June 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up

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Wednesday, 30 June 2021

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AD – PR product, some books mentioned in this post were sent to me by publishers. These are marked with **. A referral code is also used, which is marked with *.

I have actually had a lot of fun in June. Here’s hoping that continues this summer!



Favourite part?

 

I’ve been seeing a lot of friends actually in person this month! I’ve been trying to cram in seeing as many people as possible before a lot of my friends move away next month. It’s been great and I didn’t realise how much I missed seeing people in person until we were doing social things in person again. 

 

I’ve been for lots of great lunches, drinks, and barbecues – I even managed to get a barbecue to light properly and successfully cook, sauasages, tofu, and sausages on it. Genuinely proud of myself for that.


 

I competed an internship doing supply chain research this month with Goodstrangevibes, a small business who seek raise awareness around body positivity, mental health and LGBT+ issues through art. It’s been great working with them this month and putting a lot of what I talk/write about relating to fashion into practise. Please go check them about, and if you want to hear in more detail about what I’ve been doing for them, sign up to their upcoming newsletter!

 

I also applied for and was offered a place on a Master’s course! I’ll be doing a research Master’s in English Literature, looking at Golden Age British detective fiction. I am so excited!

 

Best read?

 

At the beginning of the month I read Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy and the first volume of Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. These were my priorities as I needed to get them back to my uni library by the middle of the month. I enjoyed them bot and am hoping to read the next two volumes of Aurora Floyd soon!

 

I then finished reading Sex and the Citadel by Shereen El Feki, which was so interesting. One of the main messages of the book I would say is that so many issues relating to sexual and gender repression in many countries around the world are a result of colonisation.

 

I then read This Modern Love by Will Darbyshire for probably the fourth time. This is such a quick yet impactful read for me, and every time I read it I feel like I get something different from it. It’s like a comforting blanket in book form.

 

I also read How to Love Your Laundry by Patric Richardson with Karin B Miller**. Although I did have to remind myself a few times of the American-British translations of some of the things mentioned, this book

 

I have also started reading Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz** and A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister, both of which I’m really enjoying so far. 


 

Favourite listen?


I’ve not listened to much music this month, but I did have a throwback to 2012ish listening to Eliza Doolitte and Gabrielle Aplin while I’ve been working. 

 

Favourite watch?


I finished Bones, binged the second series of Feel Good in one night, rewatched the first four series of Doctor Who revival and am now rewatching New Girl! A lot of rewatching…

 

After getting into the latest series of the Great British Sewing Bee, I’ve started to catch up on the old series from the beginning. 


Picture credit


What did I learn?


That honest to god I need to learn to have for faith and confidence in myself. Easier said than done but I’m trying. 

 

What’s happening next month?


Seeing more of my family and friends, including my grandparents who I’ve not seen in-person in maybe two years now!

 

What’s been on my mind?


What the hell I’m doing in the next few months. Not that much specifically other than making sure I get some things done so I don’t have much to do in July!

 

Favourite post?

 

What Happens to Garment Workers If We Stop Buying Clothes? is my favourite post this month. I’ve not written a longer post like that in a while and it was great to do! I’ve got a lot of plans for my blog content coming up, including a few new series on deconstructing key terms relating to slow fashion, deep dives on mainstream brands, and features for small slow/ethical brands (let me know some cool brands you think deserve a feature, especially if they are BIPOC and/or LGBT+ owned). Watch this space! 


 

Biggest inspiration?


This is not an inspiration, but I feel good about my skin for maybe the first time in my life. Maybe it’s because I think I have a skin routine that works for me again for the first time ever. That’s thanks to a Superdrug cleanser I got last month that makes my skin feel incredible, and an SPF-moisturiser I’ve been using every morning. I also tried a few samples of products from Upcircle* from Demi Colleen's collaboration with them (the eye cream, toner and face moisturiser) and I’m hoping to get the toner and moisturiser in their full products soon (not the eye cream though, it was a bit more of a rogue one in the sample pack and made my skin react. Not here for that. The rest was great though!).


*this link is a referral link, which means that you get £10 off at Upcircle, and when you use that I get £10 off too.

Any other favourites?


This section isn’t food related for once! Although it easily could have been… My other favourite this month is my cropped black velvet jacket! I bought it on Depop several years ago, and mostly used it on nights out, but no more! That jacket is not just for nights out, even though it’s very convenient for them. I’m wearing it with more casual outfits, and I forgot how many outfits it goes with.



