On privacy, anonymity, scarcity, and exclusivity

"The Garment Worker" by Judith Heller

Reposting from 10/1/16
Reposting again from 7/10/18
Now I need to add to it.

Reposting again 12/13/23.

And what am I doing? Engaging, learning, working with people who think similarly. Strong baby steps.  Many others are doing the same.

I've been particularly interested in unasked questions lately.  You know... those nagging issues that pop up in our heads, spawn interesting dinner conversation, and make us wonder how to even begin researching the answer(s), that is... assuming we can properly articulate the question.

This is an aside, but trust me... it helps me explain my point here. 

A friend of a friend has a Twitter account.  I didn't know this friend-once-removed well at all, and she didn't directly share her Twitter account info with me, but she told me a story that referenced a celebrity and the response she got to a tweet she'd made, which I later looked at, and then casually explored her other tweets.  I had no particular feeling about this person, not knowing her at all, but, after looking at the shrine to self absorption and profanity her Twitter account revealed, I now have a somewhat negative opinion of her.  Before I explored her Twitter account, this alter-ego would have been anonymous.  But now, she has a name, and a face. 

But she also has the right to semi-anonymously express herself, right?

In the USA, I can say with confidence that we all pretty much assume we have a general right to privacy.  But, do we also have a right to anonymity? If not, should we?

Sure we do, in my opinion, but... what is this anonymity spawning?

Anonymity creates new and imagined "people" with other agendas, lives, needs and ideas.  It takes the "human being" right out of humanness. That Twitter persona you create?  Is it you?  Is it uncensored you? Is it just a character?  Does it matter?

So here's where it all comes full circle.  Last week, a family member said to me, "Oh, I bought this great sweatshirt at Old Navy.  It was kinda pricey, you know, for Old Navy"  She pulled it from the bag and showed me  the pricey sweatshirt.  It was a good-looking sweatshirt, but I too, was surprised by the price.  "Where was that made?" I asked her.  "Hmmm... I dunno..." she said.  "Look at the tag," I pointed to it. "It will say." 

"Hmmm... Don't see it..."

"Hand it to me."

"Ok.  (tiny print) Cambodia."

She rolls her eyes, knowing what I am about to say.

"That's okay," I said. "You don't have to care who made your clothes, much like no one cared that your enslaved great-grandfather picked their cotton, or that your grandmother..."

Her hand goes up to me, protesting my objection.  

"Listen, I care.  But you don't have to. I can make a choice not to buy that sweatshirt.  I can also make a sweatshirt... but the reason you don't care, is that you don't know those people, those conditions, the situation that led you to buy THAT shirt. Who knows?  Maybe it was made by a Cambodian who is doing just fine, living well, and enjoying life! Or... Maybe I'm completely wrong, and that person is in tears... right now, wondering how long they can keep this up... right now."

Conversation done.  Now, that sweatshirt hangs, unworn, in her closet. I think I made my point. Am I being overly dramatic?  I don't think so.

But there are endless layers to this type of problem.  The biggest, and most important, is that we just DON'T know what we DON'T know.  Where does my fabric come from?  How was it dyed? And if I expand this line of questioning to ask where my handbag came from/Where did my dinner come from?/Where/How for most things I own... There are layers and layers of anonymous labor and resources.  We can cherry-pick causes until we're blue in the face... and to what end?

In the current media environment, everyone has an opinion.  Often with a profit motive. Some people scream their thoughts.  Loudly. Offensively. Mean-spirited thoughts people feel compelled to share. To that, I say, feel free to broadcast whatever you want to say, but you absolutely MUST OWN IT.  Show us who you are. Our activism is backward.  We need to work on the things that give voices to the voiceless. 

If you ask me, oppressors have no right to oppress anonymously. If asked who is making the clothes, specific answers should be required. Do I mean that people should be allowed to wander up to your doorstep and confront you?  Peer in your windows? 

Absolutely not.  That would be about privacy. But there should be space for everyone to express their thoughts, without being stifled... as well as a firmly protected right to publicly disagree with you.  

"Where was that shirt made?" Like it or not, this question has an answer. "Who made that shirt?" definitely has an answer.  Remember when you could open a package of underwear and see na inspector's number tag enclosed?

Frankly, I don't have time to make my whole wardrobe.  Nor do I have the time to make yours. Nor do I want to. Nor do I have time to research every step my clothing has taken before arriving at the store where I buy it.  The vast majority of us don't.

So what do we do about that?

Personally, for now, I plan to let my heart lead the way.  I'm gonna continue to seek the stories of the long established fabric shops in the district - places where the vendors have been deeply involved in the business in a very organic and true way, for a long time. I'll share those stories. I'll let you  know what I find.

