustainable behavior. It has been a fascinating journey so far and I have met so many inspirational and interesting people who make me more conscious of my own behavior.

I should also say that Mistra has their own press department, etc - so nothing I say should be taken as official statements from them. This is just my opinions, beliefs, etc.

Zoe: How did you get involved with Mistra Future Fashion and how long have you worked for them? How long is this project expected to run for?

Sarah: I started working for Mistra this summer (2011) - and the project goes on for approximately 4 more years and my plans are to stay with it as long as there is research for me to do! I got involved because it related to my graduate research project - and moreover fulfilled a personal interest of improving the fashion industry's current practices.

Zoe: What was your background before working for them?

Sarah: My background includes a buying job in the retail sector (children's and junior shoes), Public Relations work with an advertising agency, general communications work with an art/design/retail firm and a break in between to complete my Master's in user centered innovation. The general "red thread" sewn through all of this is that I have a lot of background thinking about consumers: what they want, how they think, what motivates them. And Mistra allows me to use my power for "good", coming up with ways to motivate consumers to make more responsible decisions for the earth, for society and for themselves.

Zoe: You have a really interesting employment background, I can see why you must have made the perfect candidate for your current role! Your description of using your 'power for good' really made me laugh! At what point did you realise you were working for 'evil'?!

Sarah: In regards to the particular time that I realized I wanted to change paths - I have to say that it wasn't a cathartic moment as much as a general notion that I could not continue putting lipstick on pigs. And by this I mean, attempting to use the role of communications and branding to lift brands that don't necessarily deserve lifting. I had some clients when I worked in the agency that were truly honorable - making great products, humbly and modestly telling their story and working on continual environmental and social improvements. I had others however, that were so blinded by the need for "sales" in the short run that they couldn't really look beyond this, they just knew "green was in" and they wanted on that train without putting in the hard work, dedication and risk it requires. If I were, however, to cite the moment I knew change was needed it might have been when I was working on a processed food product called "stuffed and breaded chicken breasts" that should say enough I think.:)

Zoe: What do Mistra plan to do with the research that yourself and the other researchers are compiling?

Sarah: The general plan is to pave way for a more sustainable fashion industry - both in Sweden and beyond. The multi-disciplinary approach allows the project to attack the issue from multiple viewpoints as there are many stakeholders whose participation is required to make sustainable fashion a long-term possibility. The government, consumers, industry - all play an important role.

Zoe: Why do you think Mistra chose now to under go this research?

Sarah: I cannot offer an an answer to why Mistra made this decision, but can
offer my general viewpoint on the matter. First, I think (and this refers to your next question), Scandinavia takes a progressive approach to all areas of sustainability. Given that the region (particularly Sweden) has a thriving fashion industry, it makes sense to push forward a better standard for the region. Moreover, while sustainability in food, transportation and housing have made great strides in many Western countries, fashion seems to a bit slower on
the uptake - at least from the viewpoint of mainstream consumption. It is time to put more focus and resources on this matter, as the industry contributes to many ills that must be addressed, and consumers need to be aware and conscious of their decisions. Moreover, those companies that are taking a proactive approach deserve to be rewarded for their behavior.

Zoe: Do you feel Scandanavia is more forward thinking than other Western countries when it comes to sustainability issues and practice?

Sarah: I admittedly take a rosy view when I look at Scandinavia - often giving
the region a lot of credit for being more willing to take on progressive change than most. Having lived here for a little over 3 years (Copenhagen and Norway), it is my belief that the average citizen lives a more sustainable life than elsewhere (particularly my home country of America). It is done in a somewhat quiet manner - with everyday life consisting of public transportation, small living spaces, and systematic, government implemented sustainability initiatives for energy, food sources, etc.

