Today and Tomorrow: Sample Sale in London

At the workplace: Luskentyre Harris Tweed Company

photo credit (as well as many more photos and a description of the making of Harris Tweed): Style Bubble and Style Salvage

Sweatshops in Europe

When I started this blog in August 2008 I very very naively thought that it would be easy to to separate the wheat from the chaff to find out who are the good, the bad and the ugly labels when it comes to producing clothes. More than two years have passed and it has become increasingly clear that there are so many shades of grey. A label that reads "made in [somewhere in Europe]" doesn't guarantee fair working conditions neither does a label that says "made in China" necessarily mean that the garment in question was made in a sweatshop. I found two interesting articles about sweatshops in Europe, the first via www.businessoffashion.com and the second via http://fraujonason.blogspot.com

Made in little Wenzhou, Italy: the latest label from Tuscany. By John Hooper at guardian.co.uk

excerpt: "Pronto moda involves importing cheap fabric, usually from China, and getting it made up to order at breakneck speeds into high-fashion garments that are then sold with 'made in Italy' labels. [...] In workshops scattered around Prato, Chinese employees put in 15 to 16 hours a day in conditions and for wages no Italian would contemplate."

Retail giants shamed by UK sweatshops. By Martin Hickman at independent.co.uk

excerpt: "For three months, a reporter for Channel 4’s Dispatches worked undercover in workshops in Leicester, stitching garments for British retail chains including Bhs, run by Sir Philip Green, who is advising David Cameron on public sector 'efficiency' savings."

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Als ich im August 2008 angefangen habe zu bloggen habe ich naiverweise gedacht, es wäre recht einfach die Spreu vom Weizen zu trennen und herauszufinden, welche Marken ihre Kleidung auf verantwortungsvolle Weise produzieren lassen und welche nicht. Mehr als zwei Jahre sind seitdem vergangen und es ist immer deutlicher geworden, dass es doch ganz schön schwierig ist. Ein Etikett auf dem „made in [irgendwo in Europa]“ steht ist keine Garantie für akzeptable Arbeitsbedingungen, aber ein Etikett auf dem „made in China“ steht, muss auch nicht immer bedeuten, dass das dazugehörende Kleidungsstück in einem Sweatshop hergestellt wurde. Ich habe zwei interessante Artikel über Sweatshops in Europa gefunden (beide in Englisch) einmal über www.businessoffashion.com und einmal über http://fraujonason.blogspot.com

Made in little Wenzhou, Italy: the latest label from Tuscany. By John Hooper at guardian.co.uk

Retail giants shamed by UK sweatshops. By Martin Hickman at independent.co.uk

"Auch in der EU gibt es Sweatshops im Dienste von Labels, die gerne billige Ware verkaufen. Ein Reporter des britischen Fernsehsenders Channel 4 arbeitete einige Monate Undercover als Näher in Textilbetrieben in Leicester. Und- die Arbeitsbedingungen waren skandalös."

Best Fair Trade Scarves

From top left to bottom right (click on pics to buy and for photo credit): 1) Circle of the Sun - 100 % Alpaca scarf handwoven in an Artisan Cooperative of Traditional Weavers in Bolivia. 2) A Peace Treaty - Baby Alpaca / Silk Blend hand-knitted snood. 3) Hess Natur - camel hair scarf made in Mongolia. 4) Hess Natur - yak scarf made in Mongolia. 5) People Tree - cable snood made in Nepal of 100 % wool. 6) Novica - 50% alpaca wool, 50% acrylic scarf made in Peru. 7) 85% merino wool 15% angora scarf hand knit in Uruguay. 8) Komodo - snoog tube knitted scarf.

And even more fair trade scarves at Bibico (made in Nepal), Wool and the Gang (made in Peru), Beklina (made in Peru), Fair Earth (made in Kenya) and Lemlem (made in Ethiopia).