For the social activists among you... Food for thought.

This is a TED talk given some time ago (2014), by a woman I admire (who also happens to be a personal friend). It is great food for thought.




Has anything changed since then?  If so, how?

Heroes of the Garment District - Example #1: Amy Matto

Translation: Made in the USA

"Nowadays, a new designer would have to be crazy to design and make clothing in New York City."

- Everyone

Luckily, the Italian word for "crazy" is Matto. And if this designer is crazy, Amy Matto is crazy like a fox.  (And I am just crazy enough to check the translation.)

The wisdom of this company's choice to produce here in NYC's Garment district is beautifully conveyed in this article, featuring an interview with Ms. Matto by the International Business Times.

This isn't some harebrained scheme.  They've been here since 2009, and that's 6 years now! Having recently completed a round of hiring additional staff, this enthusiastic and energetic bunch is growing beautifully, while promoting their mission to expand their line, which is represented in boutiques across the country.




How do I know this?  Last week, after a warm email exchange with a member of the staff, I asked to come in and see the work they are doing. Yesterday, I was delighted to enter their clean, brightly lit showroom, shipping room and workspace, where rows of garments were beautifully displayed on racks amid a handful of busy design, administrative and production staffers.  

Great clothes? Yes.
Affordable? Yes.
Where can I buy them? Lots of places. 
Click here for a list of stockists.

Now, for the skeptics among you, I must add that this is not a sponsored post.  This is my genuine impression of a solid garment district player.  Make no mistake; from what I can see, the architecture of a great future for Amy Matto is represented here, and this is one I am very happy to support.

The line is very American in appearance, and I mean that in the best way. Great for the modern woman's lifestyle; you can wear it to work, wear it out afterward, and then wear it on the weekend...  It's workwear that works anywhere.  A classically youthful color palette, uncomplicated, well-made, and versatile in its appropriateness.

Here are some examples to fall in love with:

A close look at a a great fabric..

A whisper of a delicate dress, light as air...

An eyelet dress, perfect for summer...

A fur vest (FAUX!)... and so DREAMY for fall!

Get this... it has a matching jacket!

So, is it possible to make clothing here in New York City?  Apparently so!  Can the garment district still support it?  Apparently so! Will we support it as shoppers?  Time will tell!

And, if my opinion (or your own) isn't enough, they do have an impressive celebrity following as well.

The fall line looks really promising.  I look forward to watching them grow!

Amy Matto

(Showroom and New York HQ)

270 West 38th Street

Suite 1202

New York, NY 10018

212-398-2980

email

A teen perspective - More conscious garment production and consuming, and my own dressing concept... "Tayo"

Note: This post was mostly inspired by my daughter, but also partially inspired by the simple routine act of my putting on my dad's beloved sweatshirt, again... nearly 13 years after his death.

On my personal Facebook page (about a month ago), I posted this:

My daughter: The English language needs a new word for "we, not including you".

Me: What do you mean?

My daughter: For example "We are going to the movies" can mean "you, too", or it can mean that I'm telling you where we are going, without you.

Me: So kinda like an inclusive "we" and an exclusive "we"?

My daughter: Yeah.

Follow-up: Rather than make up a new word, she suggested, we should find a language that already makes that distinction, and adopt their word for the "not you" version of we, directly.

I like this idea. Anyone speak a language where this distinction exists?

The best answer was (from a friend): Tagalog/Filipino has 

'tayo' and 'kami'. Tayo is inclusive we. Kami is exclusive we.

*She, of course, was intrigued by kami, while I was intrigued 

by tayo.

Me: If I make a shareable clothing line, I'm calling it "Tayo".

Friend: 

"Tayo" works very well as a name for a clothing line based on usage too. Much more comfortable than 'we' would, even if we ignore the ambiguity of inclusiveness. The Filipino idiom equivalent to "let's go" is "tayo na" where 'na' is barely a word, something just to indicate a sense of immediacy (or "completeness"). The phrase can also play the role of "let's do it" or the more broad "let's get going".

Tldr; Tayo seems like a great name for something that celebrates inclusiveness.

The documentary film "Cotton Road" premiered at the Tribeca Cinema on Friday, March 20, 2015.

Having seen a good number of documentaries and posts about more responsible, human-friendly, and eco-friendly production, I now feel that it is time to ask ourselves some of the more obvious questions.

Seriously.

Does your clothing have to be NEW, solely yours?  Unused? Current?

Does it need to be? Better yet, do you even want it to be?

Why does a jacket need to serve one life, with one primary owner?

For myself and my family, I have devised a new type of garment category, that I have lovingly named "Tayo".

