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strawberry-slippers · 3 years

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The Ethics of Thrifting

I’m going to be exploring the topic of thrift shopping and the ethics involved. The main points I’m going to cover include the increase of prices at thrift stores, whether thrifting is a privilege for those from middle- and high-income classes, the ethics of reselling, overconsumption in the fashion industry, and the normalization of thrifting. I will also go over how those in the middle and upper class can thrift consciously.

1. Increased Prices

There is currently a stigma among those who shop second-hand that the increase in demand of thrifting causes a scarcity in products, which directly lead to increased prices. This argument is a valid concern, but ultimately incorrect as there is absolutely no scarcity in goods being donated and sold in thrift stores, especially big corporations such as Value Village and Goodwill. Thrift stores are only able to sell 20% of the clothing that is donated, and the rest is sent to landfills or sold to third world countries. The scarcity of donations is not the cause for the rise in prices, but things that could be affecting this include inflation and corporate greed.

Small increases and markups in price are inevitable as inflation occurs. Rent goes up, as does the minimum wage, so the prices of goods rise with it. However, this does not explain the sudden increase of prices at thrift stores rising by 5 times the amount it should be, or even being priced higher than the item brand new with a stock tag on it. This is caused by corporate greed and capitalism.

As second-hand shopping rises in popularity, more and more people are coming to thrift stores looking for unique and trendy pieces at such low prices compared to retail stores. Corporations pick up on these trends and inflate the prices of attractive items to something that the low-income community may not have paid at a thrift store, but the new market of thrift shoppers are willing to and do pay for. Although thrift shopping is a huge trend, it is not the consumers’ fault that the prices are rising, but the corporations that control this market.

2. Taking from the Poor

Another argument that arises surrounding the ethics of thrift shopping states that the middle and upper-class shoppers who thrift for enjoyment are taking away all the good products at thrift stores where low-income families have no other options but to shop at. This argument is combatted again with the same argument as the concern for the rise in pricing: there is absolutely no shortage of supply, and even the clothes that aren’t sold are in good condition. However, as privileged shoppers, it is important to be conscious when shopping second-hand. I will go over this in more detail later but shopping consciously includes avoiding sections where demand is high, such as plus size and winter coats, or shopping at a higher price point such as at consignment and vintage stores.

3. Reselling

There is a huge debate in the concern of ethics on reselling thrifted clothing. Resellers are those who shop at thrift stores, purchasing mass amounts of clothing, all for the sole purpose of reselling them for a profit. Apart from the concerns mentioned in the previous points, there are new concerns that these resellers bring to the table.

These resellers hunt for the best products at mass amounts for affordable prices, then flip them for at least triple the price they paid. They can do this successfully, however, because there are consumers that are willing to purchase these flipped items at the inflated price. Resellers are known for exploiting these types of consumers by hiking prices up higher than they are worth brand new, just because they are marketed as “vintage” and know someone will still buy it. The ethics behind the amount of profit gained off this is very questionable, as they bring a greedier, “business-focused” mindset to the thrifting community.

Although there are many bad seeds that reinforce this, there is an ethical way to go about reselling, and a more genuine business practice within it. Resellers are actually creating more accessibility for vintage items by putting the items found locally on platforms where anyone can access it, which is beneficial to those who may live in areas that don’t have any local thrift stores. Also, by putting these pieces up on apps that serve international shipping such as Depop or Poshmark, they are making these used clothes available to everyone. Resellers can curate the more desirable items and market it to consumers of higher income who are able to pay the price point, which draws those people to spend less time in thrift stores themselves, providing more options for second-hand shopping. This also leads to reselling being a full-time occupation.

Resellers put a lot of work into this market, more than simply shopping and selling. They take the time to visit all the thrift stores in their area, search through racks of clothing to find the best items for their market, then even take the time to clean, fix, or refurbish these items. After all this added effort and time they deservingly add to the purchased price, or else they would be working at a loss. Reselling has gained a lot of traction and has become a $33 billion dollar industry by 2021. For the working class, operating a small business through reselling is a great way to make an income with a flexible work schedule.

