Most people in the U.S. probably can barely sew on a button, much less make an outfit from scratch. But fifty years ago, making your own clothes was the norm. My grandmother made her own clothes and her children’s clothes. My mom learned to sew by making outfits for her Barbies. But like most of my generation, I grew up more often heading to the mall for back-to-school shopping than making anything myself.
Globalized, industrial production has drastically reduced the price of clothing, but it has also introduced other issues. Shocking news stories of sweatshop labor have made a lot of people rethink where they buy their clothes. As we’ve become removed from the production process, we have to ask ourselves a lot of questions when buying clothes. Where were they made? Who made them? How much were the workers paid? What were working conditions like?
And after those cheap clothes go out of style or we just get sick of them, what do we do with them? According to the EPA, Americans generated over 13 million tons of textile waste in 2010, with 85 percent of that waste going into landfills. Mountains of our rejects are also donated to thrift shops, although many of those items end up being made into rags or shipped to developing countries for resale. If you’ve seen the bales of used clothing being processed at DeBois Textiles in Southwest Baltimore you have an idea of the enormous quantity of clothes that get discarded all the time. When clothes are cheap and fashions change quickly, people will naturally buy more and throw away more.
So what’s a fashionista to do when faced with all these questions? One way to shop ethically is by buying clothes secondhand, or from companies with certified fair labor practices. Another strategy that’s becoming more popular is making your own clothes. You know exactly where and how it was made, and you don’t have to worry about whether your money went to a company that practices child labor or mistreats their workers. If you use upcycled materials or alter secondhand clothes, you’re even taking these things out of the waste stream. More young people are picking up the sewing machine again; sewing classes are popping up around the country and the web abounds with patterns and advice for making clothes (some examples here, here and here for how to turn thrift store finds into great new pieces).
Admittedly, not everyone may have the time or the resources to make their own clothes, but having basic sewing skills is a huge help when you need to mend something or make minor alterations. It means you can patch that hole or take in a seam instead of tossing something. In my own adventures in sewing, I’ve learned that it’s much easier than I thought to make or alter a lot of things. I’ve altered a lot of clothes that didn’t fit me quite right, which I would have otherwise given to Goodwill. When I consider buying something, I now think “could I make that myself instead?”
I don’t see a return to making all our clothes by hand, but I do think that making your own can make us rethink how we buy and see potential in things we may have seen as trash.
The last time I sewed something it was by hand for Laura Ingalls Wilder day at my middle school (hey, it was Tennessee), and I have had no desire to pick up a needle since. I admire those who can knit and craft their way to cute skirts and mittens, and I enjoy shopping at the local craft fairs.
For me another alternative is buying locally made or made in U.S. One day I looked through my entire closet and only found maybe two articles of clothing that were made in this country. Not that being made in the U.S. eliminates all possibility of negative production practices, but I’d like to think there are some limitations. CNN put out a list of resources for Made in America products here, and there are many more artisan choices out there. Even though these items typically cost more, I find they are usually well-made and long-lasting, and can be a unique addition to your wardrobe.