Important news...

Are you a designer?  Do you work for one?  Do you freelance or take on special projects?  Have you worked with big names? Well, many of us have, and no, you are not alone if you've been taken for a ride.  If you been thinking it's just you, this article may be just the one you need to read to learn that it isn't just you!

Maybe a designer has called you, flattered you, told you were they impressed with your work, are in a bind, need the kind of help only you can provide... maybe there's a job in it for you... maybe big bucks!  They fed your ego... and then... abruptly, it ended.  Did you do something wrong?

Communication stopped.  Where's the money you were promised?

If you are in or associated with the garment industry, you need to know this article...

At what cost?

Maybe it's because I'm getting older.  Maybe it's because I live in New York City.  But, as I walk through our many shopping districts, I am just BOMBARDED by products. Clothes, bags, shoes - in a seemingly endless supply. Sure, there are things that are cute, classic, artsy, interesting... but the sheer quantity of stuff sometimes just makes me feel overwhelmed.

Despite this constant barrage of stuff, when I design, make and wear an item, I am usually asked, "Where did you get that?" by strangers and friends alike.  And because I enjoy it, it really doesn't cost me any more than the supplies and time I've happily chosen to dedicate. I am now more sure than ever that I don't need ANOTHER piece of store bought clothing at this time in my life.  My closets are full, and my stash is ample. 

Even picking something up because it's "cheap" has a cost. And, depending on the item, that cost could be more than monetary.

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.

Summer reading, viewing, stories, and food for thought...

Summer may be over for many of you, with your kids already back to their school routines, and thoughts of fall in the air... But if you're in New York City, school won't begin again until Sept 9 (public school, anyway), and the summer weather and feeling is still with us. For those reasons, the lucky ones among us may have some "lazy days" left, so I share these thoughts with you, while we all prepare to make the gradual climb out of summer malaise, and into full swing again.

Mollie Makes Magazine

Click through for a sample.

A fun magazine, recommended to me by my fabric-loving friend, Cindy, Mollie Makes offers inspiring ideas, great photographs, and articles I never quite actually get around to reading.  Great pre-nap reading and dream inspiration.  Seriously.

Girl in Translation

Definitely a great read.  This story gives a really heartbreaking view of the tough issues an immigrant mom and daughter face while working in NYC's garment industry. Read my post about this book by clicking through this link.  Fiction, but inspired by a real life story.

The Man Who Wanted to Buy a Heart

A beautiful collection of short stories, as described in my blog post about the author.  Again, fiction, told by a man who is a garment industry veteran.

Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin: 
Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan

Did she make the greatest mistake of her life? Like many girls, she came with dreams of a better future. Yes, the pay was better than in China, but at what price? Would the high pressure of 15-hour quota-driven days of tedious, mind and finger-numbing work get to her? Or would the greedy floor monitors, and scam-artists preying on lonely, naive women rob her not just of her income, but of her innocence as well? At every turn, there were wolves ahead and tigers behind that threatened her dreams of happiness. Could she learn Saipan's secret factory system and get ahead before she lost it all? Could she save money, save face, and return to China better off? Would she even want to, given the real reason she left China in the first place?

It hurts to read this story.  Yes. Hurts.  But boy, does it open your eyes to the sacrifices some will make just to earn a decent living and have a better life.  "Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin" is a Chinese expression referring to the waste/useless stuff left over when cooking.  This one is NOT fiction.

If you read any of these, or are intrigued by the subject (whether in China, the US, or anywhere else), I'm sure you will see that this is not simply about the garment industry, but really about WORK, and what it requires of you, steals from you, provides for you, and/or drives you to do.  This compelling TED talk will whet your appetite for more information.