If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by buying me a virtual cuppa! 


If you liked this post you might like: May 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up

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What Happens to Garment Workers if We Stop Buying Clothes?

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Wednesday, 23 June 2021

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But what will happen to garment workers’ jobs if we all stop buying fast fashion? This is a question that gets asked time and time again to people in the slow fashion movement, often by people who are genuinely concerned and don’t want to perpetuate even further harm. However, the slow fashion movement is not just about boycotting fast fashion – it’s about building a better world founded on the principles of intersectional equality and anti-capitalism. It’s about uplifting the voices of garment workers rather than stopping the production of clothes altogether. 



There are so many ways to maintain and create jobs for garment workers whilst also slowing down production and improving workers’ rights. 

 

Garment workers are key to a circular economy. In this system, the materials and fabrics already in existence as part of garments would be reworked into new items or enhanced versions of their previous selves. The skills required to do this successfully are those owned by the millions of garment workers worldwide. Not only would this involve reworking old clothes, it would also mean a shift to a focus on repair and revival. One brand that is known for doing this well is Patagonia (I’m not linked with Patagonia in any way, they’re just a brand who are well known for being all round pretty good). Not only do they resell their secondhand items in their ‘Worn and Wear’ collection, they also run a repair system. You can simply bring an item into one of their shops or post it to their repair based in Reno, and they will return it to you all fixed! They also have tutorials for various kinds of self-repair on their website, if you want to give it a go yourself. In addition to these initiatives, in non-Covid times, Patagonia also run repair tours across the US, where they go to towns, set up for the day and repair people’s clothes. In a recent episode of Emily Stochl’s Pre-Loved Podcast, Patagonia’s Head of Secondhand Alex Kremer discussed these processes in more detail and the joy when he discussed the garment workers who go on tour with Patagonia was infectious. If you want to learn more about how it all works, I would highly recommend listening to that episode! Granted, Patagonia are based in USA and as far as I’m aware you can only take part in their repair scheme or tours if you’re also in the USA (or it will at least be much more difficult to take part if you live anywhere else), but their business model is something I would love to see replicated by brands across the globe. 

 

While the focus in a circular economy should be on reusing and repairing, we will always need new clothes. Let’s be frank here, there are some items that we just shouldn’t buy secondhand. Name me one person who would happily wear secondhand underwear (also read as: socks and tights, and personally I wouldn’t want secondhand swimwear although I have seen some in charity shops.) It’s a no from me. So yes, garment workers will still have new things to make in addition to work on repairs and reusing old items.

 

While moving away from the fast fashion model, all aspects of the supply chain have to be considered and all aspects of the supply chain will benefit. Garment workers will be paid at least a living wage if not more (brands can certainly afford it, they have no excuse) and will be able to spend more time on one garment without the pressure to reach extremely high quotas every single day. This will not only be better for their physical health but also their mental health, as they will be able to eat properly, have time to sleep the hours and socialise with friends and family, and will be less likely to suffer abuse at the hands of supervisors who are in turn pressured by brands. A move away from harmful chemicals (like many dyes) and trend-based processes such as sandblasting (the literal blasting of sand particles onto denim to give jeans a ‘worn’ and bleached look) will be better for the health of garment workers, the environment, and consumers alike. Slow fashion is by no means passive, it is a holistic vision of a better fashion future, actively pushing for the increased welfare, wages and job security of garment workers, of better treatment of the planet, and of better relationship between us and the clothes we wear. It is not simply ‘not buying clothes’, it is pushing back against the capitalist system and demanding change.

 

As was noted in a recent Remake Community Call discussing the #NoNewClothes campaign, not buying clothes, or at least heavily reducing our consumption of them, is a way to free up our time (and our wallets) so that we as consumers and citizens can focus more on creating change by lobbying the brands who hold power within the supply chain. I know at least for me, slowing down my consumption has lifted some of the pressure I felt to keep up with trends and ‘fit in’, as well as a created a closer link with my own personal style and identity, and appreciation of the work of the people who made the clothes I love.

 

Degrowth in fashion is a good thing for everyone on all ends of the supply chain and brands need to be held to account and forced to slow down. And the supposed justification for fast fashion that it ‘provides jobs’ will never be valid so long as the jobs in question are highly exploitative and often amount to little more than slave labour. 



