Clothing Cooperative Idea
Clothes-shopping in a fashion that is both economical and ethical is a challenge. Most of the producers of inexpensive clothing that has any value use sweatshop labor. Additionally, I find that I want both more and less out of garments than manufacturers put into them. I spent part of a night twisting bedsheets and thinking about the form and ethic behind garments that would satisfy me.
One thing that popped into my head was that extra stitching was wasteful. In one pair of pants, I don't really need six or seven or eight pockets. First, about half of the pockets are not very functional. I don't use the back pockets for anything large because it is uncomfortable when sitting and I don't put anything small in the pockets because then I forget to take the item out and wash it. The change pockets are often too deep for change and they can't reliably contain a larger item. Elimate most or all of the pockets (or change their design) and you reduce the amount of stitching, the amount of fabric, the amount of cutting waste, the number of defects per lot of garment, etc.
These thoughts grew into a larger set of ideas (based in part on ideas that my friend Spencer proposed during a recent discussion) that can be summed up fairly quickly:
Set up a clothing cooperative that aims to bring about the production of good (in most senses of the word) clothes that are designed to be:
* accessible across a wide range of cultures and economies
* produced in ethical and environmentally friendly ways (including at home) that do not rely on industrial equipment
* made from environmentally-friendly materials
* match the needs of a variety of lifestyles
The clothes should be supported by a strong brand - a brand that is owned by the cooperative and is used to promote garments that follow the collective's ideals.
The patterns should also focus on generating clothes that are:
* highly functional
* durable
* simple
* efficient in their material use
The patterns themselves should be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License to help encourage adaptations and harness the talents of skilled contributors, as well as helping to promote the brand and brand concepts.
The cooperative should have well-defined guidelines for how it's brand can be used to promote clothing (or other items) - ideas include:
* labor code
* working conditions
* materials used
* production methods
Use different brand marks to signify different levels of compliance and to provide a price point differentiation.
For a start, I have been thinking about trying to design clothes that meet my personal needs. I do a lot of traveling and I prefer to travel lightly. With careful packing and garment choice, I can manage a three-day trip with a single small backpack, without having to scrimp on necessities like socks and underwear. I can manage a trip of any length (as long as I have access to washing facilities every 7-10 days) with a backpack and a single carry-on sized bag.
What things irritate me about my current garments?
* sweatshop labor
* poor packability - I want to be able to pack clothes as densely as possible
* pockets. See above. I might experiment with removing them entirely.
*
What things am I *not* willing to try? Well… breechclouts, dhotis, leggings, pasties, togas, and robes are definitely not practical.
What things will I try? Basically everything else - the clothes should be unisex and I will happily test everything except for ladies undergarments, though I must admit that I am not sure that I really am up for the challenge of wearing a dress out on the streets of Calgary. :) Of course, I also can't be freaking people out too much when I am doing MySQL work at conferences.
What are the constraints?
* Canadian winters
* Travel to warmer climates
* Flexible wardrobe
What are the basics?
* underwear
Perhaps something that is fundoshi-like? Certainly cheap and easy to produce and store - might be a pain in the ass to tie. ;)
* socks
* light tops/undergarments
* tops (perhaps based on keikogi or other practical asian tops)
* jackets (perhaps based on Inuit/Aleut patterns? )
* pants
* kilts/dresses?
Hrm… much to ponder… more later
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Posted on Friday, August 29th, 2003 at 23:00
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