Week 8 - Imagining how ethical fashion could look: Local & Global

Local

Q: Local fashion - "In some ways it looks like the past" (p.170)
In what ways might this be so?

"...the enormous skill we have in our country towns gets ignored, because it's seen as little old ladies knitting..." (p. 172)

Q: 2% of clothing sold in Australia is currently being made locally, compared to 97.5% in 1961. What happened? 

Q: How does the disconnection of products from their origins effect the way consumers view these products - their value/cost and worth?

Q: Preserving craft tradition and cultural heritage is an important consideration when considering championing local fashion production. To what extent do you agree with this statement and why?

Q: Reducing transport emissions is also a major consideration with those advocating for local fashion. Discuss the importance of this consideration.

Q: "We produce our own fiber here...then send it all overseas to be processed" (p.177)
Processing in Australia may not be financially viable at this point in time, but cooperation and innovative thinking may lead to new solutions...
What are some examples of this happening in the chapter? Have you seen this happen at some level in your local environment?

Q: We need to consider cost and efficiency, pooling resources and sharing new technology. Discuss how we can do this.

Q: Why do we assume that competition is the only way forward economically speaking?

Q: What might locally made clothes FOR locals mean?

Global

"Legislation is the key" (p.188) What does this mean for global fashion?
"Asia is still the fashion workshop of the world" (p.188)
"The sector employs approximately 60 million workers" (p.188)

Q: What are the best and worst scenarios for these workers?

Q: How can brands reduce their negative impact on the environment, and improve the lives/wellbeing of workers in Asia, within the narrative of de-growth and localism?

Q: "Africa can't continue acting as a dumping ground" (p. 196).
Discuss the "Return to Sender" initiative and the issues our textile waste creates for the global south. (p.193-4).

Q: The global north needs to completely rethink the way it produces, consumes and disposes of clothing, and it needs to consider its colonial legacy which is still effecting its commercial processes... How can we do this?