I see a more high profile, individualistic approach to sustainability when I look at the UK or United States. Increased vegetarianism, off the grid lifestyles, hybrid cars - there tends to be more outward, individually expressed behaviors but perhaps the average citizen contributes less to the movement. But this is just my sense, I have little data to back it up:)

Zoe: I totally agree about the high-profile actions of the UK/US. I feel the UK makes lots of noise about sustainability with questionable amounts of action actually taking place. Even the UK's biggest offenders for stocking sweatshop-produced and environmentally damaging garments sell tote bags with random 'ethical' messages stamped on them. As if printing a bag saying 'Live Green' or something is sufficient.

I'm very fascinated by your point about how you view the different approaches of Scandinavia and UK/US, and in my view it was totally on the money. Not that I've ever visited Scandinavia, but I can really see that, from what I understand, the vaguely opposing approaches (collective, goverment-led V.s the responsibility on the individual) could represent the mindsets of those nations in general, broadly speaking. What particularly concerns me about the UK/US approach in regards to sustainability and ethical practices, is that it can seemingly absolve industry from responsibility, like industry has a right to say 'Well, we wouldn't create cheap sweat-shirt manufactured T-shirts if the consumer didn't buy them'.

What drew you to live in Scandinavia? And do you think the UK/US could, or indeed should, adopt a more Scandinavian approach in certain areas?

Sarah: It is funny you ask that. My husband's impetus for deciding to do his graduate work here was that he has hoped to use the Scandinavian approach to help companies in the US better facilitate CSR (corporate social responsibility). In that way, I think he is on to something. I don't think the cultures of the US or UK could ever shift drastically to model that of the Scandinavian countries. And if you asked people here in Scandinavia, they would reticently say that they feel their consumer and business culture has started to resemble the Anglo model a bit too much. That said, companies and organisations are little microcosms of culture that can absolutely be contrary to that of the country they do business in. And with that in mind, if companies were to adopt more collaborative and cooperative ways of managing their business, I think real change can occur.

But...then you have the issue of publicly traded companies with quarterly financial expectations. And that short term mentality is ultimately, at least in my mind, at the root of a lot of our ills.

One thing at a time though!:)

Zoe: You say that your research so far has allowed you contact with some inspirational individuals that have had an effect on your own behaviour, in what ways have your thoughts and how you live your life changed of the back of your contact with them?

Sarah: I have gotten more in touch with my own consumption. I think a lot
more about what I purchase, why I am purchasing it, and of course - where it really comes from. I find myself really trying to minimize the excess and feel joy in doing so.

I would like to thank Sarah for taking the time to answer my questions, and for doing so so thoroughly and thoughtfully. I, for one, cannot wait for the research being undertaken by Mistra and its army of researchers to begin making waves in the clothing industry. Thanks for reading!

Christmas Clothing Creations

I've got some creation house-keeping to catch up on. There's still quite a few things I made as Christmas gifts which I have yet to document on this little blog. Today's batch are all the garments that I have made for some of my nearest and dearest, aside from Patty's Rockabilly bowling shirt and the baby togs that I've previously documented.

This skirt above was made for my best friend using some Autumnal toned vintage fabric that has been in my stash for longer than I can remember. Suffice to say, that fabric finally got busted right out of there! Having previously used this pattern to make a skirt for Vic, I knew that the shape and fit were a success. Making people garments, particularly to a deadline, is stressful enough. A tried and tested pattern made in a different fabric with a different hem length may feel like a vague cheat, but is likely to assuage the seasonal stress a little!

Next up are some cheeky high waisted pin-up shorts made for my pal Kirstin. She is a petite little lady and that combined with the fact that these shorts take very little fabric anyway, meant I was able to make them from a small piece of soft tweedy fabric that was leftover at work. The most time consuming part about making these shorts was grading my original pattern down from a size 14 to a size 6-8. It was a good exercise in grade rules, and in developing patience, but remind me not to try that kind of thing again in a hurry!

I'm sad to say that these shorts weren't exactly a surprise. I had to ask her to try them on in Novemeber so I could adjust them and give them back to her all wrapped up at Christmas time! I needed to take them in a fair bit over the hips and taper in the side seam towards the hem as the original pattern is best suited to particularly curvy girls, i.e. those with a significant different between their natural waist and hip measurements. But I'm glad I took the time to then transfer those alterations back onto the pattern, so now I have a good template for more shorts for Kirstin in the future.

