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I haven't been clothes shopping in over a year and I'm getting desperate for clothes.
Where do you buy yours?
Or do you know of anywhere I can buy non-sweatshop clothes?
I realise charity shops are a great option but I don't have the time at the moment and need to get a few items easily.
Thanks!
:)
im sure theres gotta be a couple american apparel stores in london. i have a weakspot for thier clothing :o...
for clothes its that or etsy or thrift shops for me :D
Check is April77.
They support PETA and do leather and fur free clothes.
http://www.april77.fr
But i buy most of my clothes secondhand. its the best.
roots of compassion website is fab
charity shops
ebay
Depends what kind of clothes. There are some fair trade shops on the web such as One World is Enough (cheap and good for long dresses etc) and People Tree. Watch out because these do sell some non-vegan stuff, e.g. silk.
For more formal clothes, M&S usually sell non-wool suits etc and they are meant to be sweatshop-free. Some of their things are fair trade but AFAIK it's mostly jeans and t-shirts.
I used to buy lots of clothes from charity shops back in the 80's but its gone crap now since they take out all the best stuff and sell it at more expensive shops. Also the ordinary charity shops are a lot more expensive than they used to be. Car boot sales are great for bargain second hand clothes and theres a few bargains to be found on ebay.
Go to charity shops in small towns which are used frequently, but not in busy areas.
I live in Kingston and the charity shops (all 3 of them) are terrible- but go to surrounding towns and they're much better: Surbiton, Teddington etc.
eBay's really good for second-hand clothes and they're often very cheap.
i second Harpy's suggestion of People Tree (but beware non-vegan items) and Natural Collection online are good too (nearly all vegan). some independent shops have fair trade clothes but it depends where you live.
i very rarely buy clothes, but hate it when i do, as i know they will be sweat shop (in most cases). i always buy the cheapest stuff i can, and, ethical IF i can.
I make alot of my clothes, or else its ebay, vintage clothing stores and london vintage markets, nomads mostly.
I've picked up a few things at rawganique.com. It's a bit pricey, but shipping is cheap, and the stuff is great. I'm waiting for my sweatshop-made scanties to wear out so I can try their cute organic cotton panties and bras.
Otherwise, I buy all of my clothes used.
shipping wouldnt be cheap for people in the uk tho.Quote:
phloxy
I wish I could wear used clothing, but it really, really grosses me out. I think I have some kind of germ/ disease thing about clothing and shoes. And since I'm a student, I cant buy FT or organic clothes. I buy mostly cotton clothing and try to find stuff made in the USA, though.
This site has got some rather expensive stuff but it's all fairtrade and organic and they do have some amazing sales.
Check this one out:
http://www.naturalcollection.com/nat...mmer_Sale.aspx
They even have tank tops, socks and boxer shorts for £1!!!
Depends what I'm looking for. What kind of things are you after? Formal, casual, undies...?
I always check out the fair trade shop in Leicester first, followed by the small alternative boutiques. I have found fair trade items in TK Maxx before, which was good, but if I'm in a hurry I can never find what I want in there, I have to be in a browsing mood.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.
I'm looking for clothes to wear for sixth form next year and the dress code is casual.
But I'm not that interested in clothes and not that sure what I'm looking for.
Cardigans, jeans, t-shirts, and a nice jacket I reckon.
Plus, I'll hopefully be getting some work experience in Law, so will need smartish stuff such as shirts and respectable trousers, for court.
Charity shops are the best place for cardigans- they usually have so many different styles, and they fit well.Quote:
RebeccaDye
Jeans are rubbish at charity shops.
Fun t shirts, and cute 80s vintage shirts but nothing too serious.
Jackets are pretty hit and miss.
I love American Apparel, although not all of their stuff is made well. There close seem to be very "me" though, not to mention made in the United States and sweatshop free.
They price all their things in pounds, I believe, and I think the shipping would translate as well. It's 5 bucks for Americans, I believe, no matter what you buy. The online shop isn't based in the US, so it might not be prohibitive to ship to the UK.Quote:
seitan
The clothes thing is a hard one I tend to use various places, up until I was late 20s I was very I am only wearing clothing that relates to metal fashion, but as I have got older I have developed my own style and buy from any place and any shop...but I do my hardest to avoid sweat shop clothing (which lots of alternative fashion comes from) so not being so stuck on dressing in metal fashion type clothing was a good move ethically.
My style now would fall some place between hippy, metal, cyber, beach bum, relaxed and scruffy so that is easy :D to buy for.
In the UK now I have noticed lots of mainstream shops displaying Fair Trade labels on clothing which is a move in the right direction.
