Post on 14-Dec-2015
description
Gillian Faye L. Lechoco 7-24-15
FD 214- Textile, Fiber, and Fabric Production
Book Report: Green is the New Black by Tamsin Blanchard
For fashion enthusiasts who love fashion, yet has the drive to save the environment, this is a
must-read. This book goes as a style bible, as well a how-to on being practical, stylish, and
ethical at the same time. The book report may seem to be a bit personal, but let me scrutinize
the content and give insights about it.
As much as being a fashion design student and style enthusiast, the model Lily Cole did shed
much light with her forewords on the book. Truth hurts, but humans are forever damned with the
attitude of how we don’t get satisfied of the things that we have. As for girls like me who loves
clothes so much, it is saddening to know how we shop for more, and then ending up not
satisfied with the clothes that we bought. We buy, and buy, and buy as much clothes as we can
afford, not knowing of the wrong things we support all throughout the whole process of endless
shopping mania.
The first thing to know, unbelievingly saying, fashion is about waste (refer to Introduction).
We celebrate fashion, thus we celebrate waste. As what the book has mentioned, most of us
feel mortified when we see anyone walking past us wearing off-trend clothes and go, “Gosh,
that’s so last season.” It’s just so bad that designs today are just wear-today, throw-away-
tomorrow; everything should be new from time to time. Moreover, one the greatest competitions
in the fashion industry is to make even-cheaper clothes but seemed to have lost sense of style
and quality. As stated in the book, an entire generation seems to have forgotten about
workmanship and quality, or have we not?
Second--- surprisingly saying--- is that fashion may have somehow supported terrorism by
buying simple clothes. Stating again an idea from the book, cotton (most common textile that we
wear) may have been picked by child laborers in Uzbekistan, sewn by Bangladeshi women that
are paid lower than the minimum wage. Sadly, we don’t see these things because we are
overpowered by are urges to buy things we want, but we don’t need.
Consumers have the power to change the world, and knowing of our great capability of
consumers we must be ethical, also. To avoid such circumstance, the book stated a great tip
(refer to chapter 2: I Shop, therefore I Am Ethical) for us before purchasing, not just clothes,
because this tip goes for the whole idea of purchasing, itself. Ask the following questions:
Do I really need it?
Why is it so cheap?
What is it made of?
Is the material organic?
Is it fair trade?
Has it been made in China, where
the unions are illegal?
How much do you think the people
making it were paid?
How many air miles, and how many
carbon emissions has this single
garment produced?
Has it been recycled?
Can it be recycled?
Will it add to the 500, 000 tons of
unwanted clothing that ends up as a
landfill each year?
Is that fur trim real?
Can it be washed, or is it dry clean
only?
One of the highlighted tips in the book is to discover style. Style is all about self-expression,
and ethical fashion is a place to find it. The best fashion, as what might the others have said, is
based on the time we live in, but personal style doesn’t have to follow latest trends, or the ins
and outs of fashion. As stated and as true as it gets, personal style is a part of your particular
look, as long as it gives you pleasure and/or satisfaction.
To change global clothing industry, we should (1) demand higher quality and ethics in
fashion. Stated in the book, it’s true that money is greatly at stake, so look for cheaper clothes,
rather than led by charlatans in ‘clever’ advertisements. Why not try sale market shopping?
As told by the book, buy and wear more second-hand clothes, because as what I’ve learned
in the book, reality is seen on used items. This insight has been brought back by the contents of
the book, and it’s something that I learned from thrift shopping: nothing is perfect until you
search for it.
Try to dress vintage with berets, tweed jackets, and/or seventies platforms from sales or thrift
shops. Tips for vintage buyers:
Old stains don’t come out.
Don’t expect utter perfection.
Vintage sizes are smaller, so check all measurements.
Go for recycled garments! I’ve also realized that fashion is always about recycling, and it is
clearly seen on ideas. A secret that I learned from the book: find experts who know how to get
the most out of your unwanted garments. NEVER make your garment look like it has been
recycled.
I’ve also later realized that haute couture garments are the most ethical fashion pieces of all
for the following reasons: (1) employment-wise, an atelier legally hires employees and pays
them with minimum wage or above minimum wage salary, (2) these are clothes that will never
end up in a landfill (except if you’re absurd enough to throw such a lovely item made
exceptionally for you and according to you).
Another is to get most of your wardrobe. Revitalizing your look, as what the book has said, is
to get organized. So here’s what we can do:
Give wardrobe an airing; wear the things you’ve forgotten and wait for compliments;
Face the fact that there are items that you will never wear again; and,
If you have clothes that you don’t want to have, but you think someone likes it, swap
them, give them, sell them, or give them off to charity.
Moreover, do a capsule wardrobe. I’ve learned before that in having a capsule wardrobe, you
must pick the clothes that you usually wear or those clothes that are seasonal, and then do the
process above when you don’t want to use some of the items anymore. As what I’ve noticed
recently, making a capsule wardrobe results to the ‘normcore’ fashion or the minimal clothing,
as what people usually call. You don’t have to have a black-and-white wardrobe to be
recognized having a capsule. Choose items that you won’t get bored with (and that includes not
having an all-black-and-white wardrobe). A capsule wardrobe should have:
Organic jeans
Organic t-shirts
A good jacket
Handful of dresses
Trousers
A skirt
A coat or two
Raincoat
Tops
A cardigan and a couple of jumpers
Enough underwear
Enough shoes
Accessories
There’s another great tip. If you don’t use your undies or old t-shirts anymore, use them as
dusters to wipe off dusts.
Do repairs for a time! Take old clothes from your mother’s closet, and adjust them according
to your measurements, or cut them out and make a new one out of the pile. This is something
that I should do, if I have time.
The second highlighted tip that I got from the book is to make DIYs. The book stated that the
thriftiest way to high fashion is to make your own. The only thing is that is takes time, and
requires a lot of your imagination, BUT it ensures you that you walk into a room where nobody
else will be wearing the same thing as you. The book reminded me that I should make time to
download again DIY patterns from the internet.
What’s great about this book is that it doesn’t only cater to style, because it also tackles a bit
about cosmetics, food, travel, and leisure. It doesn’t just give tips, because it also shows some
tutorials on how to make things such as face masks and aprons. Again, this book is a must-read
because it the words talk to you to help you realize that you may be doing the wrong thing, but
you can make a change as big as a clothing industry, and it can change the way you lived your
life to a better state by becoming a better consumer and a better style enthusiast.