EE C1 NowComment Fashion 2
Writing C1
COMMENT ON A MAGAZINE ARTICLE
TASK
Using the online app NowComment, write a short comment on the extracts from the Forbes magazine article entitled “A Solution to Scaling Socially Conscious Fashion,” by Shilpa Shah.
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Read the full article.
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Select one or two paragraphs to write your remarks.
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In 60-80 words, express your opinion about the ideas contained in the selected text.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2014/06/03/a-solution-to-scaling-farm-to-table-fashion/
“A Solution to Scaling Socially Conscious Fashion”
By Shilpa Shah
June 3rd, 2014
Over the last 20 years, Americans have become obsessed with cheap fashion: coveting brand name and low prices over quality and craftsmanship. Consequently, the clothing industry has become yet another victim of our disposable society in which this season’s trendy must-haves become next season’s cast-offs.
Instead of buying classic, well-made wardrobe staples, too many of us have fallen victim to the latest trend forecast that prompts us to run out and buy the latest “it” style.
Furthermore, when each fad passes, many of us think we’re doing a good deed and helping our neighbors in need by donating unwanted clothing to local charities. But the truth is that a surprising amount of this clothing actually ends up as landfill waste or is sold overseas – hardly the image of philanthropy we have in mind when donating.
As the cofounder of a fashion e-commerce startup, I believe in fewer, better things; this issue of mindless consumption resonates deeply with me. My hope is to bring to light the current all-too-pervasive disposable fashion mindset and give you pointers on how to become more conscious, more intentional about shopping — and living.
The Move Towards Fewer, Better Things
Even as some of the major labels and manufacturers continue to move production to China, Bangladesh and other countries in search of cheap labor and low-cost materials, a new consumer movement is afoot.
The recent trend against trendy has thrown the fashion industry for a loop.
Fashion-conscious consumers have become socially, environmentally and quality conscious. Shoppers have a renewed desire for products that are created from the best-quality raw materials, designed with a timeless aesthetic, and made to last by skilled craftsmen who have perfected their trade over decades of experience.
More and more consumers want meaningful products — pieces with stories behind their creation, pieces that will last a lifetime, pieces that serve, in a way, as conversation pieces. This new conscious consumerism and “slow fashion” trend has become an anti-trend of sorts, fueling a growing desire for fewer, better things and an increased transparency in the supply chain. It’s taken effect much in the same way that the farm to table movement changed the way we think about where our food comes from.
Let us be clear that “fewer, better things” is not a message of minimalism. If you love expensive designer jeans, then go ahead and buy 20 pairs — if you love them and will wear them, you have nothing to feel guilty about. The philosophy being: find your style, invest in what you really love and fill your closet with fewer, better things that are meaningful — instead of just filling your closet, period.
The Challenge of “Farm to Table” Fashion
Unlike farm to table — where buying produce and other food products from local sources is feasible because farms exist within a reasonable transportation radius — clothing is another matter.
There simply are not that many cotton farmers, fabric weavers, textile artisans and clothing designers closeby, not to mention the lack of specialty materials and garment producers. While a local farmer can conceivably grow the finest quality tomatoes and broccoli, the best alpaca in quantity can only be found in Peru, and Scotland is the global epicenter of the cashmere heritage.
The problem of meaningful fashion is scale. Sourcing the materials, producing high-quality clothing and accessories and delivering them to market through traditional means is incredibly cost-prohibitive for the consumer. Transportation, wholesale distribution deals and retail markup can send the price of sought-after items soaring far beyond the reach of all but the most affluent consumers. Fortunately, technology is changing that.
3 Simple Steps to Buy Your Clothing Intentionally
Because of sophisticated technology platforms, you now have options that never existed before to live meaningfully and shop consciously. Before the Internet, you had to rely on what was available locally; there were limited options and a lack of information as to how products were made.
Now, you have access to many brands that sell direct-to-consumer with responsibly sourced, high-quality items at price points that are actually attainable. In the last decade, we’ve truly seen the rise of conscious consumerism, a movement we hope you enthusiastically support.
Take advantage of these new options available in the marketplace. Change the way you consume by going through a few simple steps, before you buy something:
Evaluate where the product is sourced from and the environmental effects of its production. There are so many methods to produce ethically and sustainably that it’s possible to entirely avoid buying from companies who have a complete disregard for these tenets. Some questions to ask: Is the material made in the country the product is made? If not, how far did the textiles have to travel from the source to the construction, and finally to the retail outlet?
Think about the cost-to-value ratio. Do the math. If the item costs X to you at retail, back into the amount it actually cost to make the product, and see where the discrepancies lie. Transparency from the brand to the consumer is key. Product markups can be anywhere from 4 to 20 (or greater) times from the cost of the finished good. It’s safe to assume that the materials used in the piece are half the cost. If you accept the lowest end of this range, do you still feel comfortable purchasing it?
Ask yourself if you actually love the product. Will you wear this item? How often? How many contexts of use does it support? Will the quality of the piece allow repeated use?
If you simply change your consumer behavior to shop intentionally and buy things you actually wear and use, you will have less waste and thereby inherently make the biggest difference.
