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Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act
Running out of space for the clothes you can't stop buying? Curious about how you can make a difference to the environmental challenges our planet faces? Join Orsola's care revolution and learn to make the clothes you love, last longer.
This book will equip you with a myriad of ways to mend, rewear and breathe new life into your wardrobe to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. By teaching you to scrutinise your shopping habits and make sustainable purchases, she will inspire you to buy better, care more and reduce your carbon footprint by simply making your loved clothes last longer.
Following Orsola's practical tips to lavish care and attention on the clothes you already own will not only have a positive environmental impact, but will be personally rewarding too: hand wash, steam and spot clean your clothes, air dry instead of tumble drying, or revive your clothes by sewing or crocheting.
Fast fashion leaves behind a trail of human and environmental exploitation. Our wardrobes don't have to be the finish line; they can be a starting point. We can all care, repair and rewear. Do you accept the challenge?
This book will equip you with a myriad of ways to mend, rewear and breathe new life into your wardrobe to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. By teaching you to scrutinise your shopping habits and make sustainable purchases, she will inspire you to buy better, care more and reduce your carbon footprint by simply making your loved clothes last longer.
Following Orsola's practical tips to lavish care and attention on the clothes you already own will not only have a positive environmental impact, but will be personally rewarding too: hand wash, steam and spot clean your clothes, air dry instead of tumble drying, or revive your clothes by sewing or crocheting.
Fast fashion leaves behind a trail of human and environmental exploitation. Our wardrobes don't have to be the finish line; they can be a starting point. We can all care, repair and rewear. Do you accept the challenge?
263 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2021
80 people are currently reading
1687 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
April 4, 2021
I expected to love this book. I at least wanted to like it. But for me, it just didn't deliver on its promise. What's actually here? A few clothing-care tips, some details on repair and remodelling that you could get from any secondhand 20th-century household management or needlework book, some descriptions of fabric types, and a breakdown of washing label instructions that you could find on Wikipedia. Some information on environmental impact and sweatshops that any halfway-informed person would already know. Some statistics and facts - but for me these couldn't all be trusted once I discovered I knew some of them were actually false (no, folks, people in 1300 didn't think lambs were grown on trees and Baumwolle is tree-wool, not wool-tree...). I'm from a family who always sewed, who bought and sold secondhand clothes, who were in the clothing industry, who were department-store clothing buyers, I grew up mending, embellishing, remodelling, wearing clothes from jumble-sales and charity shops out of choice not poverty, and so I'm perhaps being harsh but this book taught me nothing new. The author"s middle-class assumptions of how others treat their clothes grates on me, and I feel little empathy with someone who says she's considering buying an extra freezer to keep near her laundry specifically for freezing her jeans and who gives a recipe for dying clothes pink using avocado (I nearly gave up at that point, but ploughed on!). Aside from the content, the gimmicky graphics and irrelevant sparse illustrations detract from the reading experience.
Now I feel I might have been churlish. If this book makes someone think differently about how they buy and use clothing, then it will have done the good its author obviously intended, and that person will obviously give it a higher rating. But I feel I'm not the target audience. From me, one star at most. Once my partner has read it, I will definitely pass this book on rather than keep it!
Now I feel I might have been churlish. If this book makes someone think differently about how they buy and use clothing, then it will have done the good its author obviously intended, and that person will obviously give it a higher rating. But I feel I'm not the target audience. From me, one star at most. Once my partner has read it, I will definitely pass this book on rather than keep it!
April 2, 2021
While the idea behind this book was rooted in a principle I strongly agree with, the execution was poor. While reading you can (rather irritatingly) sense the author has another agenda. This is a piece of writing which indulges a self-righteous author's fantasy. However worst of all was the hypocrisy, I felt many of the pages were simply being filled for the sake of it, wasting precious paper, quite going against her environmental high horse stance.
October 17, 2021
Perhaps the most innovative idea is that mending should be institutionalized, rather than falling on individuals. While certain major papers like the Guardian are on board with the idea that we need to make our clothes last, we're still hyper-focused on individual action. Since some people (my visually impaired boyfriend, for instance) can't learn to sew and others have limited time, we need to recognize that sewing - and re-soling shoes, fixing bags, etc - are a valuable skill imbued with cultural heritage. We need professionals on every high street and a culture that normalizes taking our stuff in for repair.
De Castro's central thesis is that there is no such thing as throwing clothes away, because our "away" is inevitably somebody else's here: it's vast bales of fabric polluting waterways and destroying local textile industries in Ghana, it's noxious incineration fumes sickening communities. The devastating human and environmental impact of fast fashion creates a moral imperative to kick our addiction, she argues.
She displays surprisingly little interest in making one's own clothes, admitting early on that she's never been much good at sewing. This approach makes the book accessible to those who are daunted by anything beyond repairing a hem. I felt the idea was implicit, too, that sewing your own clothes from scratch is not only a highly developed skill, it still involves consumption of new resources.
The book is also packed with historical insights that encourage us to think about the layers of cultural meaning behind our clothes - especially the brief history of denim.
According to a Guardian interview, the book was written in just four months, and like a sweatshop T shirt, the rush shows in the quality. Vast tracts are dedicated to top-down overviews of problems that have already received extensive coverage elsewhere: slavery in cotton, exploitation in sweatshops, microplastics in water. She quotes extensively from No Logo by Naomi Klein, but given that book's status as an established classic, I can't have been the only reader to sigh: yes, we know. In some cases, references are entirely lacking.
It would have benefited from close reporting and a series of thorough interviews. The entire last chapter consisted of trite suggestions built out into whole sections for the purpose of completing her year-round challenge. The idea that weddings are a major contributor to single-use outfits could have been covered in two sentences.
I was also bothered by an odd ambiguity or inconsistency in her arguments. On the one hand, most of the book is dedicated to discussing how fashion is an industry shot through with exploitation, environmental devastation, elitism, and cruelty, how the most ethical garment is the garment you already own, and how mending is a fine and almost infinitely flexible skill. To me as a reader, the logical conclusion is: don't buy clothes. Once you own enough quality pieces, it should almost never be necessary. Yet, with whiplash-inducing about turns, after a section on the evils of both real and fake fur, we are treated to a section on how to buy fur. She references "your regular T shirt shop", but by her own logic, there should be no such thing.
More broadly, her argument appears to be a version of the point that there is no ethical consumption in capitalism, but somehow, she never quite gets there. She is at times quite aware of the limitations of placing the responsibility on individuals (institutionalized mending) but at others, strangely enthusiastic on ludicrously impractical propositions such as everyone starting to handwash their lingerie after a shower, because the burden is apparently on us to stop our clothes shedding microplastics. Whether handwashing addresses this problem at all is a question she doesn't answer. At one point, she even confesses that she is considering buying a second freezer to freeze her clothes rather than washing them in an effort to prevent this problem. She doesn't appear to have thought about the environmental impact of electrodomestic goods here.
The author is clearly aware that hints of a hemp sackcloth future will put readers off, and is at pains to stress that affordable, attractive clothing means that hideous clothing as a marker of poverty, class and shame is a thing of the past. Perhaps some of these ambiguities are an endeavour to avoid appearing too radical. But in a world where the major challenge of climate change is that putative solutions never go far enough, many elements of her argument fail to convince.
De Castro's central thesis is that there is no such thing as throwing clothes away, because our "away" is inevitably somebody else's here: it's vast bales of fabric polluting waterways and destroying local textile industries in Ghana, it's noxious incineration fumes sickening communities. The devastating human and environmental impact of fast fashion creates a moral imperative to kick our addiction, she argues.
She displays surprisingly little interest in making one's own clothes, admitting early on that she's never been much good at sewing. This approach makes the book accessible to those who are daunted by anything beyond repairing a hem. I felt the idea was implicit, too, that sewing your own clothes from scratch is not only a highly developed skill, it still involves consumption of new resources.
The book is also packed with historical insights that encourage us to think about the layers of cultural meaning behind our clothes - especially the brief history of denim.
According to a Guardian interview, the book was written in just four months, and like a sweatshop T shirt, the rush shows in the quality. Vast tracts are dedicated to top-down overviews of problems that have already received extensive coverage elsewhere: slavery in cotton, exploitation in sweatshops, microplastics in water. She quotes extensively from No Logo by Naomi Klein, but given that book's status as an established classic, I can't have been the only reader to sigh: yes, we know. In some cases, references are entirely lacking.
