Fast fashion: what a shame

When I first started to explore Ecopsychology, I read Andy Fisher's chapter on capitalism, and the sense of shame it sometimes creates within people.  The upshot of the argument was really about our belief in the need to purchase more, in a  quest for deeper happiness.  Since then, I've learned about how we shop because we aspire to be different in some way.  And sometimes we shop out of a search for identity.

Naomi Klein's book, No Logo, showed how capitalism had gone onto the streets, sports fields or even coffee bars in a quest to convince us that a product could make us cooler, fitter, more intellectual, or quite simply more creative than we actually are.  Branding sought to convince us that it's the product which does the true work, and we are given that extra sense of capability by the products we purchase.

No Logo also looked at the costs of those products.  The factories, sweat shops and exploitation which came from cheap manufacturing.  I've also read about the wars, oil spills, deforestation and toxins dispersed into both the air and the water through dyes, toxic fumes and poisons which go into creating them.  The sprays, insecticides, fibre residues, and the overall impacts of transporting products makes costs to the environment huge.

Reading No Logo lead to Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline.  This book speaks of those ways that trendiness and, sometimes, lack of quality, leads to a perception that clothing is disposable, and that by buying regularly and changing our clothing frequently (very often donating the items we reject from season to season) we are merely expressing ourselves, with no harm done.  Cline focuses on fast fashion outlets such as H&M, and on our unwillingness to spend money on clothing which will last.  Although H&M are now offering the opportunity to recycle old clothing, this is still with the intention of making new purchases, and from a fast fashion shop.  By continually following trends, rather than developing a sense of personal (and consistent) style, customers are constantly making purchases based on the whim of buyers, merchandisers and (multi) seasonal trends.

I was astounded by how deeply we've bought into the belief that fashion should constantly shift and change when I read an article on the closure of a clothing group in Cape Town.  I used to buy from a shop which formed part of this group.   I also like many South African designers  and I'm hoping they are able to keep working.  

Last year, the shop closed down, and I wondered why.  Then a business day article explained that the shop hadn't managed to keep turnover up.  New fast fashion outlets, and some of our local shops, with  a faster style turnover had made the shop 'irrelevant' said an independent consultant.  The shops had battled to purchase new stock.  This consultant also said that the styles were 'outdated'.  Nobody is really interested in the 'white linen dress' or striped top when trends change so rapidly, he shared.

I was sad to read this.  I'm not very aware of trends.   But I've always been of the opinion that women who have their own flair stand out most.  That doesn't mean adhering firmly to a certain look, shop or merchandiser.  It's just that the person behind the clothes, and the combinations s/he makes are more interesting to me than the trends of the moment.  I'm not particularly great at styling, but I do appreciate this ability in others.   And I was astounded by the belief that good quality 'classic' style is irrelevant to modern day customers.

I'm also astounded at how the so - called 'look of the moment' and the ability to fit in with this is held up as some sort of achievement.  I remember being on holiday one rainy weekend, and sitting inside with my daughter and watching one of those makeover shows.  I really do believe that stylists who help people find a good fit, or get proportions right can make a big difference.  But in the show I was watching, the make-over gurus were pretty much about obliterating the personal (70s bohemian) style of the client.  Instead of helping the woman to add new touches or update what she'd done for so long, the stylist humiliated this woman by declaring she'd never get promoted or achieve anything by presenting herself in the way she did.  She then dressed the woman in some generic and trendy clothing, and declared her cured of whatever style ills she'd wandered onto the program with.  I personally thought the client looked better before she'd met the style consultant.  She certainly didn't look like she was about to burst into tears.  

I wonder why we think it's okay to humiliate people for being either 'out of date' or 'too trendy' and why we allow a couple of global brands, merchandisers or buyers to tell us how to express ourselves. If we are to work towards re-forming our awareness of environmental rights, perhaps it begins with re-forming or at least questioning why we allow ourselves to be dictated to by so-called experts.  What is so wrong with our own ideas on life, the environment, or fashion?  Why should we feel ashamed if we stand out, show a sense of individuality or refuse to buy into a culture which exploits both the environment and our humanity in a quest to make a new sale?

