kellyahern said:
They're trying to create a fairer industry for the workers in those countries and a new way of doing business. Plus they had to find a designer willing to work with them. It doesn't matter to me that I can't afford the clothes.
Lisa71 said:
It's also my understanding they are trying to use Organic materiels, which is very very costly!
The only reason 3/4 of the clothes at Walmart are so cheap is because they are paying people 20 cents to make them.
If the stated goal was simply to add some socially conscious, eco-friendly options to the luxury clothing market, I might agree with this. But when the stated goal is something as grand as 'creating a new business model,' it damn well better matter to
someone if kellyahern (and millions of other First Worlders like her) can't afford the clothes.
There are far more people who can
only afford Wal-Mart-priced clothing than there are people who can afford to outfit themselves at Saks. For example, in the US--which has the worst income inequalities of the wealthiest 18 countries--1 out of every 6 people (17%) now lives in poverty, and the average real wages of manufacturing and service workers (80% of us) have been declining since the 1970s.
Of course, America's poor are still WAY better off then Africa's. But the point is, the persistence--the growth!!--of poverty and inequality here
enables the continued exploitation of people and resources in the Third World that makes Wal-Mart's clothing so cheap. The particular breed of capitalism Wal-Mart thrives on REQUIRES that there always be someone, somewhere, who is so miserably poor and powerless that they have little choice but to accept the kind of working conditions and wages that enable 'cheap' clothing manufacturers to sell their goods at Wal-Mart's prices and still profit. (Not that most luxury clothing manufacturers don't play this game too--they do, and for higher profit margins to boot.)
It's nice if people for whom price is no object when it comes to clothing have an eco-friendly, socially conscious option to choose. But aiming for that tiny market does nothing to address the underlying economic dynamics that have made sweatshop-produced clothing a necessity for many in the First World.
P.S. If you go to any shopping search engine (Froogle, etc.), and try a few keywords like 'organic,' 'cotton,' 'clothing,' you'll find there are LOTS of companies selling eco-friendly clothing, many at far more affordable prices than Edun's. (Quite a few operate under fair-trade principles, too.) None of them are as cheap as Wal-Mart, and most lack the couture flair (and celebrity connections!) to get them featured in
Vogue anytime soon; but if you can afford mid-range clothing prices and want to support this kind of 'business model,' this might well be a more realistic option.
That's the 6th floor mens dept!! Someone clued us in and told us he was in the gentlemens lounge up there! We were the only 2 up there with her daughter and some girl who was waiting for her friend who was a reporter inside!!
We made friends with the security who told us we can wait and see if he comes out!
those pictures!