It would have benefited from close reporting and a series of thorough interviews. The entire last chapter consisted of trite suggestions built out into whole sections for the purpose of completing her year-round challenge. The idea that weddings are a major contributor to single-use outfits could have been covered in two sentences.
I was also bothered by an odd ambiguity or inconsistency in her arguments. On the one hand, most of the book is dedicated to discussing how fashion is an industry shot through with exploitation, environmental devastation, elitism, and cruelty, how the most ethical garment is the garment you already own, and how mending is a fine and almost infinitely flexible skill. To me as a reader, the logical conclusion is: don't buy clothes. Once you own enough quality pieces, it should almost never be necessary. Yet, with whiplash-inducing about turns, after a section on the evils of both real and fake fur, we are treated to a section on how to buy fur. She references "your regular T shirt shop", but by her own logic, there should be no such thing.
More broadly, her argument appears to be a version of the point that there is no ethical consumption in capitalism, but somehow, she never quite gets there. She is at times quite aware of the limitations of placing the responsibility on individuals (institutionalized mending) but at others, strangely enthusiastic on ludicrously impractical propositions such as everyone starting to handwash their lingerie after a shower, because the burden is apparently on us to stop our clothes shedding microplastics. Whether handwashing addresses this problem at all is a question she doesn't answer. At one point, she even confesses that she is considering buying a second freezer to freeze her clothes rather than washing them in an effort to prevent this problem. She doesn't appear to have thought about the environmental impact of electrodomestic goods here.
The author is clearly aware that hints of a hemp sackcloth future will put readers off, and is at pains to stress that affordable, attractive clothing means that hideous clothing as a marker of poverty, class and shame is a thing of the past. Perhaps some of these ambiguities are an endeavour to avoid appearing too radical. But in a world where the major challenge of climate change is that putative solutions never go far enough, many elements of her argument fail to convince.
March 1, 2021
I agree 100% with the premise of this book! I just thought it was a bit all over the place. Who was the audience supposed to be? Normal people who wash their own clothes? Or fashion industry insiders? Maybe it tried to do too much: provide a history of fashion, some “how to mend” content, an argument for valuing clothes, a listing of environmental disasters and building collapses... Instead of this, please read Modern Mending and How to Break up with Fast Fashion.
August 28, 2021
I enjoyed this book to begin with however as soon as it got to the natural dyeing page I lost interest as it gives false information. The book claims a post dye salt bath is a mordant however that is simply untrue. So from there I lost trust in other information given. The chapter about different fibres could have been a really useful resource however some sections like the acrylic section is lazily written.
March 20, 2021
Really enjoyed this book - an intelligent look at sustainable fashion from a fashion insider who knows her subject from experience. Alongside facts and figures about the garment industry there is a simple message; cherish your clothes, mend them and care for them, and know where they come from, be sure that the people who make them and the raw materials are employed safely and fairly.
June 28, 2021
Davvero chiaro e completo. In Italia ci sono pochi libri sulla tematica della sostenibilità nel settore della moda e delle conseguenze che porta il fast fashion a livello ambientale e sociale. Ottimo libro con il quale potersi approcciare/approfondire sulla tematica
July 12, 2022
COMPULSORY READING FOR ALL!!!
August 10, 2022
Great thesis about how it is revolutionary to wear old clothes, and being written by a fashion insider, the book provides a unique perspective. However, the mishmash of fonts, text sizes, quotes, and disorganized presentation make it hard to follow the thread. By the end I was skimming.
March 20, 2023
2.5 stars
Loved Clothes Last was a fairly interesting read. At times, I liked the content, and at others, it was just okay.
There is a good amount of intersection with Aja Barber's Consumed, which is another lockdown literary baby.
Orsola de Castro is known (not to me) for her upcycled clothing brand, and I wish that she had devoted more space to upcycling information! Several times throughout the book, she mentions crocheting holes to salvage a moth eaten sweater, but she never tell us how to do it! Instead she tells us how to make a skirt of out men's shirts or old jeans. 😑
"Clothing companies no longermake clothing, they sell it ." Amen, sister!
Loved Clothes Last was a fairly interesting read. At times, I liked the content, and at others, it was just okay.
There is a good amount of intersection with Aja Barber's Consumed, which is another lockdown literary baby.
Orsola de Castro is known (not to me) for her upcycled clothing brand, and I wish that she had devoted more space to upcycling information! Several times throughout the book, she mentions crocheting holes to salvage a moth eaten sweater, but she never tell us how to do it! Instead she tells us how to make a skirt of out men's shirts or old jeans. 😑
"Clothing companies no longermake clothing, they sell it ." Amen, sister!
January 9, 2022
A lot of this is extremely helpful and timely; it's a call to action, so doesn't get in all the weeds, but I'd still have liked her to get more into the class and racial differences and inequalities that make some of the things she suggests more difficult for certain groups of people. But it's good and it's changed my habits!
January 6, 2023
Sehr angenehm zu lesen. Vieles war mir bekannt, aber die Zusammenstellung in einem Buch hat mir trotzdem sehr gut gefallen. Neben Kapiteln zu Materialien und ihren sozialen und ökologischen Auswirkungen z.B. auch ein Kapitel zu “cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation” :) Mit kleinen Anekdoten aus ihrem Leben in der Fashionbranche und dem persönlichen Alltag, die den Text auflockern.
April 20, 2021
A really inspirational book about changing how we shop for clothes and how we look after the ones we have, written by someone who loves clothes.
The message is a simple and well supported one, don't buy things you don't love and trust and look after them when you have them.
The message is a simple and well supported one, don't buy things you don't love and trust and look after them when you have them.
October 1, 2022
A very eye-opening and thought-provoking book - I learned a lot.
March 31, 2021
A timely warning concerning the wasteful clothes industry. The level of waste is truly shocking, and we all buy into this. Orsola de Castro reminds us to buy less, and extend the life of clothes by mending and adapting; once created they are on the planet for a long time, and if they contain plastic, do not rot away . .
July 6, 2021
Introduction
p.XIV – Fashion is one of the most socially exploitative and resource polluting industries in the world, its economic and environmental impact is vast and its capacity for cultural influences is endless. Fashion is by no means superficial; it delves deep, saying as much about who we are, and the state of our civilization as it does about a personal tastes of the local traditions.
As a result, of the proposed 53 million tons of textiles produced globally every year, over 75% are discarded, both in the production phase and at post consumer level (after we’ve worn it). The equivalent of a rubbish truck full of discarded clothes go straight into landfill every second.
The fate of cheap clothing is marked as soon as it leaves the factory, and it’s worthy of an unedited Grimm Brothers fairytale: made in misery, bought in haste, worn for one night (if that) and then chucked in the bin. Our ready-to-wear has turned into ready-to-waste. Karl Marx once said that religion is the opium of the masses - to upgrade this concept, today’s consumerism is our crack cocaine.
And expensive things aren’t necessarily better made; the luxury sector is equally responsible for damaging the environment and for human exploitation, and it would be a big mistake to think that just because something costs more its profits are more ethically distributed throughout its supply chain. There is not much difference, apart from the price tag, between cheap clothes and fast luxury. It is the entirety of the fashion industry that is called into question, as our insatiable thirst for more, more, more.
Chapter 1 – Mending is a State of Mind
p.3 – The story of poorly made objects is well now: It started in the USA in the 1920s with General Motors, to encourage the buying of more cars, more often, and was originally intended as a way to increase production (and jobs) by deliberate manipulation of the design of a product, in order for it to break sooner.
This system is called ‘planned obsolescence’ (although the original name, as coined by the man who invented it, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr, was ‘dynamic obsolescence’), And it has now spread to almost everything we buy – things are not made to last, and there are increasing legal or logistical loopholes that actively prevent us from independently repairing the stuff we buy once it breaks, as anyone in possession of a faulty iPhone or leaking washing machine knows only too well. You can’t just call the person down the road to mend your broken object, because it wasn’t designed to be disassembled: only approved technicians will do. Why?
The monopolizing, forceful and non-inclusive nature of this business model, which is directly responsible for our current cheap mass production and resulting crisis of hyper-consumerism, denies decent work to local communities. Repairing, crafts and making are no longer seen as dignified, viable professions, which in turn decreases our capability for manual skills, because we are no longer teaching such skills in schools.
p.40 – So How Did We Get Into This Mess? – In 1972 US President Nixon arrived in China and met Mao Tze-tung, forever altering global power structures and opening up China to the rest of the world after centuries of seclusion. Slowly what had been barriers became trade opportunities, and global industries began to move to new, undiscovered and largely unregulated shores. At that point, fashion brands still largely owned their producing factory, All worked in close proximity to the mills and manufacturers, creating a sense of community as well protecting their intellectual property and USPs.
p.42 – Mass production was intended to generate, not feed, conspicuous consumption. We aren’t hard–wired to buy, or hoard clothes; we have been herded, like sheep, to our closest high–street stores.