Winter thoughts

I've spent the last little while re-reading The Darma Bums by Jack Kerouac, and then realised, much to my fascination, that Japhy Ryder, the inspiration for going, not on the road, but into the mountain, was based on Gary Snyder, whose work I love to read, and who has shared an understanding of oral culture, the importance of the commons, and what it means to be a person living in a more than human world.  I loved Gary Snyder's exploration of deep ecology as more than the wonders or beauties of the natural world, but also the horrors, the maggots, the underground life of forests, and what it means to hold a saw as a ten year old.  He also speaks of getting to know all of our neighbours in this world, including the plants and animals we share our lives with.

Linking back current ideas and inspirations to teenage inspirations and dreams feels quite wonderful, as though it is possible to thread new ideas into old, and see where some of the seeds were perhaps planted.  It's also been a good time for reflections.  Winter in Cape Town is cold and wet, and often the time I like to think through old work or ideas rather than try to work towards new ones.  I tend to find I like to think or dream during winter, and as we head towards spring, I start to wake up, and find the idea of new thoughts (and new writing) more appealing.

We live close to table mountain in Cape Town, and the beautiful mists are a part of life.  We also get to see what is called the 'table cloth' or the clouds coming in over the mountain.  In winter, the shadow from the mountain means that the sun goes down early and the feeling of being in shadow can be quite solid.  Being away from the mountain can sometimes feel quite liberating towards the end of winter.  The shadow can feel quite heavy.  At the same time, I tend to find that working within this space of deep shadow can be interesting, a space of deep thought rather than a quick jump from one idea to another.  Winter's also the time for fires, a time when I catch the scent of woodsmoke when I walk to pick up my daughter from school, and a time when long walks are a welcome relief from being shut inside.

I'm starting to look forward to spring, even just for the opportunity to start wearing short sleeves again, and to get to feel the air on my skin.  The winter fires have been wonderful, but the chance to sit outside in the morning sunlight, to properly awaken from winter shadows, and to start to explore new aspects of my work feels exciting.  I think I am starting to wake up again.

Re-membering the world around us

In 2014, I was lucky enough to attend a heritage day assembly at Rondebosch East Primary School in Cape Town.  I originally went to this school because the Agents of Change Project was donating a tree.  While I was there, the principal gave a speech where he spoke about the need to re-member the past alongside the need to look after the world we live in, in order to create a better world for those who come after us.

This connection between past, present and future, alongside the recognition of our heritage, shared humanity and the world around us, was very motivating for me.  It helped me to see the importance of working towards social and environmental justice for the children present in that assembly, so that their voices and their humanity would one day be given free expression, within a world which would safe, and offer them dignity and compassion.

Since then, REPS has given their learners the opportunity to explore their own agency, as Agents of Change interested in working towards a more sustainable world.  Some of the insights the children have shared have been very insightful.

As one child explained:

It's not just the professionals that make a difference.  Your voice does too.  If you going to change, change for the better...your voice counts. #World Peace.  ( Aleker)

The opportunity to listen to, and share with, these children has been a privilege, and it has taught me the power of opening up to all voices, no matter how young.

Listening to children always brings home the importance of freedom, dignity and respect.  Exploring the wonder of the world alongside them, the landscapes of conversation, meaning and emerging awareness, helps me to see how valuable each child is, the uniqueness within each one, and the inhumanity which emerged when human beings were placed on a hierarchy.

Radical Ecopsychology

Andy Fisher explores the need for a contextual Ecopsychology, focusing on the need to link self, society and environment, in the form of a triangle, with each aspect interconnecting with the other.

In his book, Radical Ecopsychology, Andy Fisher focuses on the pains of capitalism, which has left us disconnected from the natural environment, yet noticing that we are lacking the nourishment that deep connectedness to nature brings.  Capitalism leaves us hunting for what we lack in the form of products which will never satisfy us.  He asks that we return to the knowledge which shapes the nature cultures, searching for new ways of being with the world which go beyond western hierarchies, and the very individualist culture of western society.