#buyless

Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.

BUY LESS,

We talk about world overflowing with plastic and climate change but we don't really see it. We live in a bubble. You buy something, then you throw it out, then it's gone and you forget about it. We are surrounded by consumerism and buying is everyday thing. We are told we need all of this but do you really need another candle? or tenth pair of trousers? You don't but you also don't think about this. We live in world of consumption. We see commercials and pretty shopwindows but we don't see everything behind this: unethical production, chemistry and pollution involved, lots of shipping and transports, and then tons of garbage and multitude of dumpsters. Is having lots of stuff worth it? In the end these are only things. Try thinking in more minimalistic and sustainable way. Nowadays minimalism is trendy. In my opinion "less is more" is the most timeless and sophisticated way of living and I treat it as my motto. How to reduce waste? Buy less and own less. It seems easy but in real life it's not. As I said - we live in world of consumption. So now if you are interested in minimalism you can buy books on this topic, you can change interior arrangements and have minimalistic bedroom with new minimalistic bed, rug etc.. In our times you can find consumerism in every domain of our lives and even if you are interested in having and buying less someone will see in it pay dirt. It's hard to avoid all the traps and it seems to me that even people that are interested in reducing waste aren't fully aware of the trash they're producing and how many things they buy.

I want to share with you few ways to reduce waste, quit shopping or change it to more sustainable:

   > simply buying less - I love fashion and pretty stuff (all kinds) but since I'm more aware I try buying only the things I really need;   > avoid fast fashion - most of the brands that have really cheap clothes aren't ethical or sustainble, you can find ethical ones that are local;   > buy second hand - this way you give the thing you buy second life, you save it from going to garbage, there're many shops like this on theinternet and I'm sure you will finf at least few in your area;    > diy - you can make almost everything by yourself, internet is full of videos, recipes and tips how to make something at home;    > track your waste - most of people have no idea how many garbage are they producing, try tracking it either by writing down every single thing you throw away or taking photo of it and do this exercise for at least week, I'm sure this will be eyeopening and it can change the way you think;

I will write about all this methods later so stay tuned and I hope this post made you reflect a little on what you buy and whats happening with our trash when we throw them out.

Lean is In - Waste Reduction in Fashion Production and it’s Luxuries

Many times I've wondered about what path to take with my fashion business.  Whether I should go through the trouble of raising funds for the purpose of on an actual full blown production of my line has been a big issue for me lately.  In fashion, a full blown production requires a huge investment.  Manufacturing and meeting minimums is expensive and it involves acquiring an incredible amount of inventory of both materials and finished product.  That means you would also need to invest in renting some place to keep all that inventory safe and ready for use or for order fulfillment.  Additionally, you would have to figure out how you will manage to ship, and handle returns and replenishments.  For a little guy like me, it is an overwhelming undertaking and it is very expensive.  But, ultimately I have come to the conclusion that this production model, conventional as it may me, is just too wasteful for my peace of mind.  I’ll explain.

Traditionally, this is how the fashion production model goes.  In order to make money, you need to save money and in order to save more you have to buy more.  Huh?  Yes.  Getting fabric in bulk, for example, will get you the best price per yard.  So you buy in bulk.  But wait, what if that particular fabric or color doesn't do well on the sales floor?  Something to consider.

To get the best price for production you also have to produce in bulk.  The more items you produce, the cheaper the cost per item.  So you produce in bulk.  But what happens if that item doesn't sell through?  Something else to think about.  There have been seasons where the weather wasn't as expected, warm winters and cold summers, where sales didn't meet expectations.  You can have what you think is the perfect item and you can bank on it by ordering thousands of pieces to be produced.  You could have made your most educated ‘guesstimate’.  You study your customer base and their buying patterns, you design based on the latest trend forecasts, you foresee the future... but ultimately it's a guess.  So if this particular item doesn't sell as you projected, if people don’t take to the fabric or the color or the fit didn't quite sit right, you have the worst kind of inventory problem: the kind that nobody wants.  And, unfortunately, the kind that creates waste.  The bigger problem I want you to be aware of here is, you have to multiply this problem by millions of items-gone-wrong and by ALL of the companies trying to get it right all at the same time.