Chapter 3 – Look Back to Move Forward
p.61 – Democratic Fashion and Patterns for Change – People talk about fast fashion as democratization of fashion, regarding its affordability and ready availability as a sign of inclusiveness. However, nothing that is born of exploitation and misery can ever be described as democratic or inclusive – democracy and inclusivity cannot extend solely to the final users, but should be equally distributed throughout the supply chain.
Chapter 4 – Why Care?
p.72 – Longevity Matters – The advent of the electric washing machine in 1908 created a distance between our hands and our dirty clothes – a distance that has become a gulf over the years.
Chapter 5 – Fabrics of Our Lives
p.90 – Cotton – “Colonialism is not a thing of the past, it is a modern economic reality; when we trace cotton, labour and silk routes they all map identically with colonial routes established a few hundred years ago. By empowering the existing system of exploitation of labour and resourcing, we are complying to the colonial model of extraction and destruction that end up benefiting only a few on top of the pyramid scheme.” (Celine Semaan, founder of the Slow Factory)
Chapter 8 – Tech Before You Buy
Page 181 – I have said in this book already: as we mend our broken clothes, we also need to repair the broken systems that made them. And when it comes to the systems that govern our consumption, we – the citizens, the brand’s customers – have immense power of persuasion, because brands are incredibly interested in the way we shop from them.
If mending clothes is revolutionary act, then understanding how the fashion industry works, why is operating system is broken and how to involve yourself in agitation for its betterment is a mature act of responsible for citizenship. It’s what we can all do to change the status quo, and to take full responsibility for purchasing choices.
p.193 – Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation – “The term ‘cultural appropriation’ may be overused, but only because the negative power dynamic that is used to describe it is all too common. It is about power, and always exists within the framework of oppression and colonialism. It exists within the double–edged sword of cultural erasure and cultural theft. It’s not just the theft, it’s the hypocrisy. It’s not about ‘culture policing’ or ‘you can’t say anything anymore’ as conservative rhetoric would have it. Yet even in the most blatant cases we must use the opportunity for conversation rather than simple finger – pointing.” (Céline Semaan, founder of the Slow Factory)
Fortunately, the Internet and social media increasing scrutiny and somehow facilitating industry watchdogs. One example is the Instagram account ‘diet Prada’, launched in 2014 by two fashion–industry co-workers with a great sense of humour. The account, which at the time of writing has grown to more than 1.8 million followers, began by drawing the blatant comparison between one designers catwalk show and another’s, to highlight and ridicule the end of originality in fashion, and to ask us all to take the industry a little less seriously. But as the catwalks have copied and assorted cultures the world over, The account has stepped up to highlight their behaviour to a community that holds designers and brands accountable.
It is one thing to buy a piece directly from the community that made it, and who will prosper from our custom – it is quite another to buy a designer copy of that piece, without checking if the people who inspired it are actually benefiting from its profits. When it comes to cultural appreciation and its nemesis, cultural appropriation, the line that divides them is fragile, like a badly sewn hem with a disintegrating thread.
In her book ‘who owns culture’, the lawyer, legal scholar and author Susan Scafidi defines cultural appropriation as ‘taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artefacts from someone else’s culture without permission.
p.195 – Carry Somers, Fashion Revolution's co-founder, is an outspoken voice when it comes to this topic. Her multi – award – winning fair – trade brand Pachacuti has been working with indigenous Panama – hat weavers in Ecuador since the late 1980s.
She writes:
Explanations of cultural appropriation arguments too often revolve solely around power, and the imbalances of that power. The normal argument goes that it is dominant/colonial/white/western/capitalist exploitation of a less privileged/subjugated/minority/dispossessed/voiceless culture. Whilst power is important, it isn’t all about power and this narrative needs to be written. Culture borrowing can be positive, not just problematic, and fashion, as well as music, art and other cultural expressions would be far poorer without it…
To carry this conversation forward, we need to imagine new ways to credit the source of inspiration integrate this into design practice, as well as drawing up new legislative frameworks to better protect communities. A new law is passing through the Mexican legislator on safeguarding the knowledge, culture and identity of indigenous and Afri – Mexican people and communities. The new law will recognise collective ownership rights over the cultural expressions and sanction third parties who use, market or exploit elements of the cultural identity without the corresponding consent. The hope is that this will create a blueprint for other countries to follow. In the meantime, until the culture of the industry changes and untilLegislation comes into force to protect communities, all of us as global citizens can make more responsible fashion choices and support brands who work directly with these communities, giving them the respect and remuneration of they deserve.
p.196 – Being creative with your clothes is not only about how construct your look; it’s also about constructing your beliefs. Being elegant and smart is not only about cut and silhouette; it’s also about being brave enough to experiment with your mindsets, having the courage to try new things and the confidence to trust they are right for you.
And you don’t have to be into fashion to try – you could just as well be into human rights, or environmentalism, because this isn’t solely about the way we look, but it’s also about the way we dress: monotonous or exhilarating, acquiring clothes is something we all have to do and, once we acquire them, we are responsible for them. Understanding where their raw materials originate from, knowing where they were made, by whom and what conditions, caring for them in order to maximise their longevity, and having an afterlife strategy for when they become obsolete to you may seem laborious, but it is necessary.
You have done this before, in other areas of your life, I am sure. You have questioned the food you eat at some point, and acted accordingly, whether it lasted or not; you’ve been angered by something badly enough to withdraw your custom, permanently or temporarily (and you probably also tweeted your resentment and took the time to google to see if others felt the same); you check the ingredients, you compare prices, you read the reviews. Do the same with the clothes. Make informed decisions and take up responsibility ways to interact with the system that you wish to see made better. We need to example – we make the trends.
Chapter 9 – Transparency is Trending
p.203 – “Transparency by itself will not solve the industries problems, but it provides an important window into the conditions in which our clothes are being made. What we each do with the information being disclosed by big brands and retailers is most important of all. It is with access to information that we hold brands and retailers, governments and suppliers to account. Paragraph we see transparency as the first step towards wider systematic change for a safer, fairer and cleaner global fashion industry.” (Sarah Ditty, Fashion Revolution policy director)
p.204 – Why Transparency? – The present fashion industry is built on secrecy, its supply chain disconnected at every stage of the manufacturing process, with brands and their producers often operating alone and fragmented – caught up in arrangements where invisibility defines the rules, leading to gross inefficiency, opaqueness and a system where human-rights violations and environmental abuses are hidden, and justified.
In fact the way the supply chain works as a perfect mirror of the culture that this industry thrives on: closed doors, elitism, imbalances of power, and exclusion of practically everyone bat the anointed view. This attributes are are manifested throughout, from the way fashion portrait itself in advertising and social media, to the way it treats its workers, from garment makers to student interns.
The fashion industry seconds exploitation and abusive behaviour; it is then embedded as part of its image and power rain supreme and even the smallest of hierarchies. Treating others as you wouldn’t wish to be treated yourself is a tantamount to a daily pastime, which is precisely why transparency is one of the most disruptive agents when it comes to moving forward, because the challenges just about everything this industry stands for.
Transparency brings visibility and accountability, and right now we need a fashion industry that better understand its own inner workings and respect the people who work in its value chain. What we need is a clear, interrupted line of vision from the product’s origin to its disposal, to foster dignity, empowerment and justice for the people who make our clothes, and to protect the environment we all share.
p.206 – Mapping and Publishing / Supply Chain Tiers 1,2 and 3 – In practical terms, transparency is only the first step towards a responsible industry, because transparency is, in its self, no guarantee of best practice – it is merely a form of mapping after all, as in many cases it raises more questions than it answers – but it does provide us with comparable information and, above all, it forces brands to become accountable for their actions. Crucially, it also facilitates the work of unions, NGOs and human rights organisations on the ground, as well as encouraging citizens to be vigilant, to keep asking questions and to verify whether they actually trust the answers they are given.
As the fashion industry touch with any other industries, starting with agriculture all the way to communication, its value chain is not vertical, or easy to locate. Add to this the global routes that have come to define fashion manufacturing and you will see that any kind of accurate mapping is both complicated and expensive to put into place.