If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by buying me a virtual cuppa! 


If you liked this post you might like: 50 Questions to Ask Your Favourite Fashion Brands

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Sustainable OOTD // Old Fast Fashion in Summer

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Friday, 18 June 2021

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It's the summer we've all been waiting for (and not just because the new series of Love Island is about to start). With restrictions easing (at least in the UK) and in-person social events actually able to happen, old habits and anxieties creep in. We've hardly been seen by our friends, family, and just random strangers for the past few year, so obviously we're doing to want to look nice now that we're out and about again. I don't know about you, but I've seen so much talk of what everyone's going to here on their first night out after lockdown, and, unsurprisingly, many fast fashion brands jumping on this moment to market us our new post-lockdown look. All of those new outfits being marketed to us are completely unnecessary. Looking good and, more importantly, feeling good about ourselves does not require us to buy new things. Especially when those new outfits are produced in a system that damages the women who are at its core in addition to the environment. 

Instead of buying from brands who are encouraging you to buy new for the sake of newness, have a root around in your wardrobe and see what old garments you have that you absolutely love. Try making new outfits with what you already have and find joy in doing so! These items are ones I've had for ages, and I've worn this outfit a lot in the recent heatwave. Whenever the sun comes out, I love cracking out some old favourites and reminding myself why I love them. Here's to old clothes and saying no to the pressure of new!



Top - old fast fashion (H&M), had for at least 4 years but probably over 5
Skirt - old fast fashion (H&M), had for a long time, probably similar time to the top I'm wearing
Tote bag - merch of my uni's Feminist Society, had for about 6 months (made voluntarily with sustainable materials)
Necklace - from Women in Hebron, a Palestinian women's collective, bought about 18 months ago
Earrings - had for so long I can't remember, wear them all the time
Sunglasses - not so old, got from M&S about a month ago
Sandals - vegan Blowfish, bought in Schuh 2-3 years ago, can't remember exactly. If anyone has any tips on sustainable and ethical shoes please let me know, I don't buy them very often but it's an area I don't know much about.





If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by buying me a virtual cuppa! 


If you liked this post you might like: Sustainable OOTD // May the Fourth Be With You




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May 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up

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Monday, 31 May 2021

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It feels like I’ve spent most of May in the library. 



Favourite part?

 

Definitely being able to see friends again! It’s been great to see small groups in person again. I’ve spent time with some lovely people this month, several of whom I’d not met in person before and many whom I’d not seen in ages. From walks, going to bars or lunch (both of which feel like a wild concept after everything’s been closed for so long), market trips or barbecues in the rain, it’s all been amazing actually socialising.



 

My flatmate and I went charity shopping! The last time I went to a charity shop was on my birthday nearly 8 months ago, and it was great to have a proper browse without a goal to get anything. I found some gems in one shop that I can’t wait to wear and create new outfits with. I’ve not had new clothes since the last time I went to a charity shop so this was very exciting for me! 


 

I also finished Couch to 5k! This is something I’m actually really proud of as for most of lockdown I was really inactive and became very unfit. I’m hoping to keep running regularly even know things are opening up more. I’ve still got to force myself to make sure I’m moving my body and staying active. 

 

And, as of either tonight or tomorrow morning (if everything goes to plan) I’ve finished by degree! Completing half of my undergrad in a pandemic has not been ideal, but I feel like I’ve made the most of it where I can.

 

Best read?

 

After finishing reading for my degree, I realized that I desperately need to be reading some kind of fiction at all times. So I picked up The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. I’ve had a copy of it for a couple of years and thought I’d better hurry up and read it before the TV adaptation aired! Apart from the use of a racial slur coming relatively far through the book and which I was very glad they didn’t include in the series, I overall really enjoyed it and the characters.

 

Once I finished that, I started reading Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. I read wrote about one of Braddon’s other works for a course I was doing and loved it so have been looking to find more of her books. So far this is an easy read but I haven’t got too far through it yet (let’s blame deadline season).

 

I’ve also been reading more of Stitched Up by Tansy Hoskins and Sex and the Citadel by Shereen El Feki, both of which I find fascinating. In preparation for an essay, I also re-read Maria by Mary Wollstonecraft. 