The fashion industry is at a turning point in consumer behavior. Rather than continuing to fill our closets with cheap, mass-produced trendy pieces that, years from now, we’ll wonder what we were thinking when we bought that, help shift the focus to timeless, premium pieces with stories that resonate. Feel good about what you buy and wear. Pledge to live a life filled with fewer, better things.
What other tips do you have to shop more consciously for quality clothing?
Shilpa Shah is the cofounder and CXO of Cuyana. Shas began her career in Interaction Design, and has over 15 years of experience designing web and mobile interfaces for top companies including Disney, AT&T and Sun Microsystems. In 2012, she graduated with her MBA from U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business.
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In my opinion, this paragraph could be a good slogan for conscious fashion goals. First, think about your options, what do you like or prefer. Then, instead of collecting clothes, try to look for something special: handmade, made by an artisan or manufactured with techniques that are respectful with the environment. If you follow these instructions, probably you’ll be investing in a long term-item with an extra value.
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I agree, Paula. Unfortunately, quality usually means higher prices, and not everyone can afford to spend more money on food, let alone on clothes.
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I agree with this statement. This is a pattern which also stretches to other fields and countries. In my opinion there are two factors which explain it. Firstly: our society tends to assess people for the things we have. Therefore brands and fashion are really important in order to fix your position in the world.Secondly: We live in the consumer society that means the more we buy the happier we are. Both effects (being someone in the society and being happy) lead us to buy things regardless if we need them or if it is enviromental-friendly.
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I think that it’s unfortunate, but true, that many of us equate possessing with belonging.
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I think that it doesn´t matter wether your old garments are fashionable or not. If you don´t use them, donating them to a NGO is a good idea. However, make sure that you choose a reliable NGO in order that your old garments do not finish being sold to a poor child in South Africa. Maybe, these “fake NGO´s “ earn dirty money from an altruistic act of solidarity.
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Yes, Iria, it is true that there are many people all over the world making “dirty” money from the clothes we donate. Do you remember the story from Al Jazeera? http://blogs.prensaescuela.es/theenglishpress/2015/01/13/second-hand-clothes-flood-senegal-markets/
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It’s true that people are changing the way of clothing from quantity to quality. We have realized that accumulating pieces of clothes is a stupid habit; we don’t need so many things and we don’t have enough space to keep them. However, it’s difficult to transform the extended tendency because quality products are too expensive for the vast majority of consumers. If these clothes were more affordable, people would add up to the philosophy of fewer, better things.
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I think you hit the mark with your comment, Rocío. If quality is not affordable, then people will continue to purchase (and accumulate) cheap garments. What I will never understand is why we think we need so many things that we have no time to wear (or wear out), and not enough room to store.
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I strongly believe what this paragraph says, and what is more, I think people are tired of consumerism in general. They are fed up with the fact of buying all the time and having things which break in a short period of time. This feelings, together with the crisis, have brought us to our antecedent’s way of thinking and we feel now that it’s time for us to get back to our roots in terms of purchasing.
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I agree with you when you say that the crisis has transformed our mindset, yet I wonder if the changed will be a lasting one. What do you think?
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Capitalism’s reaching to an end. That’s reflects on the way people’s starting to buy, to eat, in short, to live. Fast fashion’s one of the big issues of the current society, like’s said on the article, we’re creating a lot of trash and an irresponsible way of consumerism. Degrowth’s a movement which shows more respect to the nature and the creators, you should buy directly to the producers of your garments, likewise the farmers whom you can buy your food.
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If the consumer society is not allowed to disappear then, as you say, we should at least try to be responsible buyers, who purchase what they consume directly from the manufacturers and producers.
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Nowadays, people are really worried about the quality of the food products they eat. We have realized that if you have a balanced diet you will improve your quality of life suffering less illness. Consuming local products is a healthy trend that more and more people follow today.
However, as the text say, clothing is another matter. In my opinion, it is very difficult to change your mind to buy fewer and better. We are overloaded with the new must-haves every season, we see the new tendences in films, in publicity and even on the Internet in the blogs of the new it-girls. Moreover, we are involved in a economic crisis and we buy fewer but when we go shopping we dont think about where this product has been made, we only have in mind not to spend a lot of money.
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I agree, of course, that we do not need to own so many things or give in so easily to the latest fad. As regards fashion, I wonder if the solution is to buy less garments, but of a higher quality, even if they are more expensive. Wouldn’t this balance out the fashion-conscious consumer equation?
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This paragraph has a few examples of questions we should ask ourselves before buying a garment. Answering questions like these will make us think before buying compulsively. Thinking before buying helps us reflect about the need to buy an item. Many times we won’t buy it. But if we finally decide to buy it, it is more likely that it will be worth buying it.
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You are so right, Cristina. Thinking before we act, and in this case thinking before we buy, is the true and absolute necessity.
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I agree with the main idea of the text, which is buy basic piece of clothes which you can wear always, independently on what the trends are; and don’t fall in the temptation of buying things just because they are the last hit.
Unfortunately, every company wants to sell their product so they produce new products in short periods of time to tempt you buying the new products because they are the last trend. I think this is a merchandising strategy and it’s working because at the end, no matter how these products are made or the story behind that piece of clothing, you continue buying.
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You are absolutely right when you say this is a merchandising strategy, and I would add that we, the consumers, ensure that it’s a successful one.
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