Simply speaking, the supply chain is divided into three tiers: the first one, and the easiest to locate and map, is where the products are manufactured, but it may also include labelling and packaging. The second tier as for Mills and read processing, fabrics are woven and/or dyed. The third tier is for raw materials, where cotton or sheep or farm, or the forest where the viscose is pulped from.
p.207 – Unauthorised subcontracting happens when the factory is overburdened with orders and passes some on to another factory, without alerting the client (the brand). Or it can happen because the brand has brought down the price of a product so now that the factory owner decides it can only pass it onto a cheaper factory, again without letting the brand know.
p.211 – The Cost of Opacity – The Clean Clothes Campaign, a global government-worker-rights NGO, and its UK partner, Labour Behind the Label, ultimately identified 29 global brands that had recent or current orders with at least one of the five garment factories in the Rana Plaza building. The list leaves almost no western consumer untouched (or unclothed). Yet only those very few brands that had some degree of supply-chain visibility were in a position to accept full responsibility, start the process of recovery and take immediate steps towards compensation; the majority of brands produced in the Rana Plaza complex had absolutely no idea that they had unknowingly been using the facility as a contractor.
p.218 – Culture Change – If it is true that fashion is an expression of who we are and of the culture we live in, then we need to respond to the profound moral questions that are defining this moment in time: pollution–driven climate heating, gender inequality, diversity and human rights.
Transparency isn’t simply a system of sharing data; it’s more than that – it is a start towards turning the industry inside out and upside down, a radical change in culture as well as practice. This whole industry thrives upon secrecy, and to open it wide for everyone to be a part of it, to encourage debate, criticism and positive activation, to put it citizens in a position to demand better into force brands to comply it’s not that the revolutionary.
It means diverting the focus from the product back to the people, and will ultimately help consumers to make choices that are based on values, not just Instagram visibility. It is about protecting the real people who make up the industry, and safeguarding their working and living environment, which will ultimately have a beneficial effect on us all. It’s about understanding how much, as consumers, we are prepared to compromise in order to own: are we really willing to keep ignoring deforestation, contamination and human exploitation?
Chapter 10 – All Together Now
p.224 – We have seen how the loss of our desire to make things last is having a negative effect on the planet. We know that we cannot keep buying cheap clothes just to throw them away; that we can no longer ignore the part we have to play.
We absolutely need to stop seeing our clothes as disposable. If only everyone knew how much time and energy goes into making them, we might slow down this unhealthy cycle of buying endlessly and, at times, needlessly. We have to find ways to break free from addiction, reverse the throwaway culture and discover new ways to shop and care for clothes.
Considering that the average lifespan of a modern – day piece of clothing is only 3.3 years, learning how to make and mend, or supporting those who do, it’s a brilliant investment – it will only take your time: your time to repair, recycle, repurposed, reinvent, reclaim, rescue and rewear. Far from being a part of the problem, we can all, enthusiastically and creatively, become a part of the solution.
You might know more than you did before. And perhaps, as a result of reading this book, you would choose to take up some of my suggestions and put them into practice; hopefully, I have woken up the inner activist in at least some of you. Small actions undertaken by individuals, if multiplied by millions, can become a powerful tool for action. Sure, the biggest onus – the real responsibility for actual change - lives with higher powers, such as brands, corporations
p.XIV – Fashion is one of the most socially exploitative and resource polluting industries in the world, its economic and environmental impact is vast and its capacity for cultural influences is endless. Fashion is by no means superficial; it delves deep, saying as much about who we are, and the state of our civilization as it does about a personal tastes of the local traditions.
As a result, of the proposed 53 million tons of textiles produced globally every year, over 75% are discarded, both in the production phase and at post consumer level (after we’ve worn it). The equivalent of a rubbish truck full of discarded clothes go straight into landfill every second.
The fate of cheap clothing is marked as soon as it leaves the factory, and it’s worthy of an unedited Grimm Brothers fairytale: made in misery, bought in haste, worn for one night (if that) and then chucked in the bin. Our ready-to-wear has turned into ready-to-waste. Karl Marx once said that religion is the opium of the masses - to upgrade this concept, today’s consumerism is our crack cocaine.
And expensive things aren’t necessarily better made; the luxury sector is equally responsible for damaging the environment and for human exploitation, and it would be a big mistake to think that just because something costs more its profits are more ethically distributed throughout its supply chain. There is not much difference, apart from the price tag, between cheap clothes and fast luxury. It is the entirety of the fashion industry that is called into question, as our insatiable thirst for more, more, more.
Chapter 1 – Mending is a State of Mind
p.3 – The story of poorly made objects is well now: It started in the USA in the 1920s with General Motors, to encourage the buying of more cars, more often, and was originally intended as a way to increase production (and jobs) by deliberate manipulation of the design of a product, in order for it to break sooner.
This system is called ‘planned obsolescence’ (although the original name, as coined by the man who invented it, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr, was ‘dynamic obsolescence’), And it has now spread to almost everything we buy – things are not made to last, and there are increasing legal or logistical loopholes that actively prevent us from independently repairing the stuff we buy once it breaks, as anyone in possession of a faulty iPhone or leaking washing machine knows only too well. You can’t just call the person down the road to mend your broken object, because it wasn’t designed to be disassembled: only approved technicians will do. Why?
The monopolizing, forceful and non-inclusive nature of this business model, which is directly responsible for our current cheap mass production and resulting crisis of hyper-consumerism, denies decent work to local communities. Repairing, crafts and making are no longer seen as dignified, viable professions, which in turn decreases our capability for manual skills, because we are no longer teaching such skills in schools.
p.40 – So How Did We Get Into This Mess? – In 1972 US President Nixon arrived in China and met Mao Tze-tung, forever altering global power structures and opening up China to the rest of the world after centuries of seclusion. Slowly what had been barriers became trade opportunities, and global industries began to move to new, undiscovered and largely unregulated shores. At that point, fashion brands still largely owned their producing factory, All worked in close proximity to the mills and manufacturers, creating a sense of community as well protecting their intellectual property and USPs.
p.42 – Mass production was intended to generate, not feed, conspicuous consumption. We aren’t hard–wired to buy, or hoard clothes; we have been herded, like sheep, to our closest high–street stores.
Chapter 3 – Look Back to Move Forward
p.61 – Democratic Fashion and Patterns for Change – People talk about fast fashion as democratization of fashion, regarding its affordability and ready availability as a sign of inclusiveness. However, nothing that is born of exploitation and misery can ever be described as democratic or inclusive – democracy and inclusivity cannot extend solely to the final users, but should be equally distributed throughout the supply chain.
Chapter 4 – Why Care?
p.72 – Longevity Matters – The advent of the electric washing machine in 1908 created a distance between our hands and our dirty clothes – a distance that has become a gulf over the years.
Chapter 5 – Fabrics of Our Lives
p.90 – Cotton – “Colonialism is not a thing of the past, it is a modern economic reality; when we trace cotton, labour and silk routes they all map identically with colonial routes established a few hundred years ago. By empowering the existing system of exploitation of labour and resourcing, we are complying to the colonial model of extraction and destruction that end up benefiting only a few on top of the pyramid scheme.” (Celine Semaan, founder of the Slow Factory)
Chapter 8 – Tech Before You Buy
Page 181 – I have said in this book already: as we mend our broken clothes, we also need to repair the broken systems that made them. And when it comes to the systems that govern our consumption, we – the citizens, the brand’s customers – have immense power of persuasion, because brands are incredibly interested in the way we shop from them.
If mending clothes is revolutionary act, then understanding how the fashion industry works, why is operating system is broken and how to involve yourself in agitation for its betterment is a mature act of responsible for citizenship. It’s what we can all do to change the status quo, and to take full responsibility for purchasing choices.
p.193 – Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation – “The term ‘cultural appropriation’ may be overused, but only because the negative power dynamic that is used to describe it is all too common. It is about power, and always exists within the framework of oppression and colonialism. It exists within the double–edged sword of cultural erasure and cultural theft. It’s not just the theft, it’s the hypocrisy. It’s not about ‘culture policing’ or ‘you can’t say anything anymore’ as conservative rhetoric would have it. Yet even in the most blatant cases we must use the opportunity for conversation rather than simple finger – pointing.” (Céline Semaan, founder of the Slow Factory)
Fortunately, the Internet and social media increasing scrutiny and somehow facilitating industry watchdogs. One example is the Instagram account ‘diet Prada’, launched in 2014 by two fashion–industry co-workers with a great sense of humour. The account, which at the time of writing has grown to more than 1.8 million followers, began by drawing the blatant comparison between one designers catwalk show and another’s, to highlight and ridicule the end of originality in fashion, and to ask us all to take the industry a little less seriously. But as the catwalks have copied and assorted cultures the world over, The account has stepped up to highlight their behaviour to a community that holds designers and brands accountable.