The last garment I have to show you today is another version of the batwing dresses and tops I've been into making recently. This gift went to my mate Rehanon, who is making waves in the online sewing community herself these days with her inimitable sense of style and fun. Check out her alter-ego, Miss Demeanour's, new blog. Although relatively new to this old sewing game, she has been relentlessly producing wonderful and oft-fabulously kitsch garments at a frankly alarming rate!

Anyways, this dress is a combination of the patterns for the batwing dress and the collar batwing top. The main part is made from a weightly slinky black jersey which has lurex flecks. The contrast collar is made from polka dot cotton. I always find it tricky when creating the first garment for someone, as you have yet to gleen feedback from previous creations in order to get a (non pervy) feel for their proportions. Having been made in jersey, you could say that making this dress was a safe bet. But I know that Rehanon is more than capable of adding her unique stylistic flourishes to make this wholely her own!

Leopard Print Lovelies

Image source

Recently leopard print fabric has really been growing in my esteem. I have a history with leopard though, yeah we go way back. It's popped up in my wardrobe on and off for years. I remember a red and black leopard print sleeveless top from back when I was 18 and attempting to create a kind of punk/grunge Debbie Harry Vs. Courtney Love look and I wore it with a black slip. There was also a turquoise blue and black leopard print pencil skirt with black lace round the hem which was the first garment I made myself when I got to university. In more recent years my creations have included the leopard coat, leopard Rockabilly dress and the leopard print batwing top. Yep, me and leopard print are pretty tight.

At risk of stating the obvious, in recent years I've also been increasingly drawn to a Rockabilly style of dress as well. I'm not sure if it is this that has reignited my flame for leopard print. They are so aethetically intertwined.

So how did leopard print become synonymous with Rockabilly (or vice versa) anyhow? Rockabilly is ostensibly a retro look. It references elements of the era from the mid 1950s through to the early 1960s and co-opts, exaggerates and blends them to create something reappropriated and somewhat separate from the more general retro/vintage style. More specifically, it references the bad-girl (or boy) elements of that era. These vintage garments (skirt and coat both pictured above) show leopard print being used in that era, but not in the way that animal skins have often been used to display wealth and status. These leopard print garment fabrics are clearly fake and therefore would have sent a different message: one of faux-luxe attitude. A sneer with a suggestive cheeky wink, if you will. At least these are my interpretations.

Every retro/Rockabilly clothing company has a leopard print offering these days and some are most definately more tasteful than others. Tara Starlet's leopard pedal pushers (pictured above) look totally stunning. Other leopard print variants? Not so much. Just type 'Rockabilly' and 'leopard print' into Google images and you'll see what I mean!

So, with the style stakes stacked so precariously high, how should a girl apply leopard print to look more like Imelda May (pictured above) than a tacky porno actress?! Well, of course it's an entirely subjective issue but personally I think some versions of leopard print design just look better than others. I'd also avoid a fabric with a leopard print that was glaringly synthetic and definately not velvety. I'd argue this top (pictured below) looks great all styled up on this fantastic Bettie Page-esque model, but in real life it'd probably be on the bordeline of a good/bad leopard print garment.

Image source

I've read in a few sources that leopard print is effectively a neutral tone, akin to black, white, beige and navy. Whilst I cannot really agree with that, I totally love the concept! I've never been brave enough to attempt to wear it with anything other than black. In theory it should work with red, but the results of that 'Rockabilly' and 'leopard print' Google search are still burnt into my retinas! All that aside, I recently came across a couple of pieces of leopard print jersey, one stretchy and one drapey, that felt like just the ticket to inject some Rockabilly sensibility into my Winter wardrobe (pretending I have a separate wardrobe for Winter, that is).