 

Favourite listen?


My dance party playlist has been back out in full force. 

 

I’ve also been getting back into the Kermode on Film podcast (particularly loved the recent episode with Jack Howard on time loop films and the interview with Billie Piper) and Doing It! With Hannah Witton. I’ve also been revisiting old episodes of the Yikes Podcast and can’t wait for their next series. 


Favourite watch?

 

This section is going to make it sound like all I do is watch TV but I swear I’ve actually done some uni work and socialising! 


I’ve continued watching Bones. It’s been my main watch this month and while it’s by no means particularly serious or award-worthy it’s an easy watch and I enjoy the characters. I’ve also watched a few films this month, including Rocketman, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty and my old favourites, Anastasia and When Harry Met Sally. 

 

I have been loving several BBC series this month too! Having read The Pursuit of Love  earlier on in the month I was intrigued to see what the adaptation did with it and I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better adaptation. It was fun, loud, and colourful as the book and I loved how they gave a bit more focus to Fanny and her conflicts. 


Image credit

I also binge-watched Starstruck and Feel Good in one night each and I cannot express how much I loved them both. They both had me gripped and I loved the characters so much! I cannot wait for the second series of each! If you haven’t watched these yet, make sure you do!

 

My flatmates and I have been loving Glow Up. This series has gone really quickly and I’m looking forward to the last couple of episodes!


Image credit

 

What did I learn?

 

Lack of motivation after a dissertation hand-in (and with various other projects/taught aspects of uni also finish) is REAL. I’ve had to change my routine a lot to make sure I actually get stuff done otherwise I’ll just sit at home all day scrolling through Instagram.

 

What’s happening next month?


I love being able to say this, but nothing much! I’m doing an internship part-time for most of the month but apart from that I don’t have any plans. Hopefully, I’ll be reading, writing blog posts, seeing friends and lying in the sun. That’s the goal. 

 

What’s been on my mind?


What I’m doing this summer, trying to find a job, finishing this damn degree…

 

Favourite blogger/vlogger?


I’ve not been reading or watching anyone new, but maybe now that I’ve finished uni I’ll have chance to read more of other people’s blogs.


Favourite post?


As much as I alays love dressing up as Leia Organa, it has to be 50 Questions to Ask Your Favourite Fashion Brand. I’ve had such positive feedback on this post and its accompanying Instagram post and I’m so glad that it’s useful. It’s there to be a resource for anyone wanting to hold brands accountable and provide an easier way to be a part of change. Please check it out if you haven’t already!


 

Biggest inspiration?


It finally feeling like summer! Honestly for most of May it’s felt like February or March but it makes me so happy the last few days have actually been warm and sunny. It just brightens my mood so much and I have loved being able to practically live in my favourite bikini and not need extra layers.



Any other favourites?

 

I always feel like this is the food section, so I cannot disappoint! This month I’ve had a slight obsession with the glazed donuts from Gregg’s, they have genuinely kept me fueled when writing essays. I also had the best bagel from Dots and know that they’re going to be my summer staple treat lunch!

 

In non-food related news, I am also now obsessed with the Superdrug own brand ‘Naturally Radiant’ hot cloth cleanser. I borrowed some of my flatmate’s in an emergency when I couldn’t open my cleanser and it made my skin feel great (and was also really cheap) so I decided to get my own for everyday use and to keep using my usual Body Shop one for makeup removal. 




If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by buying me a virtual cuppa! 


If you liked this post you might like: April 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up

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50 Questions to Ask Your Favourite Fashion Brands

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Monday, 24 May 2021

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Navigating which brands are sustainable and ethical is a minefield. Especially with the amount of lies we’re told by brands regarding their practices and supply production. One of the ways you can find out more about brands’ actions, as well as hold them accountable, is to ask them questions directly. In the age of social media, we have direct access to contacting brands. Comment a question on one of their Instagram posts, Facebook posts or even LinkedIn if you’re wanting to get everywhere covered! You can also reply to tweets or just tweet them out of the blue – my favourite way to do this is to hijack marketing ploys like #PrettyPleasePLT! You can also email brands directly with more detailed questions that a tweet just won’t allowed you to do. You can find an email somewhere on their website or social media. They are less likely to reply via email as it’s not public, but it’s still worth a shot and gets the topic on their radar.