Braintree Hemp in Camden sell ethical clothing and while some of their clothes are fairly expensive, they often have a lot of things on sale so you can pick up quite a few bargains. :)
I get my clothes from a number of places but can especially recommend the following:
People Tree internet site - fair trade and organic -(some people tree clothes are sold in Topshop Oxford Street in the basement)
American apparel - fair trade but limited organic - they have a shop in carnaby street london or their website
Howies - fairtrade and organic - casual/surfy clothing - they have a website or again a shop on carnaby street
www.adili.com - more pricey but they have a big sale at moment
Have fun shopping!
Liz x
oh yes and seasalt is a shop in cornwall that has a website - they have some lovely basics....
Sorry if this is a dead thread but I find it really annoying that many fair trade clothing companies just cater for hippyish/bohemian types. I don't want floaty clothes. Howies is ok but super expensive. Poor non hippies care about people too.
Quote:
Charlotte
he-he, i know what you mean - i love floaty, hippy type clothes on other people but i like practical stuff i can clean the house and walk the dog in.
Hand me downs, clothes swapping parties, second hand ebay, charity shops, or I make them out of other old clothes!
YES! it is near impossible to get male clothes that are cheap, plain or varied in any shop and all the alternative and sustainable/ fair trade clothes look like a pervy hippy uncles costume. I challenge anyone to find a hemp shirt with a collar. The only was to be smart and ware alternative clothes is to tuck the ever-creased shirt into the checkerboard trousers.Quote:
Charlotte
All we need would be plain t'shirts in a colour that does not look like it's over 10 years old. I have felt for ages that clothes for caring people are plainly crap. (unless you like them, then sorry!)
American Apparel has mens' plain tshirts and hoodies that aren't astronomically expensive but not cheap either. I think you pay for the 'coolness'of the label as well as the reasonably ethical production!
Quote:
Charlotte
Thanks. Have searched for it online seen my nearest store and looked at the prices online. Though not really cheap it is about the price you need to pay without anyone suffering and getting a good wage. so cool.
I will have to go when I have money again.
I think you can get quite a lot of AA stuff on ebay, pretty cheap.
Vegan+fair trade+organic is always first choice for new and there's a fantastic choice these days via the web.
Locally-bought second-hand is much easier and cheaper though.
Plus I recently bought a shoulder bag made from recycled PET, which could be third on the list of choices (though I'm not really a fan of plastic and recycling - buying this bag is a compromise after much consideration of the alternatives - as it legitimises the whole plastic thing that it's ok to make it then, ermmm, 'throw it away').
My favorite place to shop is Etsi. theres ..such a great array of ..stuff and many hings are hand made and individula and i feel more sure that its all made with exploitation. To be honest i still ear gap clothes and next clothes but othe than that i try to buy from etsi. i don't usually buy from gap. But i still wear the thinsg from them i got in the past ( non of which have anything from animals). i feel abit of a strange feeling though because i did hear their involved with sweat shops nd my dad recently told me that he might get a job there and oi feel like if he did and gave me money from his erning everything i bought would how be..tainted :/. yeah i know thats hipocritical of me since i wear some of the stuff but hmm. i donno :/ what ae your thought s on it.
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oo i also get my shoes from this place in the Uk called "The third estate, itsjust off camden road near this pub called the unicorn. its a new shop and all there stuff or most i think is animl free and some of their shoes ( i'm not actually sure if all are) are very fairtrade and the staff are really freindly and chatty and helpful :).
The majority of my clothes are from second hand stores. I am a poor college student and also the breadwinner in my household (husband on disability). I just can not afford to spend a fortune. I did however find a nice pair of hemp hiking shoes through Wicked Hemp, and they are very reasonably priced.
https://wickedhemp.com/vegan-hemp-natural
I also have Kiowa Garmont Vegan hiking boots I bought almost two years ago and they are still going very strong. Very high quality and not a lick of leather or other animal products (not sure about glue though).
I have hemp socks as well because it is very very cold up here where I live and they work wonders for keeping feet warm, just as good as wool socks.
There used to be an eco friendly store in town that sold fair trade organic cotton towels and clothes but they went out of business. :(. So I make due with what I can.
I would really like to be able to buy more clothes second-hand but I've never lived anywhere that had a good network of second-hand clothes shops. In Ireland the only places you really get second-hand clothes are charity shops, which never have stuff in my size or that isn't old bobbly polyester, or vintage shops where stuff is really expensive.Quote:
Robinwomb
Here in BCN there are expensive vintage clothes shops and the occaisional rummage sale if you know where to find it. I bought a really nice second-hand dress and t-shirt here at a 'flea market' for pretty cheap, I should investigate more rummage sales!