It is one thing to buy a piece directly from the community that made it, and who will prosper from our custom – it is quite another to buy a designer copy of that piece, without checking if the people who inspired it are actually benefiting from its profits. When it comes to cultural appreciation and its nemesis, cultural appropriation, the line that divides them is fragile, like a badly sewn hem with a disintegrating thread.
In her book ‘who owns culture’, the lawyer, legal scholar and author Susan Scafidi defines cultural appropriation as ‘taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artefacts from someone else’s culture without permission.
p.195 – Carry Somers, Fashion Revolution's co-founder, is an outspoken voice when it comes to this topic. Her multi – award – winning fair – trade brand Pachacuti has been working with indigenous Panama – hat weavers in Ecuador since the late 1980s.
She writes:
Explanations of cultural appropriation arguments too often revolve solely around power, and the imbalances of that power. The normal argument goes that it is dominant/colonial/white/western/capitalist exploitation of a less privileged/subjugated/minority/dispossessed/voiceless culture. Whilst power is important, it isn’t all about power and this narrative needs to be written. Culture borrowing can be positive, not just problematic, and fashion, as well as music, art and other cultural expressions would be far poorer without it…
To carry this conversation forward, we need to imagine new ways to credit the source of inspiration integrate this into design practice, as well as drawing up new legislative frameworks to better protect communities. A new law is passing through the Mexican legislator on safeguarding the knowledge, culture and identity of indigenous and Afri – Mexican people and communities. The new law will recognise collective ownership rights over the cultural expressions and sanction third parties who use, market or exploit elements of the cultural identity without the corresponding consent. The hope is that this will create a blueprint for other countries to follow. In the meantime, until the culture of the industry changes and untilLegislation comes into force to protect communities, all of us as global citizens can make more responsible fashion choices and support brands who work directly with these communities, giving them the respect and remuneration of they deserve.
p.196 – Being creative with your clothes is not only about how construct your look; it’s also about constructing your beliefs. Being elegant and smart is not only about cut and silhouette; it’s also about being brave enough to experiment with your mindsets, having the courage to try new things and the confidence to trust they are right for you.
And you don’t have to be into fashion to try – you could just as well be into human rights, or environmentalism, because this isn’t solely about the way we look, but it’s also about the way we dress: monotonous or exhilarating, acquiring clothes is something we all have to do and, once we acquire them, we are responsible for them. Understanding where their raw materials originate from, knowing where they were made, by whom and what conditions, caring for them in order to maximise their longevity, and having an afterlife strategy for when they become obsolete to you may seem laborious, but it is necessary.
You have done this before, in other areas of your life, I am sure. You have questioned the food you eat at some point, and acted accordingly, whether it lasted or not; you’ve been angered by something badly enough to withdraw your custom, permanently or temporarily (and you probably also tweeted your resentment and took the time to google to see if others felt the same); you check the ingredients, you compare prices, you read the reviews. Do the same with the clothes. Make informed decisions and take up responsibility ways to interact with the system that you wish to see made better. We need to example – we make the trends.
Chapter 9 – Transparency is Trending
p.203 – “Transparency by itself will not solve the industries problems, but it provides an important window into the conditions in which our clothes are being made. What we each do with the information being disclosed by big brands and retailers is most important of all. It is with access to information that we hold brands and retailers, governments and suppliers to account. Paragraph we see transparency as the first step towards wider systematic change for a safer, fairer and cleaner global fashion industry.” (Sarah Ditty, Fashion Revolution policy director)
p.204 – Why Transparency? – The present fashion industry is built on secrecy, its supply chain disconnected at every stage of the manufacturing process, with brands and their producers often operating alone and fragmented – caught up in arrangements where invisibility defines the rules, leading to gross inefficiency, opaqueness and a system where human-rights violations and environmental abuses are hidden, and justified.
In fact the way the supply chain works as a perfect mirror of the culture that this industry thrives on: closed doors, elitism, imbalances of power, and exclusion of practically everyone bat the anointed view. This attributes are are manifested throughout, from the way fashion portrait itself in advertising and social media, to the way it treats its workers, from garment makers to student interns.
The fashion industry seconds exploitation and abusive behaviour; it is then embedded as part of its image and power rain supreme and even the smallest of hierarchies. Treating others as you wouldn’t wish to be treated yourself is a tantamount to a daily pastime, which is precisely why transparency is one of the most disruptive agents when it comes to moving forward, because the challenges just about everything this industry stands for.
Transparency brings visibility and accountability, and right now we need a fashion industry that better understand its own inner workings and respect the people who work in its value chain. What we need is a clear, interrupted line of vision from the product’s origin to its disposal, to foster dignity, empowerment and justice for the people who make our clothes, and to protect the environment we all share.
p.206 – Mapping and Publishing / Supply Chain Tiers 1,2 and 3 – In practical terms, transparency is only the first step towards a responsible industry, because transparency is, in its self, no guarantee of best practice – it is merely a form of mapping after all, as in many cases it raises more questions than it answers – but it does provide us with comparable information and, above all, it forces brands to become accountable for their actions. Crucially, it also facilitates the work of unions, NGOs and human rights organisations on the ground, as well as encouraging citizens to be vigilant, to keep asking questions and to verify whether they actually trust the answers they are given.
As the fashion industry touch with any other industries, starting with agriculture all the way to communication, its value chain is not vertical, or easy to locate. Add to this the global routes that have come to define fashion manufacturing and you will see that any kind of accurate mapping is both complicated and expensive to put into place.
Simply speaking, the supply chain is divided into three tiers: the first one, and the easiest to locate and map, is where the products are manufactured, but it may also include labelling and packaging. The second tier as for Mills and read processing, fabrics are woven and/or dyed. The third tier is for raw materials, where cotton or sheep or farm, or the forest where the viscose is pulped from.
p.207 – Unauthorised subcontracting happens when the factory is overburdened with orders and passes some on to another factory, without alerting the client (the brand). Or it can happen because the brand has brought down the price of a product so now that the factory owner decides it can only pass it onto a cheaper factory, again without letting the brand know.
p.211 – The Cost of Opacity – The Clean Clothes Campaign, a global government-worker-rights NGO, and its UK partner, Labour Behind the Label, ultimately identified 29 global brands that had recent or current orders with at least one of the five garment factories in the Rana Plaza building. The list leaves almost no western consumer untouched (or unclothed). Yet only those very few brands that had some degree of supply-chain visibility were in a position to accept full responsibility, start the process of recovery and take immediate steps towards compensation; the majority of brands produced in the Rana Plaza complex had absolutely no idea that they had unknowingly been using the facility as a contractor.
p.218 – Culture Change – If it is true that fashion is an expression of who we are and of the culture we live in, then we need to respond to the profound moral questions that are defining this moment in time: pollution–driven climate heating, gender inequality, diversity and human rights.
Transparency isn’t simply a system of sharing data; it’s more than that – it is a start towards turning the industry inside out and upside down, a radical change in culture as well as practice. This whole industry thrives upon secrecy, and to open it wide for everyone to be a part of it, to encourage debate, criticism and positive activation, to put it citizens in a position to demand better into force brands to comply it’s not that the revolutionary.
It means diverting the focus from the product back to the people, and will ultimately help consumers to make choices that are based on values, not just Instagram visibility. It is about protecting the real people who make up the industry, and safeguarding their working and living environment, which will ultimately have a beneficial effect on us all. It’s about understanding how much, as consumers, we are prepared to compromise in order to own: are we really willing to keep ignoring deforestation, contamination and human exploitation?
Chapter 10 – All Together Now
p.224 – We have seen how the loss of our desire to make things last is having a negative effect on the planet. We know that we cannot keep buying cheap clothes just to throw them away; that we can no longer ignore the part we have to play.
We absolutely need to stop seeing our clothes as disposable. If only everyone knew how much time and energy goes into making them, we might slow down this unhealthy cycle of buying endlessly and, at times, needlessly. We have to find ways to break free from addiction, reverse the throwaway culture and discover new ways to shop and care for clothes.
Considering that the average lifespan of a modern – day piece of clothing is only 3.3 years, learning how to make and mend, or supporting those who do, it’s a brilliant investment – it will only take your time: your time to repair, recycle, repurposed, reinvent, reclaim, rescue and rewear. Far from being a part of the problem, we can all, enthusiastically and creatively, become a part of the solution.