It is difficult to know what to ask sometimes. So, to help, here are some questions you can ask to brands to hold them to account and heavily imply that they should be doing better. You don’t have to use them all at once – that would be a ridiculously long exchange – but you can pick and choose and use them at different points, as well as asking questions that aren't included on this list. You could email a brand with one a day for 50 days if you really wanted to be a pain in their backsides! This is one way you can make a difference and fight for change without having to spend a single penny and which doesn't need to take too much time. 



People

 

1. Who made my clothes?

 

2. How much are your garment workers paid?

 

3. Where are your products made?

 

4. Please provide me with a list of the factories in your supply chain.

 

5. Are your garment workers able to form and join unions without threatening their job security? 

 

6. Are you in regular contact with your garment workers’ unions? 

 

7. What have you done to keep your workers’ safe in a pandemic?

 

8. How are you tackling sexual and gender-based violence in your supply chain?

 

9. If you posted a Black Square in summer 2020, what have you done since then to tackle white supremacy in your organisation and supply chain? 

 

10. What is your gender pay gap?

 

11. What are you doing to reduce and eradicate your gender pay gap?

 

12. How much profit have you made since the start of the pandemic?

 

13. Are you sharing your profits with your garment workers? 

 

14. Did you cancel orders at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic?

 

15. If you did cancel orders at the beginning of the pandemic, have you since paid up? If so, when, how much, and why didn’t you do so sooner?

 

16. How old are your workers?

 

17. What do you do to ensure health and safety standards in your supplying factories are maintained?

 

18. Do you treat pregnant workers (both in your supply chain and in your company headquarters) fairly? (i.e. paid maternity leave, no unfair dismissal, etc.).

 

19. Who makes your fabric?

 

20. Where is your fabric produced?

 

21. Are the farmers who harvest the materials in your clothes paid a living wage?

 

22. Are migrant workers making your products paid the same as citizen workers?

 

23. What is the gender-make-up of workers and managers in your supplying factories?

 

24. How much do you pay your retail staff?

 

25. Do you listen to garment workers and directly involve them in your policy-making?

 

26. What size range do you produce?

 

27. Why can’t you provide more options for plus-size people?

 

28. How much do you pay influencer collaborators (e.g. Molly-Mae Hague) in comparison to your garment workers? 

 

29. Has your CEO met with any of the garment workers making your company’s products?

 

30. Do you have suppliers still manufacturing in Myanmar despite the military coup?

 

31. If you are still manufacturing in Myanmar, will you support the garment workers there by boycotting the country as they have demanded? Will you also publically denounce the regime there?

 

32. Do your clothes contain cotton made in the Uighur region in China? 

 

33. If you do source from the Uighur region (as practically every fashion brand is implicated), what are you doing to oppose the ongoing genocide and support Uighurs in their resistance? 


Art by Kissi Ussuki for Fashion Revolution

 

Sustainability 

 

34. Do you used organic/recycled materials?

 

35. If you use recycled materials, where are these sourced from and what percentage of the garment is made using recycled materials?

 

36. What percentage of your overall produce/stock is sustainably sourced and produced? (e.g. what percentage of overall stock does H&M Conscious account for?)

 

37. What happens to clothes when I return them?

 

38. How many garments do you produce every year?

 

39. What exactly are you doing to reduce your contribution to the climate crisis?

 

40. What are you doing to prevent and monitor pollution as a result of your production?

 

41. What are you doing to reduce the amount of plastic both in your products and in your packaging? 

 

42. What are you doing to help create a circular economy?

 

43. Will one of your garments last me for life? 

 

44. Can I bring a garment back in to you to be repaired? Patagonia and other companies have a repair system, why don’t you?

 

45. What do you do with your factory waste and offcuts?

 

46. What happens to the clothes in your recycling schemes? (e.g. the ‘recycle’ boxes present in shops like H&M)

 

47. Is this product stolen from another, smaller, company? If yes, why didn’t you pay or at least give credit to that small business? 

 

48. Are you planning on reducing the number of products you release soon? 

 

49. Do you know the amount of resources (such as water, earth, electricity, etc.) your products use? 

 

50. Are you looking into less resource-intensive materials and methods of production? 



If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by buying me a virtual cuppa! 


If you liked this post you might like: How to Check a Fashion Brand's Ethics and Sustainability

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