This creation used the stretchier of the jerseys. It was donated, along with a ton of other less appealing animal printed sample fabric, to the charity I work for by a digital fabric printing company. Thus this fabric fulfills the 'secondhand/unwanted' requirement I place on fabric I use to make garments with. I used a tried and tested pattern I developed yonks ago that is fairly fitted in the body with a scoop neck, 1/2 sleeves and gathered sleeve heads. I would love to have a photo of myself wearing this top to show you. I would be all styled up in my black Jenny pencil skirt with black high heels and red lipstick, but alas I haven't had an opportunity to rock a look that sharp in recent times. Hopefully such an occassion will arise during Me-Made-May '12.

My second jersey leopard print offering is made using some wonderful drapey jersey which was a very kind gift from Claire (who salvaged it from a bin I believe, good work Claire!!!). It's sooooo nice. The only thing I could think to do with a drapey jersey was apply another tried and tested pattern from the batwing family that I've been using a lot recently. It's bascially a slightly more refined version of the Poker top, but this fabric is far more stable. It feels so nice to wear, and I envisage wearing it with my black Jenny pencil skirt or some killer black capri pants whenever I get round to making some. In the meantime, you can see me wearing it to work with my 'uniform' of denim sailor trousers:

What are your thoughts? How have you seen leopard print worn well? Any ideas on what to avoid? Can it be a daytime look or is it best saved for gin o'clock?

Brighton De-Stash Meet-Up!!!!!

I'm very excited to announce that Claire from Sew, Incidentally and myself are co-organising a sewing meet-up and swap! It is to be held in my fair city of Brighton at the beginning of February. Following from the success of the swap/meet-up I organised last June, if this one turns out to be half as fun as the last one, it promises to be a very good day indeed.

Why:

The beginning of a new year is a great time to have a look at what we have and be honest with ourselves about what we don't really want (i.e. time to do some Stash Bustin'!). This swap meet-up will be a great opportunity to pass on any fabric/notions/patterns/sewing resources that've been lurking in your stash forever to someone who will find new inspiration in it. Similarly, you'll be able to get something new-to-you to kick start a new project without spending any money, who isn't interested in that in these cash-strapped times?!

Where & When:

We will meet at Brighton train station at 11.30am on Saturday 4th February, 2012. The station isn't enormous, but we'll aim to be outside the WHSmiths to avoid confusion (and all the stag and hen parties that make Brighton their destination at the weekends!). Mine and Claire's mobile phone numbers will be distributed to those who plan to attend in case anyone gets held up, lost etc.

We will aim to leave the station around 12pm and head to a cafe/bar (exact venue to be confirmed). There we will have the swap, eat lunch, have a couple of drinks if you wish, chat and make friends. When we are finished, those who wish to can then head to the lovely sewing shops and flea markets in Brighton for shopping/inspiration hunting.

(Image source)

Who:

Anyone who enjoys sewing or wants to start sewing! You don't have to participate in the de-stash to attend, your company will be more than enough. Hopefully this meet-up will attract some sewing meet-up regulars and new faces alike.

(Image source)

What:

To be more specific about what the swap entails: if you wish to actively participate in the de-stash swap part of the meet-up, please bring some unwanted sewing stuff with you. 'Stuff' translates as fabric, sewing patterns, sewing magazines, sewing/pattern-making equipment, sewing/pattern-making books, buttons, zips, other notions: basically anything that you no longer want/need that someone else might be inspired by or could make use of.

The swap will be structured fairly so that the more de-stash things you bring, the more opportunities you will have to pick something that another sewer has de-stashed. But no matter what or how much you bring, it is unlikely anyone will go home empty handed!

How:

If you wish to attend the Brighton De-Stash Meet-up on 4th February, please send me an email with the subject 'Brighton Meet-up' to my blog email address which is sozoblog (at) gmail (dot) com. This will give me a clear indication of how many people plan to attend so I can book the table at the cafe/bar. Closer to the date Claire and I will then email the attendees with further info about the meet-up and our contact details.

Claire and I really hope to see you there!!!!