4. Normalizing Second-hand

A reason that resellers also choose to do what they do is because they want to normalize second-hand clothing and reduce the stigma against it. When I was young, I was embarrassed to accept hand-me-downs and was taught that thrift stores are unclean, and lots of people have voiced that they used to feel ashamed for having to shop at thrift stores. As of recent, however, thrifting has become very popular, mostly due to the wealthier people that made it “cool”, and the stigma is almost erased. This is a great benefit for the environment as it encourages people to consume consciously and give old clothes new life, which is ultimately a more sustainable practice than purchasing new products that are marketed as being sustainably sourced or produced. Also, rather than putting their money into fast fashion, the money often goes to a better cause because many thrift stores give their profits to charities and organizations that help those in need.

5. Overconsumption

Shopping at thrift stores could be the key to solving the issue of disposable fashion. It is reducing the amount of textile waste added to landfills every day and encouraging people to use their clothes further into its life cycle. However, overconsumption (as always) can be the downfall of this solution. If consumers thrift for the sake of purchasing more clothes to add to their wardrobe rather than out of necessity or to actually wear the clothes they buy, the excess of clothes in their own closets will eventually be disposed or donated again, resulting in an endless cycle. “Thrift Haul” videos on YouTube contribute to this overconsumption as it just promotes the need to buy an excessive amount of clothing that one couldn’t possibly wear in one lifetime.

This and all other issues mentioned can be easily avoided if consumers make sure to thrift consciously.

6. How to Thrift Consciously

This leads me to my final point: how to thrift consciously.

It only takes a few steps to be mindful when shopping second-hand as a more privileged consumer. Personally, my family is considered the working class, however I am aware that I am more privileged than others and keep this in mind when I do my shopping.

1. First, avoid sections with a scare supply and high demand if you don’t need it. This includes plus-size, as the options are always limited but there is a great portion of consumers who need it; also, winter coats, which are a necessity for the lower class who can’t afford good quality and warm clothing; another section to be considerate of is professional wear such as office clothes or uniforms; children’s wear is also a section with less available supply.

2. Second, avoid shopping at thrift stores in lower income neighborhoods where most consumers have a high need but supply at the stores is limited. If your budget allows it, shop at consignment and vintage stores instead. They provide a wide variety of second-hand clothing that is just as sustainable as shopping at thrift stores, but at a price point that is affordable to a higher tax bracket.

3. The most important thing to consider, only buy what you need and will wear. Purchase things that you love and will get a good use out of, instead of contributing to the overconsumption that leads back to the waste that the fashion industry produces.

In conclusion, there should be nothing to stop you from shopping at thrift stores, in fact I encourage it! It’s just important to be mindful of how you shop, whether it’s retail or second-hand. Thanks for listening, and happy thrifting!

#global economy #thrifting #ethics #fashion design

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strawberry-slippers · 3 years

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Transformational Reconstruction

What is TR?

Transformational reconstruction is a pattern drafting method that Shingo Sato has been developing over years. It combines the fundamentals of pattern drafting with Japanese origami to create anything from creative style lines to the most intricate 3D fabric sculptures, all from simple 2D surfaces. He takes a regular, darted bodice, and using style lines he takes away the basic darts to create something new. This is of the simplest of his transformations and is something that is already taught widely in pattern drafting classes. What makes his method so innovative is that he uses it to take his creations to a new level of design and give other designers a more creative and organic approach to typical pattern drafting. It takes away the usual mathematical sense of drafting and uses methods like pleating and gathering to create unusual and innovative designs. This method requires no expertise when it comes to drafting, and even can help those who struggle with the basics of dart manipulation. By drawing the lines directly on the bodice on a dress form, there is a better visual interpretation of exactly what the style lines will create, giving the designer a clearer perspective on what they’re doing.

Who is Shingo Sato?

Shingo Sato is an innovative designer who has been teaching his drafting technique, “Transformational Reconstruction”, around the globe. He is trained in tailoring, pattern design, and dressmaking, and opened his own design studio in Tokyo in 2000. He takes pattern drafting and turns it into an art form by adding volume and 3D shapes, using techniques from Japanese origami.

