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.