Attack on the WAGs: Explained

Just before Christmas I wrote a blog post which began by linguistically attacking ‘WAGs’. The reason for this was to dissect and discredit their social position because they personify values, concerns and ideals that many, myself included, believe are damaging to the mental health of young women. (Actually, there have been numerous studies which have proven that these ideals actually are damaging to mental health and social cohesion, but more on that later.) In the post I then went on to explain that in UK society today, where WAGs are accepted role models for women and adolescents, these values and ideals are damaging and degrade the interests of feminism. I then asked the readers of the post to highlight experiences or topics that have been alarming to their own sense of equality (which I termed ‘bullshit’).

That post received an interesting and varied collection of comments. The vast majority of the commenters clearly related to the sentiments in the post and shared their own thoughts and concerns regarding feminism and equality. However, there were a few that expressed unhappiness at the tone, content or assumptions (or all three) of my post. And although it really doesn’t bother me if not everyone sees my point of view or agrees with what I write, I do think that it is worth while exploring these conflicts of opinion whilst expanding upon my feelings on this topic

As I mentioned in my previous post, WAGs are now household names and their glamourous lifestyles, time consuming appearances and expensive possessions are splashed on the pages of the tabloid press, fashion press, gossip press and entertainment press. Increasingly they are becoming icons and role models for young women (and blueprints for young men on what they should expect a wife/girlfriend to be). Why is this dangerous and why do I feel it is necessary to attack them?

First up, I’m not attacking them in the tabloid sense of highlighting their cellulite or a whether they’ve had a bad hair day. I am attacking them for the values that they help perpetuate. And let’s remind ourselves they are not hapless figure-heads, thrust into the lime-light against their will. Of course the attention they attract from the media must be unpleasant a lot of the time, but as individuals they courted the media and embraced fame. The Queen of the WAGs herself, Victoria Beckham, wrote in her 2001 autobiography, ‘Right from the beginning, I said I wanted to be more famous than Persil Automatic’.

So many young girls these days respond to the question of what do you want to do with ‘be a WAG’. That’s a pretty sad state of affairs as far as feminism goes. I thought we (women) had more or less reached a point in history where it is generally accepted that your marital status is a part of your life, and no longer as description of life or your career. Being notable mainly for whom your husband is seems like a 1950s rather than 2010s reality to me.
The WAG lifestyle is showing young women that marrying a footballer or becoming a reality TV star will fast-track you to fame, wealth and wealth: that needing to try hard at school is probably only for the unattractive because their famous footballer-prince will whisk them away to go and shop at Gucci.

But of course, as I mentioned in that original post, most of the WAGs have careers aside from the fame that their unions brought them. And a couple of the commenters wished to remind me that the main three WAGs (Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Coleen Rooney, the latter pictured above) are ‘successful in their own right’: the assumption being that fame and the acquisition of wealth equates success. I would argue that wealth and fame don’t necessarily translate to success, and they certainly don’t breed happiness or emotional security either. There is enough research out there that has proven that the pursuit of material wealth (above the level required to provide yourself and your family with essentials) and celebrity is detrimental for mental health. ‘Affluenza’ is a fascinating book on this subject, and ‘The Spirit Level’ proves how income inequality (i.e. there being really wealthy and really poor people within the same society) is damaging to the mental and physical health of everyone in that society. The high wage bracket and celebrity as typified by a WAG lifestyle are just not healthy aspirations. And more broadly I would argue that promoting any lifestyle that is not attainable for more than 0.1% of the world’s population is not going to provide satisfaction either (but it will keep us consuming, of course).

I would also argue that the culture in which they function restricts their ‘successes’ to permitted spheres. The WAGs and the other females who live in their culture have their endeavours pretty much limited to involvement in fashion/appearance and entertainment. Whether they have no interest in life outside these areas or societal pressure is such that they are discouraged from pursuing them, the images presented to adolescent girls is worryingly restrictive in range.

