Fashion is the opiate of the modern masses

I was going to have a little rant about ethical book buying as seeing that Jade Goody has the best selling autobiography at the moment, outselling perhaps the most important man in modern history (Barack Obama) really wound me up on the weekend. But boycotting book buying wouldn’t last long for me! Plus, books are one of the few things in this world that aren’t considered to be disposable. So, instead, I’d like to complain about channel four’s inability to relate to the public.

Last night, Gok Wan was doing his usual ‘fashion fix’ and taking on the designers with ‘budget’ clobber from the high street. What startled me was the total lack of budget. Whilst most of us are struggling to make ends meet with utility bills and the cost of food through the roof, out of touch Gok was fawning over outfits costs a couple of hundred quid – a steal compared to the several thousand pound outfits being offered up by the rather mental designer-obsessed fashionista (and her pet pooch). Seriously, aren’t we all a bit beyond that now? I mean, who can afford the capsule wardrobe these days? Yes, Gok has a point, ‘buy less, wear more’ is a great idea but it does seem that Gok wants us all to chuck out what we have a buy a select few items which cost more than my mortgage!

Now what would be interesting is if instead of the designer vs high street battle at the end of the show, we had a high street vs shabby chic face off. I personally reckon that someone with a bit of sewing know-how, some style and guts could easily put together some fab outfits from charity shops, second shops and even car boot sales and on a budget that everyone can afford. Fashion is just a way of giving clothes exclusivity; stick a label on it and everyone knows that you’re minted. I say sod it, its time we all felt good about our clothes. Fuck fashion, everyone woman has the right to look and feel good about herself whether her gear’s from Biba or British Heart Foundation! Sadly, channel four are still promoting short-lived feel good fashion which just encourages the credit card crippling and excessive borrowing mentality that we’re all trying to leave behind. This just adds fuel to the fire of worthlessness and low self esteem amongst those who have been hit the hardest by the credit crunch – fashion is the opiate of the modern masses, and a tough habit to kick.

Primark: Fast fashion or guilty pleasure?

So, another year gone and the news is as bleak as ever. I was planning to report that despite a shameful blip at Christmas my ethical shopping is still on track; the staff in my local charity shop are starting to recognise me as I’m in there around three times a week! Christmas is a hard time for ethical spending, especially with the credit crunch coupled with a shortage of time. I’m afraid a couple of high street stores did benefit from my hard earned cash. Oh and there was the guilty pleasure of collecting a few bargains from Woollies. Onto the more important news: the BBC have reported that budget retailer Primark have been using ‘slave labour’ to produce their cut price crap. Well, we kind of all knew that anyway; the actual shocking part is that these garments were made in sweatshops in the UK. With consumer spending slowing as more people feel the effects of the economic downturn, I doubt this news will even dent Primark’s profits. As redundancies continue, food prices remain high and living costs stretch most peoples pay cheques, Primark’s discount products will seem more appealing despite the bad press. It’s a shame really; it wasn’t that long ago that I was hopeful that ethical shopping was a growing trend with organic, free range and fair-trade on the increase. Now it seems that the old phrase is right: when you’re poor you can’t afford morals. Pity.

Modern life is rubbish and other tales of woe

It’s been nearly ten months since I started trying to shop ethically, with mixed success. In the last couple of months I have been really struggling. I think it’s a reflection of modern living and how much stuff we need. If I lived in a little house in the middle of nowhere on a large plot with some animals and veggie patch, living the good life, aiming for self sufficiency then I’m sure I wouldn’t want for much. But when you’re doing nine-five to pay the mortgage, need clothes to go to the office and ‘stuff’ like films and good food to help you unwind at the end of the day, its not easy. Now I’m not some fashion victim who needs the latest look all the time but wearing scruffy old jeans to the office really doesn’t project a professional image. I know I’m making excuses for my failings but I have tried, really tried but I can’t manage to shop ethically 100% of the time. In a way I need to make peace with a compromise – if I can shop ethically most of the time, then that’s good, it’s not perfect, but it’s better. I’m still buying fair-trade and organic food where I can, still mostly buying from charities and independent stores but I have been to the high street a couple of times. The most upsetting part of my high street shame though, isn’t that I’ve bought things; it’s that the top I bought is now in the sale for half what I paid for it. Karma? Perhaps. A lesson in patience? Definitely. A sign that I should be more careful about what I spend my money on? Absolutely.