You might know more than you did before. And perhaps, as a result of reading this book, you would choose to take up some of my suggestions and put them into practice; hopefully, I have woken up the inner activist in at least some of you. Small actions undertaken by individuals, if multiplied by millions, can become a powerful tool for action. Sure, the biggest onus – the real responsibility for actual change - lives with higher powers, such as brands, corporations
February 17, 2021
I "shared" some of my favorite highlights from this book.
October 17, 2021
Interesting but very personal to the author.
March 28, 2022
Some genuinely interesting points and ideas, but as expressed by other reviewers, short-sightedly close to the author.
I was looking for something that would go into a lot of detail into the 'make do and mend mentality', but this didn't cut it.
The book reads like an unproofread self-published affair.
As one commenter shrewdly remarked, this book is essentially hypocritical- despite featuring an impressive amount of buzz words in its title, loudly proclaiming itself as an ecologically published book, and given the subject matter itself- it is immensely wasteful. Pages are given over to pointless images and unnecessarily spaced out text and title pages (and not even in a necessary way a la poetry- where it is necessary to allow the poem to sit right an give the reader room to think). Given this, an the lacking content, I think that the phrase 'all fur coat and no knickers' is extremely appropriate.
The book loses momentum towards the end, and I found myself not wanting to finish.
All in all, dissapointing.
I was looking for something that would go into a lot of detail into the 'make do and mend mentality', but this didn't cut it.
The book reads like an unproofread self-published affair.
As one commenter shrewdly remarked, this book is essentially hypocritical- despite featuring an impressive amount of buzz words in its title, loudly proclaiming itself as an ecologically published book, and given the subject matter itself- it is immensely wasteful. Pages are given over to pointless images and unnecessarily spaced out text and title pages (and not even in a necessary way a la poetry- where it is necessary to allow the poem to sit right an give the reader room to think). Given this, an the lacking content, I think that the phrase 'all fur coat and no knickers' is extremely appropriate.
The book loses momentum towards the end, and I found myself not wanting to finish.
All in all, dissapointing.
February 15, 2022
2 1/2 stars rounded up
While this book had some interesting information and makes you cringe at the amount of waste that results from our clothing habits it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I thought there would be a lot more information about upcycling, repurposing the clothes we have already purchased. I did skim read quite a bit.
While this book had some interesting information and makes you cringe at the amount of waste that results from our clothing habits it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I thought there would be a lot more information about upcycling, repurposing the clothes we have already purchased. I did skim read quite a bit.
January 23, 2025
I feel very passionately about this book which in any form of art is usually the first step of knowing you've produced something good, I don't know if this is the case for Orsola's book. Between her contradicting ideas, very serious uncited claims and statistics, constant boasting of her achievements, or redundancy leaving most chapters feeling unsatisfying, I found myself at the end of this book frustrated. I am not a writer so bear with me(how,s that for hypocrisy).
I want to start out with what I liked about this book, because of course it wasn't all bad. Controversially one of my favorite things was her use of graphics, she had acknowledge that this book started out as a zine and I thought that was a fun way to keep that connection while also expressing her creativity. The graphics as well as her accessible language created a good momentum for me throughout the book, especially with non-fic which can really be hard sometimes. Most importantly this book really did inspire me, I mean I'm already kind of into this stuff, hence why I picked it off the shelf, But I really feel encouraged to be more mindful of my consuming and disposing habits.
Now for the bad I guess. I really feel like with some extra time and editing this book has promise but here's my critiques based purely off of what I read 1. The first thing that I noticed weighing down the book was the fact that the central idea was repeated to the point of making the text boring, and creating an unsatisfied feeling as I kept on reading. I read nonfiction with the idea I'm gonna come out of it with interesting concepts, ideas, and facts, and although I feel she got her philosophy across I don't know if I necessarily feel productive after reading this 2. Another kind of just annoying part of this book is the authors tendency to preen. She talks about her successful businesses, won awards, and flattering nicknames/titles without real point or purpose, making her feel distant and slightly snobbish. Now I've personally never heard of her or seen her in any other form of media, so this is just how I interpreted her presence in this book and it very possibly does not represent how she is in life 3. This brings me into my last point which is that Orsula feels unrelatable to me. between her success in the fashion industry, seeming familial wealth, and inability in most textile arts she does not engage me as a home sewer. This book has lots of good ideas, which despite the writing will continue on, so does it actually matter what I think, no, but what's the internet for if not to put my unsolicited opinions.
I want to start out with what I liked about this book, because of course it wasn't all bad. Controversially one of my favorite things was her use of graphics, she had acknowledge that this book started out as a zine and I thought that was a fun way to keep that connection while also expressing her creativity. The graphics as well as her accessible language created a good momentum for me throughout the book, especially with non-fic which can really be hard sometimes. Most importantly this book really did inspire me, I mean I'm already kind of into this stuff, hence why I picked it off the shelf, But I really feel encouraged to be more mindful of my consuming and disposing habits.
Now for the bad I guess. I really feel like with some extra time and editing this book has promise but here's my critiques based purely off of what I read 1. The first thing that I noticed weighing down the book was the fact that the central idea was repeated to the point of making the text boring, and creating an unsatisfied feeling as I kept on reading. I read nonfiction with the idea I'm gonna come out of it with interesting concepts, ideas, and facts, and although I feel she got her philosophy across I don't know if I necessarily feel productive after reading this 2. Another kind of just annoying part of this book is the authors tendency to preen. She talks about her successful businesses, won awards, and flattering nicknames/titles without real point or purpose, making her feel distant and slightly snobbish. Now I've personally never heard of her or seen her in any other form of media, so this is just how I interpreted her presence in this book and it very possibly does not represent how she is in life 3. This brings me into my last point which is that Orsula feels unrelatable to me. between her success in the fashion industry, seeming familial wealth, and inability in most textile arts she does not engage me as a home sewer. This book has lots of good ideas, which despite the writing will continue on, so does it actually matter what I think, no, but what's the internet for if not to put my unsolicited opinions.
November 23, 2021
This book changed my life and my perception of myself.
I've always described myself as "not into fashion" because I tend to buy things I really love and then wear them to the point of destruction. My Grannie was a seamstress and my Mum, as a result, is a talented home sewer. I don't have either of their level of skill, but I can take up hems and do basic repairs, and so I do darn things, and I have been known to buy plain cardigans and swap the buttons for something a little fancier.
I thought people who love fashion are always changing their clothes, wearing things once or twice and then moving onto the next thing. Actually, that's not the case. Orsola de Castro herself made her breakthrough when she wore her favourite cardigan to an important event, using the finest wool and crochet hook to make a feature of some moth-holes in the old woollen, and coming home with commissions from several of the event attendees. She has been at the forefront of the slow fashion movement ever since, and this books contains articles about the way the industry has been contributing to greenhouse gases and the amount of landfill on the planet, alongside useful hints and tips on how to preserve and upcycle your clothes.
I loved this book so much I chose to theme my posts for APDO's Spring Clearing Week 2021 around it, and even gave a copy away in a competition that week.
As well as trying some of de Castro's tips on my own wardrobe, I've realised that actually I do love my clothes, and can see now that my friends were right - I have my own sense of style. It's just that slow fashion is my thing rather than the high-paced disposable side of the industry.
Huge thanks to de Castro for changing my views. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what they wear. An easy 5/5 stars.
I've always described myself as "not into fashion" because I tend to buy things I really love and then wear them to the point of destruction. My Grannie was a seamstress and my Mum, as a result, is a talented home sewer. I don't have either of their level of skill, but I can take up hems and do basic repairs, and so I do darn things, and I have been known to buy plain cardigans and swap the buttons for something a little fancier.
I thought people who love fashion are always changing their clothes, wearing things once or twice and then moving onto the next thing. Actually, that's not the case. Orsola de Castro herself made her breakthrough when she wore her favourite cardigan to an important event, using the finest wool and crochet hook to make a feature of some moth-holes in the old woollen, and coming home with commissions from several of the event attendees. She has been at the forefront of the slow fashion movement ever since, and this books contains articles about the way the industry has been contributing to greenhouse gases and the amount of landfill on the planet, alongside useful hints and tips on how to preserve and upcycle your clothes.
I loved this book so much I chose to theme my posts for APDO's Spring Clearing Week 2021 around it, and even gave a copy away in a competition that week.