Sample 1

For this first sample, I utilized Shingo’s methods including style lines that go through the dart points, with the addition of a 3D shape that flows with the new style lines of the bodice.

Starting with the basic bodice on the dress form and an idea of what shapes I wanted to include, I drew some curves with a Sharpie through the dart points. I stayed organic with the lines to contrast the corners of the cube I wanted to add. After cutting the bodice at the new style lines and laying it flat, I used it as a pattern to create the new bodice. To add the cube, I first sculpted it with paper to get a visual, then cut it apart at the edges to separate it among the three front bodice pieces. I then pressed and sewed all the pattern pieces together.

This concept was quite easy to understand once I understood where the sewing lines should flow. Instead of sewing at all four to eight edges of the cube that meet the bodice, it’s about extending the existing style lines to form 3D shapes. I followed the style lines I had originally created, and just gave it new volume, just as easily as making paper prisms to understand geometry in elementary school.

Sample 2

For my second sample, I went with a more complex base shape with tight corners and curves as well. Starting the same way as the other sample, I drew new style lines that intersected with all the dart points in the bodice. I then cut the bodice apart at this one long line, only to find that one of my pieces was still a tube, and not yet 2D. To remedy this, I simply extended one of the style lines to cut through to the armhole, allowing the piece to lay flat on the table.

The next step was to slash and spread the bottom half of the bodice evenly, which proved to be most time consuming with all the individual “arms” of the design. I slashed frequently and evenly but came to some trouble when slashing the wider portion on the bottom quarter of the bodice where it was more of a solid piece. I knew I didn’t want to gather at the hem or center front/back, so I slashed just up to those lines and spread them as evenly as I could. This gave me a new pattern piece that I basted and stitched to the top half of the bodice. A trick Shingo Sato mentioned when working around tight corners, is to clip the seam allowance just up to the tip of the corner, then sew from either side of that point. This creates a crisp point and less struggle when sewing. I decided that would be how I tackled this area of sewing, by starting and stopping my lines of gathering and sewing at each point of the curves. I tried to keep my gathers as even as possible throughout, then clipped the base fabric to make rounding the curves and corners easier.

In the end I resulted with something different than I imagined, but the theory remained the same – that I would have a voluminous shape inserted into the structure of the bodice.

Note: notches are very important. At the CB of the bodice, I apparently didn’t follow my notches because I gathered up all the CB into the last style line, sewing up the bottom half of the center back into the lines of the bodice. Of course, it completely changed the fit of the bottom half of the garment, but it’s times like these that I am reminded of the importance of things as small as notches.

Analysis

Transformational reconstruction gave me a new perspective on pattern drafting and its possibilities. Like I mentioned earlier, it creates the perfect hands-on visual for those struggling with flat pattern drafting that shows how style lines will look directly on the body. The addition of fabric to create volume in the form of folds, twists, gathers, and shapes creates endless possibilities for both style and function. I began considering how I could use these methods in my final collection, and how it could bring a uniqueness to my designs that isn’t found in my niche yet. I’m still not sure if I will apply these methods in my designs, but it’s great to know about the possibilities. The addition of the 3D structures could make for interesting and fluid pocket designs for my tactical pants, and the organic style lines could create a unique design that my market would love to rock that makes them stand out from others wearing simple work attire. The flame design I created in my second sample already coincides with some of my designs for my final collection without even my realizing it, so I could definitely integrate these methods into my designs. This kind of innovative methodology and mentality is what we need when designing for our niches as it creates new possibilities for the future of design within the everyday apparel market and not just in couture. Bringing these intricate yet sustainable designs into industrial patterns is what fast fashion won’t be able to replicate as it is all about minimizing material usage and maximizing production efficiency; however, if we are to maximize functionality and minimize waste then it will definitely appeal to the new generation of consumers more so than fast fashion could.

#pattern drafting #transformational reconstruction #fashion design

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