education — Blog — Lorraine Barker

Hey guys! It has been a while since I’ve made a blog post, and while I feel like now is not the time to be promoting my own content, I feel like making this post is important to inform everyone on how to shop ethically and to stop feeding into racial oppression caused by the fast fashion industry. I have been kind of quiet with my own thoughts on the harsh realities and changes in this world because I feel like I do not have the right experience or knowledge to inform people. However, I AM educated and knowledgeable in the realm of fashion and would like to educate y’all on what actually happens behind the scenes in the garment construction industry.

I have spoken numerous times on how evil fast fashion is and how it is a cesspool of poor sustainability, worker exploitation, and feeds into the raw evils of capitalism, but I would like to go more into depth on how the industry affects people of color around the world.

For many developing nations, the garment industry is the main trade citizens work straight into. The working conditions are poor, but it is all those folks know. Many factory workers in newly developing nations make about $100 USD a MONTH from their sweatshop jobs. And the sad fact is most of the groups who are part of this system are people of color. Systemic racial oppression runs deep in the fashion industry and it is so dirty.

Buying into fast fashion just keeps these forms of business alive and keeps these groups oppressed. If you would like to stop contributing to global racial oppression and choke out these industries that exploit workers, stop shopping from fast fashion companies. Here are some examples with links on fast fashion’s dirty laundry:

Bangladesh is one of the worst nations for worker conditions in the garment industry. But this is all the citizens know. They work countless hours for minimal pay and minimal housing, and this is normal for them. Fast fashion companies take advantage of citizens in nations like Bangladesh because the labor is cheap, thus making the garments cheap, which makes customers consume more, which gives the companies who are oppressing these workers even more money. It is imperative you read this article, even if it is the only article you read out of this blog.

Seeing through transparency: H&M is being transparent about where garments are made, assuming that is enough. Yet most garments are made in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the worst places for factory conditions and workers. Is transparency the same as being ethically sound? Click here for the article describing H&M’s “transparency” on garment production as part of their movement towards sustainability. The fact that their garments are mostly sourced from the country with the worst factory conditions for workers is masked by them being “transparent”. Don’t let this fool you.

This article explains how US garment workers are being paid $4/hour for Forever 21. This is right in our own backyard! A lot of US sweatshops go under the radar by the FDA, and these shops exploit undocumented immigrants.

On top of Forever 21, Fashion Nova also exploits immigrant workers in sweatshops in LA. Click here for that article.

Besides exploiting garment factory workers, Zara has been under fire for being racially insensitive with their products and also with their personnel, company, and employees. Here is that article.

And Dollskill? Don’t even get me started. If you are unaware of their numerous offenses, a quick google search will give you a nice list on why to not support them.

Just remember, if a garment is a “good deal”, or “cheap”, think of the true cost it took to make it. Speaking of the true cost, The True Cost documentary about exploitation of factory workers is currently streaming on Tubi. Please check it out.

Please be thoughtful about how you shop. If you are looking for change in this world, a good place to start is your own closet and wallet.

Thanks for reading!

Lorraine

Hi everyone! As what is already firmly established from my other posts, it is a goal of mine to educate others and spread knowledge about the fashion industry. This blog post is about how to be a smart and wise consumer of fashion goods by correctly shopping off-price and discount stores. In this post I will explain brand licensing and third-party manufacturing, how outlet and discount stores are not always giving you the better deal, and how to properly shop these stores for the actual best deal and goods.

Most of my friends prefer spending their money at off-price and outlet stores like Nordstrom Rack and Ross. These stores offer a variety of affordable prices of name brand goods. Sounds like a great deal, buying expensive brands for reasonable prices.

But there’s a secret to why these off-price stores and goods are so affordable that many consumers do not know about, and I am writing this blog to inform y’all about how to correctly shop on a budget.

Many off-price stores will sell products that may have a name brand label, but are not actually a part of that real brand. Big clothing companies will license out their name to third party manufacturers, and these manufacturers will receive most of the profit while the big clothing company receives a percentage of royalties. These manufacturers will produce goods that are not as great of quality as if the actual brand were to produce them. And these said products made by third party manufacturers are what fills up most of the Nordstrom Racks, Ross’s, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx’s, you name it. These brands and products with “such great markdown prices” are not made as well, and do not last as long, and by slapping a label and a name to a product not officially from that company, these manufacturers and discount stores are basically ripping off the general public without them even knowing it.

This may sound confusing, so let me give you some examples I’ve encountered when shopping discounted and outlet prices while looking for a good deal.

Sometimes the difference in quality and manufacturing comes from the textiles. When I walk into a Macy’s department store, and shop for Betsey Johnson handbags, the leather is a soft and durable pebble leather that is easily malleable and well worth the $100+ the handbag is priced at. Walking into a Stein Mart, however, and finding Betsey Johnson bags there for a fraction of the price than found at Macy’s may seem like an amazing deal, but those handbags at the discount store are made with a stiffer hatched leather and the stitching is not as well-enforced. This is a perfect example of real name brand manufacturing and retailing and third-party licensing sold through an outlet retailer for a cheaper price.

Sometimes brands will just produce off-names or lines from their original clothing line to offer cheaper prices and cheaply-made garments while still keeping that name and brand royalty. Good examples of this are CK by Calvin Klein, Z by Zella, alexanderwang.t, and basically anything that has an association with a big name but has a change of label. This even occurs in department stores when luxury designers are trying to appeal to regular shoppers (i.e. alexanderwang.t). All of these brands may officially stem from those big parent clothing companies, but they are not truly that brand, and more people need to understand this.

So, how do you shop for a good deal on that real real? Watch out for off-brand labels stemming from parent companies and look for official clothing labels. Another good tip is to shop the “clearance racks” at outlet stores. More than likely, these one-of-a-kind goods were not created specifically for that discount store and were shipped there from their full-price store as clearance items and are true markdowns (Nordstrom Rack has a whole fixture for Z by Zella, which is a discount brand, while actual Zella workout pants may be found on the sales rounders with only a couple pairs of one style).

Thank you for reading through this rather lengthy blog post of mine, there was a lot of information I wanted to express this week and I hope these tips help you guys to be better shoppers and start getting your money’s worth out of the items you shop for.

Lorraine