*Sometimes I forget to conclude my point... this is an update to my rather abrupt ending.  So, just in case I didn't articulate it clearly, I am often moved by all of these stories chronicling how our clothes are made, and I feel the problem is too large for me to fight it alone, and yet I know that my own participation in the cycle is optional. I make things because I enjoy it, though, not some garment survivalist mission. So, for me and my close family, we can simply decide to pay attention to where/how our own clothing is made, and take a small step in that way.  At least it's a beginning.

When Fashion Bloggers go to Cambodia... "Who" are you wearing?

Send three Norwegian fashion bloggers to work in a Cambodian sweatshop, and this is what you get:


 

Now, the question is... what can we do?  Or what can we NOT do?




"Who" are you wearing right now?

On sustainability... and why we should care

Sarah Jessica Parker wears ECO-friendly sweatshirt by Pharrell Williams article here

In bed the other night, winding down for sleep, I asked my husband, "Can you think of any industry where people are banding together in a big movement to bring about change in industry practices?" No response.  "Anything?" 

Yes, these are my thoughts before I go to sleep...

"Hmm.. he said.  Maybe big oil?"

Oil?  I thought?  And then, I thought about a high school friend of mine, who I coincidentally ran into just a week ago, (who is actually an expert in the fields of Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility) and how some of the thoughts she has to share might be applicable in the sustainable fashion movement.

A path to her website led me to a link that you will have to see to believe.  When you visit, look at the list of companies on the left of the screen, and think about how many of those brands you own. 

*Keep in mind that specific brands play different parts in this crisis, and clicking through is necessary to read which details pertain to each company.

If a purchase of those products is a "vote" for their role in the industry, for slavery, for poor treatment, for unsafe conditions, for human rights violations, how many votes have you cast?

So...

Take a deep breath, then click here.

Also note problems such as food insecurity and anemia for factory workers in the article posted here.

But...

there are some great companies, like Levi Strauss, who are really making a point of having a clear, positive corporate mission as it relates to how their products are produced.

Here's a relevant article addressing the current concerns, and what can happen if not addressed... And another one...

But the big questions is... what will need to happen to make change happen?  What might we start to do differently?

Bigger still...

What will happen if we do nothing?

Are you a designer? Get inspired...

Imogene and Willie is a jeans manufacturer that could have grown anywhere.  Listen to the story, and get inspired.

I see this story as a direct response to my "As Yet Untitled" blog post.

After absorbing this information, I invite you to the seminar.

I suspect your objection may be that it can't be done here.  Allow me to correct you...

There's a "garment district" of sorts emerging in Brooklyn...  You can read about it here and here...

After all, we are all makers, aren't we?

Close to home

"Ma also gave me $2.99 to buy a paperback Webster's dictionary.  This cost us almost two hundred finished skirts, since we were paid 1.5 cents per skirt.  For years, I calculated whether or not something was expensive by how many skirts it cost.  In those days, the subway was 100 skirst just to get to the factory and back, a package of gum cost 7 skirts, a hot dog was 50 skirts, and a new toy could range from 300 to 2,000 skirts.  I even measured friendship in skirts.  I learned you had to buy Christmas and birthday presents for friends, which cost at least a few hundred skirts each.  It was a good thing I only had Annette as a friend."

- Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation.

The above quote is an excerpt from a beautifully written work of fiction, which I highly recommend to you all.  The following quote is from the author herself:

We lost all our money in the move to the United States.  My family started working in a sweatshop in Chinatown.  My father took me there every day after school and we all emerged many hours later, soaked in sweat and covered in fabric dust.  Our apartment swarmed with insects and rats.  In the winter, we kept the oven door open day and night because there was no other heat in the apartment. 

-Jean Kwok

With all of my recent talk about foreign factory labor, unions, the importance of local suppliers, etc.  Here's the kicker: I read the about the author page on the web, after seeing her familiar face with a link on a high school friend's Facebook page. The high school the author went to?  Same as my own.  I didn't know her personally, although the classes were small,  (at least, I don't remember - my apologies if you see this somehow, Jean if that isn't true, but I certainly know your face!) since we were a year apart. 

The hard truth is this:  You have no idea what kind of hardship your neighbor may be facing. With enough food worldwide to fill everyone's bellies, 1 in 8 people is hungry.  This shocking statistic is amplified when visiting the Our Global Food exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City right now.  With our closets and drawers overflowing, and workers are sometimes risking even death to make even more clothing for those of us privileged enough to buy even more stuff, without even thinking twice. A family friend who works as a home health aid had a nearly impossible time trying to find an appropriate school for her autistic son, so she could simply earn a modest living.

The fact is, this is about far more than clothing.

What can we do?  Well, we don't need an official "movement", since everyone can take steps of his/her own.  Here's what my (literal) sister is doing. How about you?