Thursday, April 27, 2017

Me Made May 2017

What a great time in the sewing world! Fashion Revolution Week is leading us right up to Me Made May. If you haven't spent a small portion of this week thinking about garment manufacturing, I encourage you to do so now!


Many years ago, shortly after I started sewing, I read the book Overdressed (reviewed on my blog here) which is about fast fashion and the real cost of cheap clothes. Some time after that, I read Women in Clothes (review here), which contains short stories, poems, and essays from women about their clothing. There was one essay that stuck with me. It was the story of the Rana Plaza collapse, as told from one of the survivors.


She was trapped in the building for days on end, watching coworkers die around her, hearing the sounds and screams of injured people, and all for what? So Americans could have a closet full of cheap clothes that they don't even wear? Her words were haunting, and if the amount of participants in Fashion Revolution is any indication, many others have been impacted as well.

I'm not innocent when it comes to avoiding fast fashion, but stories like these continually push me to do what I can. My biggest stumbling block is buying RTW for my kids. I have three of them, and it's way too easy to fill up a cart at Old Navy and have a bunch of things arrive on my doorstep. This spring/summer, I'm committing to buying second-hand as much as possible, and to selling or donating what doesn't work for us.

I also pledge to research RTW companies when I do happen to purchase new clothing. A simple Google search gave me a great link with 35 ethical fashion brands. It's extremely rare that I purchase a new item of clothing for myself, but socks, bras, and underwear are my typical buys. There are plenty of companies making these things responsibly, if only I'm willing to look.

Finally, I reduce my own footprint by sewing my own clothes (obviously). I am SO EXCITED about this year's Me Made May...can you long-time readers guess why?

I'M NOT PREGNANT!

May 2016

May 2015

Two years running, I've been preggo for MMM, even delivering a baby one of those years! I am thrilled to be putting my regular clothes to work this May instead of a half-assed wardrobe of maternity wear. To make my challenge a bit more difficult this year, I'm not going to count undies or bras as my single me-made item. So without further ado...

 'I, Beth Byrge of 110 Creations, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '17. I endeavour to wear one handmade item, excluding undergarments, and without repeats, each day for the duration of May 2017.'

Wish me luck and follow along for daily outfits on Instagram! You can read more about Fashion Revolution here, or Me Made May here.

2 comments:

  1. I have two children born in May and both tell me I should use their birth dates as a Me-Made-May offering!

    Thanks for the link to the fair and ethical garment companies. I will check that out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have one birthday child in May, but I almost never make outfits just for birthdays! Then they only get worn once, and that's no fun!

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