Research says that the "garbage" that is left behind by fashion, meaning left over fabric and materials, unsold products of clothing, not to mention the energy and resources that are consumed in the making of tons of yards of fabric and later tons and tons of clothes, is of a great burden to the earth.  Landfills are full and with no where to go but to somehow recycle it, I say we start by not producing so. much. waste.

Years ago, I worked as a designer for a mass-market fashion manufacturer in NY.  And I remember that in order to produce a collection of acceptable samples to present in our seasonal meetings we had to work on huge production of prototypes of both fabrics and actual garments.  These prototypes were often re-made with adjustments as we developed each collection and received feedback from our buyers.  There was fabric sample yardage that was made in various colorways, often re-woven, or refinished in the attempt to achieve the best product for our presentations.  In order to get an order, there were 50-60 prototypes created out of which one or two styles would get selected for a full production in a handful of color ways.  We were concious in the office that something just wasn’t right about this, but there was incredible pressure from our accounts for more.  They needed to see more options, more colorways, more fabric swatches, more finished samples and we needed to comply to stay competitive.  That’s just how the industry works, especially in mass market sector.  The amount of waste we produced was especially evident, when it was time to start on the next season.  There was a big purge in the office.  Those old protos and samples were disposed of.  We needed space for new ones.  So we packed them into large garbage bags and boxes and we would do our best to donate the ones that were wearable.  We donated a lot, but we threw a lot of it out and started the process all over again.  What is worst, is that all of this I have described, was just the process behind getting the initial order!  There was then, the actual production of thousands of pieces and what that entails.  So, you can imagine how all the many fast-fashion companies working this way, all of the product out there from mass production, and all of the consumption and then disposal of these garments can OVERWHELM the earth.

Back then, I was a simple employee doing my job.  Today, I am a business owner and I am responsible for my approach and the effect it may have on the future of the world.  I know now, that this process has a real and negative impact on the enviroment.  

I started my business in the hopes of being profitable of course.  And I have heard many times how it is not sustainable to maintain a made to order business for long or to make any real money.  Remember, you have to spend more to make more.  I have doubted my own self MANY times as I sit behind my sewing machine to start an order, as it takes me 2 or 3 hours to complete a garment with fabric I buy moderately at prices that could be better.  But I quickly come to my senses.  Deep down inside, I know I wouldn’t want to contribute to the waste of the world.  I want to contribute art, and beauty, things that I make with my hands from my heart, untainted by greed.  And that’s what motivates me.

Having my business set up this way has not only saved me a lot of money, it has allowed me room to learn from my clients, to customize for them, to perfect my patterns and fit and to control every aspect of every garment I ship including what gets thrown away.  And I value that.  Obviously, I will never be able to compete with Forever21 or H&M price points because I have to be fair to myself, but I am reasonable with my client as well.  Now, as a consumer I urge you to inquire how a shirt gets cut, sewn, labeled, tagged, and shipped from overseas, and can be $5 on the sales floor.  It’s unfathomable.  Would you make a shirt for $5?  Something doesn’t add up in that equation.  This is costing someone, somewhere and it is definitely taking its toll on the planet.

Fortunately, today’s consumer is becoming more aware and making smarter purchases.  If you buy smart you can buy less.  It is also important to have a better understanding of what it takes to create a garment in the first place so that there  is a higher regard for quality.  I know my clients have an appreciation for what I do and that's why they give me the opportunity to make their garments.  I only make what is ordered and even though that means I take a smaller percentage of profit than if I mass produced, I know it's more conscientious and that's important too.

I can only be a one-woman-show for so long so in the future, I plan to hire a team for in-house manufacturing as needed.  I plan to maintain the made-to-order aspect of it.  Only making what is needed.  Eventually, I think I’d venture into producing my own fabrics in-house too or at least sourcing materials domestically.  To become independent from overseas resources would be a wonderful advancement in our industry and our economy.  I hope other designers and makers like me embrace this concept.  Less is more.  Smaller, more thoughtful production runs would make a difference.  At the end of the day, you can offer your clientele a luxury they are not going to find in the world of mass produced apparel, the unique quality of a designer's touch and the transparency of who really makes their clothes and how.  

Think about it.

I would love to know what you think!

Let me know below in the comments and don’t forget to go check out my shop where all ítems are handmade by me: www.ladiwithababy.etsy.com