Anyways, in the aforementioned comments, I was reminded that Victoria Beckham has a successful fashion brand (see above). Indeed she does, a friend of mine is employed as a pattern cutter there in fact. But we need to think realistically about what a celebrity’s role in the fashion brand actually is. They do not go into the office 9am-6pm five days a week for months on end to sit and design every garment and work with alongside the technical team to actualise each style, silhouette and detail. With little or no training or experience in the industry, these celebrities are mostly figure heads/brands on which to focus the marketing. Their involvement in the design process is, at best, that of a creative consultant’s. Not to say that Victoria Beckham doesn’t have excellent taste to apply to choosing options presented to her, but let’s not forget that anyone with enough money can (and frequently does) set up a clothing label.

I was also reminded in the comments that Cheryl Cole similarly had a very successful singing career in Girls Aloud, and as a solo artist. I’ll be the first to say that she is a talented singer, beautiful and probably a very sweet. But I struggle with the term ‘artist’: she won her position in the manufactured pop group, Girls Aloud, by auditioning for a reality TV show. An army of stylists, make-up and hair experts, managers, song writers and publicists were deployed to create the formula that required them to dance, sing and smile when told to.

Speaking of Cheryl Cole, over the Christmas holiday I found myself reading a copy of Grazia magazine. There was a long-ish article about her and the range of footwear she has ‘designed’ recently. Obviously this was accompanied with a photo of Cheryl styled as if she was about to present an Oscar gazing at some swatches of leather as if making her final selection for the shoes that were clearly already available to buy in-store. But aside from the make-believe fashion designing, far more disturbed me about the article. Having provided a summary of Cheryl’s ‘terrible and humiliating year’ they then attest to the fact that she must be in a more positive place, because she’s put on a few pounds. This simply perpetuates the idea that a woman’s mental well-being is firmly indicated by her appearance. Also, they applauded her on what this article insinuated was one of her most notable achievements: her ability to wear really high heels! Not only are the WAGs and WAG-a-likes at the very centre of an appearance-fixated culture, but they are praised for repeatedly, professionally even, putting comfort aside and sacrifice the risk of bunions in the name of fashion. Any young and impressionable adolescent reading that article because she likes Cheryl Cole is going to come away from it with some worrying messages.

On New Year’s Day, I watched a few episodes of a horrendous TV show called ‘Pushy and Proud’. It’s an intentionally provocative but ultimately representational fly-on-the-wall style documentary which follows women who push their daughters into celebrity culture-approved modes of (alarming) conduct. The most disturbing protagonist of the many I had to choose from was a woman who worked as a beauty therapist, Jools Willis (pictured above). She existed firmly within the type of culture that iconises the WAGs and judges women on their appearance almost exclusively. In doing so, she had exposed her ten year old daughter to this culture. That very normal-looking little girl had become so concerned with her own pre-adolescent appearance that her self-esteem had corroded to the point that she experienced real anxiety. To assuage her daughter’s anxiety, the mother did not attempt to explain that she was lovely the way she was and then help her daughter enjoy a less appearance-obsessed childhood. No, she gave her daughter a spray tan, manicure and eyebrow tint, thus instilling in her that appearance modification is a short cut to emotional happiness. These actions and values also help to perpetuate the myth that young women’s greatest accomplishments will be achieved within the sphere of how you look and how many people are looking at you.

It is disturbing how increasingly young those being exposed to and affected by an appearance-obsessed society are. But the media is teaching us at all ages through the perpetuation of these ideals to value good looks as a reflection of our self-esteem. It helps to perpetuate the myth that women’s greatest accomplishments are achieved within the sphere of how you look and how many people are looking at you. And whilst WAGs continue to be held up as the icons at the centre of these damaging values that provide a blue-print for young women’s (and now children’s) ideals, I will continue to attack the WAG lifestyle.

Guest Post: The Planetary Cost of Cashmere

Today's post is something a little different. I'm very pleased to be publishing a guest blog post written by Grace from Bad Mom, Good Mom. In fact, she is also posting this content on her own blog, so if you already follow both our blogs and are getting a sense of déjà vu, then that is why! Grace is a very clever and knowledgeable lady with qualifications in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, and when she's not sewing and looking after her daughter, she finds time to work for the goverment within the field of space and environmental science.

