Happy 2015 to you all! Here's praying that 2015 kicks 2014's butt in every possible way. =0).
This is about the time of the year when folk start their New Year's resolutions. Last year, Megan and I decided that we would only buy clothing that was fair trade/ethically made. Here are Megan's thoughts on the year that was. Enjoy!
What happens when you intentionally refrain from buying
clothing that wasn’t ethically made for an entire year? I didn’t quite know
what to expect when we ventured into this a year ago. Adam and I made the
decision to as we were preparing for a trip to another country where last year at this
time there were protests from garment factory workers for their payment.
Ultimately there wages weren’t raised and they were silenced to keep the peace.
It left us with the question though of how we would respond. Before we dig in,
I just want to say that I know that this method of advocacy and action isn’t
perfect. People still need jobs regardless of how much they are paid. Although
the system is completely jacked up and unfair, there is still a high demand for
these jobs because there are people who need them. I want to share a few
lessons we learned along the way on this journey:
1.
Exposure
of idolatry and greed in my heart:
a.
I love Target. No matter what I come in there
for my eyes & legs are somehow immediately drawn to the clearance clothing
section. It doesn’t matter if I need that new sweater, there is an intense
longing to own it. Knowing that Target is rated a D for clothing on the ethical
rating (betterworldshopper.com) forced me to check these desires at the dollar
section before I made my way over to the clothing. I realized that just because
I felt like I wanted something, doesn’t mean I need it or can get it somewhere
better.
2.
“I
wear your granddad’s clothes, I look incredible” – Thrift Shops are the best
a.
I was already a fan of thrift shops before, but
even more this year. I had a friend get married and had a fancy wedding where
cocktail attire was required. This was a little harder for me in thinking of
where to find something fancy enough for cheap. Luckily in Columbia there are
lots of sororities – meaning lots of fancy dresses at the Goodwill. I found a
nice dress and got many compliments on it.
I also found my entire winter wardrobe at thrift stores or garage sales.
The best part is that no one can tell that these clothes aren’t new. Thrift
shops come with an A+ on the ethical rating because they are reusing decent
clothing that we cast aside for new things.
3.
People
may think you are Crazy
a.
I love shopping just like most girls. It is a
bonding thing that I grew up doing. We didn’t always buy stuff, but we had fun
window shopping. I found it hard to shop with others because honestly, who
likes the shopper that doesn’t want anything and points out how things are
made? No one. You end up being Debbie Downer. It was also hard to explain why I
wasn’t buying something. I didn’t want to make other people feel guilty for
their purchases, yet knew I couldn’t buy it myself. The other reality is that
living this way is counter-cultural. We live in a world where what you wear
defines who you are. Wearing cloths I wore in college isn’t always in style.
4.
New
Cloths are Expensive
a.
About halfway through the year Adam needed new
socks and underwear. It was a challenge to find them fairtrade and at a decent
price. Sometimes choosing fairtrade means sacrificing something else. There were other instances where I needed to find new clothing and thrift store didn't have what I needed. Instead I found a local store
that choses to purchase fairtrade clothes. By God’s grace I was able to find
some decent (although not that decently) priced leggings and pants.
5.
God
provides abundantly
a.
Before I even knew I needed clothing, people were offering me boxes of clothes out of nowhere. It was such a blessing to see God provide before I even knew I was in need.
6.
It is
worth it
a.
When we went overseas we saw 15-20 people
loaded into small trucks to head out to the garment factory. There people get
80-100 dollars per month to work 12 + hours a day in the factory. This isn’t
nearly enough to survive in any country. Some even turn to the sex industry in
order to make enough money to support their family. Meanwhile companies are
charging us $30 for a sweater while all of it goes to the company and not the
people making them. We also witnessed local non-profits helping give people a
decent wage for the same job. I would love to support these kinds of businesses
even if it means more money.
In the end, I don’t know if we will always buy fairtrade.
But I do know that our eyes are opened to our own sense of need for stuff as
well as what it means to use our money intentionally. I encourage you to
consider, is there one thing that you regularly purchase that you can find out
how it is manufactured? Consider thinking intentionally about what you purchase
for a year. It is sure to change you and those around you.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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