Ethical Fashion on Fresh Air

Fresh Air ran an interview today with Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost Of Cheap Fashion (link to book excerpt).  There really isn't that much there that would be news to someone who has been reading this blog for a while, but it is a good introduction if that isn't a subject you follow closely.

I credit Wardrobe Refashion for breaking my habit of purchasing cheap clothes just because I can.

The Pledge

I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract.

The pledge allows one new clothing purchase every 2 months, which meant that I had plenty of time to consider what I really needed and save up money to buy good and lasting quality.  Since the pledge, my wardrobe has evolved to include more and more me-made garments and less new and thrifted ones. (Thrift store quality has declined along with the overall quality of clothes sitting in American closets.)

Scroll through my past Wardrobe Refashion or the group Wardrobe Refashion blog posts to view some of things made by mining the embedded value in existing clothes.  It's fun.  It's creative.  It's not difficult.  I hope it encourages you to join in.