As you may be aware, as someone who sews and works in textiles, I am deeply concerned about the damage fabric and clothing production has on our planet. Yet I find it frustrating that much of what is known by governments regarding this damage has, to date, had little effect on those governments' policies and neither has that information been disseminated successfully so that consumers are suitably informed before making their choices. Grace has taken the time to educate us on a topic that I admit I previously knew nothing about: the cashmere industry.

So Zo asked her readers what bullshit they had uncovered recently. I emailed that I have a whole blog series about bullshit and that I felt a rising rant about cashmere bullshit. I promised to write this post and cross-post it on her blog.

So why was I so upset?

Last month, I had toured the giant Macy's in Union Square (San Francisco), which contained racks and racks of cashmere. They represented a lot of goats! 20-30 years ago, cashmere was a rare luxury, not an ubiquitous gift sold for $49.

Where did they all come from? How could there be enough goats in central Asia to make so many sweaters in so many outlets?

The media was full of stories about how to be a discerning consumer of quality cashmere or how to avoid being fleeced by adulterated cashmere. Newspapers need to write upbeat stories that draw many readers and teach them how to consume (products from their advertisers). But fearless bloggers like Zoe question whether this consumption is even necessary.

I was in San Francisco for the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting and had met Ryan Boller from NASA Goddard, who was showing an improved algorithm for the detection of aerosols from space.

The global dust belt has not received as much press as the global fashion weeks so you might not be familiar with this story. (Aerosols can be dust, clouds--both liquid water and ice, pollution, sea spray and volcanic ash). Occasionally, dust can be injected into the jet stream, a fast-moving river of air that circles the globe. Asian dust ends up in north America, American dust ends up in Europe, European dust ends up in Asia and so on.

The Sahara desert used to be THE major source for dust, but there are other smaller seasonal sources, such as glaciers grinding rocks in Alaska. The amount of dust is rising, and global dust season is lengthening due to both growth in dust sources (industrialization and desertification) and lengthening of local dust seasons.

In recent years, Mongolia has become a major source of dust. The Gobi desert is spreading up into the Mongolia Steppes and the goats did it. Or rather, we did it, with our shared lust for cashmere.

Pastoralism Unraveling in Mongolia explains

Sukhtseren Sharav has a herd of 150 goats and 100 sheep, and as they chew their way through everything else, and the sharilj spreads, he must shepherd them ever higher into the mountains to find fresh grazing land.

The lack of foraging terrain is not Mr. Sharav’s only worry. The price for cashmere, the wool made from the fleece of his goats, has plunged 50 percent from last year. The price of flour, his most essential food staple, has more doubled.

These are hard times for Mongolia’s cashmere industry, which provides jobs and income for a third of the country’s population of 2.6 million and supplies about 20 percent of the world’s market for the fluffy, feather-light fiber, prized for its warmth, delicate feel and long wear.

To compensate for low prices, herders have been increasing supply by breeding more goats — a classic vicious circle. Mongolia’s goat population is now approaching 20 million, the highest ever recorded.

Environmentalists and social scientists say this is destroying biodiversity and pastureland, and undermining herding livelihoods. But goats are hardier than other livestock, breed faster and can survive on sparser resources: so, the more the land is degraded, the more herders are driven to switch from cows, camels or other less destructive herds — another vicious circle.

This is a tragedy for the herders with global consequences. Aerosols are a strong feedback to the global radiative budget. In plain English, this means that dust traps heat. This can have both local and global consequences as the trapped heat changes the global air circulation, impacting storm patterns, heat waves, etc.

Ryan shared some examples. You can find more in the NASA Earth Observatory Dust, Smoke and Haze page. Take a look at the dust traveling from Mongolia toward China in April 2011.

The sparsely vegetated grasslands of the Gobi frequently give rise to dust storms, especially in springtime.

Here's another example, from May 2008.

According to a May 27 report from the Agence France-Presse news agency, dust from this storm pushed Beijing’s pollution levels to the highest level, prompting the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau to warn sensitive individuals to stay indoors.

