The New Politics of Fashion

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So how can one be environmentally and socially aware while also respecting the important roles clothes play in expressing our identity? Schor suggests that we 'emphasize quality over quantity, longevity over novelty, and versatility over specialization.' In this scenario, my lace tube top is okay if I make it a long-term staple of my wardrobe. This means, too, that spending more for an item sometimes is worth the longevity offered by higher-quality fabric and design.

Schor also suggests that we steer clear of fashion trends that 'continue to objectify women -- and increasingly men -- through demeaning, violent, and gratuitously sexualized images and practices.' One rewarding way to do this is by shopping in locally owned stores and hunting out independent designers. This not only discourages another mainstream fashion style like 'heroin chic,' but also can make us part of the creative rise of innovative, local start-up designers. Since many young people aspire to design clothing as a career, we support their entrepreneurial dreams. We become champions of unique styles, and not just consumers of an endless array of identical products.

So my lace tube top and I are going to renew our vows-we are in this for the long haul. To keep our partnership exciting, I will alter my shirt to suit new twists and turns of my taste. After all, flexibility and commitment are the keys to long-term relationships. We can turn our heads at pretty new things, but we can’t just dump what we have committed to keep.
—Laine Bergeson

Juliet Schor's essay “Cleaning the Closet: Toward A New Fashion Ethic”  is from the book Sustainable Planet: Solutions for the 21st Century (Beacon), a collection of practical essays about how we can lead more meaningful lives and at the same time restore a sense of balance to society and the planet. It was edited by Schor and Betsy Taylor in conjunction with the Center for a New American Dream, a think tank that pursues a wide range of projects with the idea that living a good life does not depend upon environmental destruction, wanton materialism, and over-commercialization of our culture. www.newdream.org

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