As well as trying some of de Castro's tips on my own wardrobe, I've realised that actually I do love my clothes, and can see now that my friends were right - I have my own sense of style. It's just that slow fashion is my thing rather than the high-paced disposable side of the industry.
Huge thanks to de Castro for changing my views. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what they wear. An easy 5/5 stars.
August 24, 2022
This book changed my life and my perception of myself.
I've always described myself as "not into fashion" because I tend to buy things I really love and then wear them to the point of destruction. My Grannie was a seamstress and my Mum, as a result, is a talented home sewer. I don't have either of their level of skill, but I can take up hems and do basic repairs, and so I do darn things, and I have been known to buy plain cardigans and swap the buttons for something a little fancier.
I thought people who love fashion are always changing their clothes, wearing things once or twice and then moving onto the next thing. Actually, that's not the case. Orsola de Castro herself made her breakthrough when she wore her favourite cardigan to an important event, using the finest wool and crochet hook to make a feature of some moth-holes in the old woollen, and coming home with commissions from several of the event attendees. She has been at the forefront of the slow fashion movement ever since, and this books contains articles about the way the industry has been contributing to greenhouse gases and the amount of landfill on the planet, alongside useful hints and tips on how to preserve and upcycle your clothes.
I loved this book so much I chose to theme my posts for APDO's Spring Clearing Week 2021 around it, and even gave a copy away in a competition that week.
As well as trying some of de Castro's tips on my own wardrobe, I've realised that actually I do love my clothes, and can see now that my friends were right - I have my own sense of style. It's just that slow fashion is my thing rather than the high-paced disposable side of the industry.
Huge thanks to de Castro for changing my views. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what they wear. An easy 5/5 stars.
I've always described myself as "not into fashion" because I tend to buy things I really love and then wear them to the point of destruction. My Grannie was a seamstress and my Mum, as a result, is a talented home sewer. I don't have either of their level of skill, but I can take up hems and do basic repairs, and so I do darn things, and I have been known to buy plain cardigans and swap the buttons for something a little fancier.
I thought people who love fashion are always changing their clothes, wearing things once or twice and then moving onto the next thing. Actually, that's not the case. Orsola de Castro herself made her breakthrough when she wore her favourite cardigan to an important event, using the finest wool and crochet hook to make a feature of some moth-holes in the old woollen, and coming home with commissions from several of the event attendees. She has been at the forefront of the slow fashion movement ever since, and this books contains articles about the way the industry has been contributing to greenhouse gases and the amount of landfill on the planet, alongside useful hints and tips on how to preserve and upcycle your clothes.
I loved this book so much I chose to theme my posts for APDO's Spring Clearing Week 2021 around it, and even gave a copy away in a competition that week.
As well as trying some of de Castro's tips on my own wardrobe, I've realised that actually I do love my clothes, and can see now that my friends were right - I have my own sense of style. It's just that slow fashion is my thing rather than the high-paced disposable side of the industry.
Huge thanks to de Castro for changing my views. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in what they wear. An easy 5/5 stars.
April 30, 2024
Orsola de Castro è leader esperta a livello internazionale di moda sostenibile nonché co-fondatrice del movimento globale Fashion Revolution nato nel 2013.
In questo libro l’autrice apre a chi legge una grande finestra sulla moda, su ciò che acquistiamo e sul nostro rapporto con ciò che indossiamo.
L’industria della moda è un sistema complesso che dà lavoro a milioni di persone, che ha un gigantesco impatto sull’ambiente, sulla diversità di genere e sui diritti di chi ci lavora, tragedie incluse come quello del Rana Plaza del 2013 in Bangladesh. Ogni volta che acquistiamo un nuovo capo da indossare o un accessorio dovremmo chiederci da dove viene, di che materiale è fatto, chi lo ha realizzato e in quali condizioni di lavoro, quanto è costato produrlo rispetto a quanto lo abbiamo pagato e soprattutto che fine farà se resterà inutilizzato con ancora il cartellino attaccato. Il nostro approccio con la moda è costretto a un cambiamento: il sistema produce in quantità eccessive e spesso acquistiamo cose d’impulso che non ci servono.
Ogni vestito invece ha una storia, prima del nostro acquisto e anche dopo, quando entra a far parte del nostro armadio. Ciò che indossiamo merita le nostre cure e attenzioni, merita di essere riparato, riutilizzato e vissuto più e più volte. Perché ciò che indossiamo parla di noi, del nostro stile e della persona che siamo.
Il libro offre suggerimenti e consigli per aver cura del proprio guardaroba, per riciclare ciò che non indossiamo più e dargli una nuova vita.
Tuttə abbiamo a che fare con la moda, perché tuttə compriamo e siamo clienti di uno o più brand.
È una storia e un futuro che non esclude nessuno.
In questo libro l’autrice apre a chi legge una grande finestra sulla moda, su ciò che acquistiamo e sul nostro rapporto con ciò che indossiamo.
L’industria della moda è un sistema complesso che dà lavoro a milioni di persone, che ha un gigantesco impatto sull’ambiente, sulla diversità di genere e sui diritti di chi ci lavora, tragedie incluse come quello del Rana Plaza del 2013 in Bangladesh. Ogni volta che acquistiamo un nuovo capo da indossare o un accessorio dovremmo chiederci da dove viene, di che materiale è fatto, chi lo ha realizzato e in quali condizioni di lavoro, quanto è costato produrlo rispetto a quanto lo abbiamo pagato e soprattutto che fine farà se resterà inutilizzato con ancora il cartellino attaccato. Il nostro approccio con la moda è costretto a un cambiamento: il sistema produce in quantità eccessive e spesso acquistiamo cose d’impulso che non ci servono.
Ogni vestito invece ha una storia, prima del nostro acquisto e anche dopo, quando entra a far parte del nostro armadio. Ciò che indossiamo merita le nostre cure e attenzioni, merita di essere riparato, riutilizzato e vissuto più e più volte. Perché ciò che indossiamo parla di noi, del nostro stile e della persona che siamo.
Il libro offre suggerimenti e consigli per aver cura del proprio guardaroba, per riciclare ciò che non indossiamo più e dargli una nuova vita.
Tuttə abbiamo a che fare con la moda, perché tuttə compriamo e siamo clienti di uno o più brand.
È una storia e un futuro che non esclude nessuno.
May 22, 2021
Le prime parole che mi vengono in mente per descrivere questo libro sono: illuminante, coinvolgente, struggente.
Mi ha aperto un mondo su una cosa che fa parte del nostro quotidiano ma a cui, tendenzialmente, prestiamo pochissima attenzione: i vestiti. Siamo abituati ad acquistare compulsivamente, gettando ció che non usiamo più... Ma avremmo tante alternative: rimodernare, riutilizzare, scambiare, personalizzare, riproporre in diverse vesti.
Leggendo ho avuto modo di conoscere anche delle tragedie di cui non sapevo nulla, ho arricchito la mia conoscenza su tematiche importanti come lo sfruttamento sul lavoro e le condizioni di vita pessime in cui vivono molti lavoratori non troppo lontano da noi... Quante volte ci abbiamo pensato prima? Io davvero poche, sono onesta.
Ho scoperto l’importanza di porsi delle domande quando si acquistano gli abiti.
Da dove viene? Com’è stato realizzato? Il costo è adeguato alla tipologia di capo? Se il costo è troppo basso, ci siamo mai chiesti il perché?
E poi ancora: quante volte abbiamo indossato quel capo di abbigliamento? Quante volte abbiamo riparato un abito? Quante volte abbiamo ricucito quel bottone che si è staccato dalla camicia, oppure abbiamo fatto riparare la zip a quel jeans?
Questo libro mi ha suscitato tante domande, ma mi ha dato altrettante risposte. Credo che ognuno di noi, o almeno chi ha intenzione di fare qualcosa di più per il mondo meraviglioso in cui viviamo, debba leggere questo capolavoro e farne un punto di partenza per una nuova vita. Più consapevole, più sostenibile.
Mi ha aperto un mondo su una cosa che fa parte del nostro quotidiano ma a cui, tendenzialmente, prestiamo pochissima attenzione: i vestiti. Siamo abituati ad acquistare compulsivamente, gettando ció che non usiamo più... Ma avremmo tante alternative: rimodernare, riutilizzare, scambiare, personalizzare, riproporre in diverse vesti.
Leggendo ho avuto modo di conoscere anche delle tragedie di cui non sapevo nulla, ho arricchito la mia conoscenza su tematiche importanti come lo sfruttamento sul lavoro e le condizioni di vita pessime in cui vivono molti lavoratori non troppo lontano da noi... Quante volte ci abbiamo pensato prima? Io davvero poche, sono onesta.