Seeing the global-scale devastation caused by the cashmere industry, and learning of the suffering it has caused Mongolian herders has taken the luster off cashmere for me. I didn't purchase any this year (though I did knit a cotton/cashmere blend sweater this year with yarn purchased and stashed previously).

If you already have cashmere, don't sweat it. Take good care of it so it lasts. I have cashmere sweaters that are 25+ years old (one bought new, two bought at thrift shops).

I hope that, after reading this, you will consume more carefully, and in smaller quantities. I further hope that your natural curiosity and bullshit detector will lead you to delve deeper.

I recommend:

• golden fleece? to learn more about the history of the Scottish cashmere industry.
  



• A synopsis of the "Cashmerino" yarn that may or may not contain any cashmere at all, and the lawsuit that ensued.
  



• Zero waste goal for how I use leftovers from the LA fashion industry to make clothes for myself and others.

Many thanks to Grace for writing this post and for allowing me to cross-post it so that it receives a bit more of the attention is so greatly deserves. I don't know about you, but the more I learn about the production, transportation and disposal of clothing and textiles, the more resolved I am to cut out all unnecessary consumption and only use existing/pre-loved textiles to clothe myself and sew with.

The Rockabilly Bowling Shirt

At some point, I can't remember when, I announced that I would make Pat one shirt for every year that we are together. Well, our relationship is now almost three and a half years old, and until recently there was only the Brokeback balcony shirt and checked book launch shirt to show for it. It was time to get a' stitchin' to make another which would also serve as my Christmas present to Pat.


I have a folder on my laptop in my 'garment inspiration' section devoted to collated images of men's shirts that we both like. There was a strong theme of rockabilly/1950s/rock 'n' roll/diner/bowling type shirts in there that wasn't reflected in Pat's real-life wardrobe. They all have essentially the same basic style: boxy, short sleeved with a folded back revere collar. The specifics of the designs generally came from different panels and blocks of colour. Examples are shown above.

To guarantee a good fit, my starting point was the checked book launch shirt pattern. That had begun life as the Burdastyle Jakob shirt pattern that I had altered to fit Pat's slim shape. The alterations were thankfully so successful that, when quizzed on the fit, Pat was unable to make any suggestions of how I could improve it. To be more in keeping with the rockabilly/bowling shirt aesthetic, I adapted the hem to make it straight with small slits at the side seams. I also made the side seams a little less curved to create a more boxy fit. I kept the sleeves with their faux-turn ups the same and used the original Jakob patch pocket pattern. The main and most hefty alterations came from combining the Jakob/book launch shirt pattern with the collar/neckline of this vintage pattern pictured above (that Pat's sister found in a charity shop and gave to me!) to get the right revere collar effect. This process involved a lot of pinning, tracing, drafting and swearing, though not too much of the latter.

That's Pat pictured above with our glamourous friend, Ciara. I should explain that we saw the new year in at a Madmen themed party, and created elaborate back-stories for our characters and had a mini photoshoot. I can't remember the complex machinations of the six protagonists, but I can remember my alter-ego being called 'Marcy' whose favourite tipple is a Dark and Stormy.

The teal stripe on the left is applied onto the black shirt front with topstitching, rather than creating a seamed panel. I thought that would work better as the two fabric have slightly different thicknesses, and I wanted to avoid any potential wierdness that might occur at the seam when attaching different types of fabric together.

I'm happy to say that this garment was another that cost only my time. I had both the black and teal fabric in my stash, though I cannot remember how either of them got there or for how long they'd made my stash their home. The buttons were also from my collection. However, as ever, using a strickly limited amount of fabric meant I had to be a bit adaptable. The initial plan was to use black fabric for the front facings and yoke, but with not enough black fabric those sections became teal and in that sense the fabric kind of did the designing. Actually, I think I prefer the shirt's overall look with the contrast front facings and yokes, and it would be fun to make a variety of combinations to see how different effects could be created with the application of the different colours.

Happy New Year from Patty and Marcy!!!!