Ho scoperto l’importanza di porsi delle domande quando si acquistano gli abiti.
Da dove viene? Com’è stato realizzato? Il costo è adeguato alla tipologia di capo? Se il costo è troppo basso, ci siamo mai chiesti il perché?
E poi ancora: quante volte abbiamo indossato quel capo di abbigliamento? Quante volte abbiamo riparato un abito? Quante volte abbiamo ricucito quel bottone che si è staccato dalla camicia, oppure abbiamo fatto riparare la zip a quel jeans?
Questo libro mi ha suscitato tante domande, ma mi ha dato altrettante risposte. Credo che ognuno di noi, o almeno chi ha intenzione di fare qualcosa di più per il mondo meraviglioso in cui viviamo, debba leggere questo capolavoro e farne un punto di partenza per una nuova vita. Più consapevole, più sostenibile.
February 27, 2021
I really loved this book. It made me reconsider my relationship with my clothes and my consumer habits.
Happy to say it actually inspired me to get a mini sewing machine and learn how to mend and alter my own clothes. I have stored some clothing for a while to be sent to a tailor but never got around to it, or never felt determined to put in the effort.
However, learning to do some bits myself now helps me build a much stronger relationship with my clothes and feels so much more rewarding.
What also struck me was when she said that our clothes are unloved and unwanted, we buy them and discard them. And thinking of the past years of my life I realise that is so true. But that did not use to be the case growing up, I used to love all my garments and I think because they were just not that accessible and I had to earn them from my parents by helping around.
Now they are so cheap and affordable that almost anyone can get a big pile of clothes at small price every time they visit Primark for example.
My plan is to recreate the same relationship I had with my clothing when I was younger.
Happy to say it actually inspired me to get a mini sewing machine and learn how to mend and alter my own clothes. I have stored some clothing for a while to be sent to a tailor but never got around to it, or never felt determined to put in the effort.
However, learning to do some bits myself now helps me build a much stronger relationship with my clothes and feels so much more rewarding.
What also struck me was when she said that our clothes are unloved and unwanted, we buy them and discard them. And thinking of the past years of my life I realise that is so true. But that did not use to be the case growing up, I used to love all my garments and I think because they were just not that accessible and I had to earn them from my parents by helping around.
Now they are so cheap and affordable that almost anyone can get a big pile of clothes at small price every time they visit Primark for example.
My plan is to recreate the same relationship I had with my clothing when I was younger.
May 5, 2023
Sono riuscita a finirlo nonostante il capitolo sul cotone ogm, la Monsanto e i contadini suicidi che mi ha fatto mettere veramente in dubbio tutto l’impianto del libro. È un peccato perché la sostenibilità è un problema e un tema serio e su alcuni punti mi pare che il discorso sia molto tirato via senza fare spazio alla complessità, ma forse l’autrice (anche comprensibilmente) non ha tutti i mezzi per parlare di ambiente e sostenibilità generale, fuori dalla moda.
Di quello che conosce, invece, vale la pena leggere anche se ho dovuto trattenermi davanti ai consigli per tingere con l’avocado, fare una gonna con due camicie, i golfini di cachemire della nonna evidentemente ricca e i vari foulard di seta che possiede. Insomma il libro è attaccabile da moltissimi punti di vista, ma la sostanza rimane: siamo responsabili della vita e dell’impatto di quello che acquistiamo. E infatti sono già pronta a vendere e scambiare molto del mio guardaroba, comprare ancora meno e soprattutto provare a riadattare. Tocca solo trovare una sarta brava e mi mangio le mani per non aver imparato da mia madre quando potevo.
Di quello che conosce, invece, vale la pena leggere anche se ho dovuto trattenermi davanti ai consigli per tingere con l’avocado, fare una gonna con due camicie, i golfini di cachemire della nonna evidentemente ricca e i vari foulard di seta che possiede. Insomma il libro è attaccabile da moltissimi punti di vista, ma la sostanza rimane: siamo responsabili della vita e dell’impatto di quello che acquistiamo. E infatti sono già pronta a vendere e scambiare molto del mio guardaroba, comprare ancora meno e soprattutto provare a riadattare. Tocca solo trovare una sarta brava e mi mangio le mani per non aver imparato da mia madre quando potevo.
May 19, 2022
Unusually for a non-fiction book, this provoked both laughter and tears.
Laughter, from reading de Castro's analysis of the distressing on a stylish man's jeans: "that kind of use could only happen to someone who had spent an inordinate amount of time wearing their pants all the way down. Like 25 years on the toilet, for example."
Tears, from reading about the workers at the Rana Plaza factories: "Imagine what it must have felt like to be forcibly working while simultaneously fearing for your life...feeling the outrage of being imprisoned in a visibly crumbling building for the sake of a few million T-shirts and someone else's profits. But those T-shirts were produced, labelled and boxed, at that time, under those circumstances, by garment workers justifiably freaking out. And those T-shirts were most likely delivered into stores - and we bought them. Those T-shirts, made in terror, in humiliation and in semi-captivity, are the reason why everything must change".
Laughter, from reading de Castro's analysis of the distressing on a stylish man's jeans: "that kind of use could only happen to someone who had spent an inordinate amount of time wearing their pants all the way down. Like 25 years on the toilet, for example."
Tears, from reading about the workers at the Rana Plaza factories: "Imagine what it must have felt like to be forcibly working while simultaneously fearing for your life...feeling the outrage of being imprisoned in a visibly crumbling building for the sake of a few million T-shirts and someone else's profits. But those T-shirts were produced, labelled and boxed, at that time, under those circumstances, by garment workers justifiably freaking out. And those T-shirts were most likely delivered into stores - and we bought them. Those T-shirts, made in terror, in humiliation and in semi-captivity, are the reason why everything must change".
January 31, 2023
Le 4 stelle sono per i contenuti e perchè spero che con una recensione alta aumentino le letture perchè c’è bisogno di sensibilizzare il più possibile sul tema ma sarebbe da 3 stelle per come è impostato e scritto. Ci sono un sacco di spunti e occasioni di riflessione sul tema dello spreco e dell’inquinamento da abbigliamento, con schede tecniche e approfondimenti su lavaggi, composizione, riparazione dei tessuti. È peró un po’ dispersivo e ripetitivo, forse superficiale si alcuni temi perchè l’autrice parla molto in prima persona (io ho inventato questo, io ho vinto questo) dove si poteva dare spazio maggiore a fatti internazionali.
Rimane che è stato scritto da una delle massime referenti per queste tematiche e lo consiglio per approciare la questione e rivoluzionare almeno un pochino il proprio modo di vivere il proprio armadio e lo shopping. Lettura facile e scorrevole.
Rimane che è stato scritto da una delle massime referenti per queste tematiche e lo consiglio per approciare la questione e rivoluzionare almeno un pochino il proprio modo di vivere il proprio armadio e lo shopping. Lettura facile e scorrevole.
May 4, 2021
Questo libro mi è molto piaciuto, ma ad essere onesta ho la sensazione di averlo apprezzato solo perché è stato il mio primo contatto con questo argomento.
Mi ha fatto aprire gli occhi e riconsiderare un'industria e una realtà che dal punto di vista superficiale già sapevo essere dannosissime. Infatti vengono date moltissime informazioni utilissime ed interessanti... forse troppe, senza entrare abbastanza in dettaglio in alcune di cui io, personalmente, avrei voluto sapere di più. Inoltre vengono ripetute molto spesso le stesse cose.
In generale metto comunque 4 stelle perché apprezzo lo spirito dietro questo libro, lo sforzo, il messaggio e il movimento di cui l'autrice è fondatrice.
Spero di approfondire meglio con l'utilissima lista di libri e documentari in appendice!
Mi ha fatto aprire gli occhi e riconsiderare un'industria e una realtà che dal punto di vista superficiale già sapevo essere dannosissime. Infatti vengono date moltissime informazioni utilissime ed interessanti... forse troppe, senza entrare abbastanza in dettaglio in alcune di cui io, personalmente, avrei voluto sapere di più. Inoltre vengono ripetute molto spesso le stesse cose.
In generale metto comunque 4 stelle perché apprezzo lo spirito dietro questo libro, lo sforzo, il messaggio e il movimento di cui l'autrice è fondatrice.
Spero di approfondire meglio con l'utilissima lista di libri e documentari in appendice!
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