BLOOD RED SHOES GUIDE TO ETHICAL CLOTHING
In the music scene, and especially in the punk scene that we started out in, there tends to be an emphasis on personal politics. A lot of musicians tend to be vegetarian or vegan for example, and of course the dreaded term “selling out” is thrown around at anyone who makes any money out of their art.
So generally speaking, people in bands are often subject to a slightly elevated set of ethics compared to people in say, an office job. So one thing that bugs me is the predominance of sweatshop-made clothing in the music scene, which is partly enforced by the constant brand associations made by companies like Topshop or Converse, whom are class-A users and abusers of sweatshop labour forces.
let's use our pound as a vote...
Now I’m not gonna write this like I’m a saint - we all buy cheap clothes and cheap food for obvious reasons. But what I’ve been finding is that it’s getting easier and easier to buy these things from a supply chain that at least pays a decent living wage and offers some humane treatment and benefits in its garment factories.
And a lot of it costs the same as buying from those high street brands too, it’s just they don’t rip us off as much. So if all these oh-so-different, vegetarian, guardian-reading, recycling, “stick it to the man” music kids like me and you want to really think that we’re somehow more ethical than the rest of the gang, a good fucking start would be to use our pound as our vote and support some companies who are at least BETTER than the other brands.
To be realistic, you ain’t gonna rectify the world’s ills by doing this, but you’re gonna be helping a lot more than if you get all yr shoes from Nike-owned Converse. Here’s some places you might find useful:
www.americanapparel.net
Yeah everyone knows it already - but it’s worth saying still.
www.nosweat.org
This is a US-site, but the shipping isn’t too pricey.
www.earthandwear.com
They have identical converse copy shoes, but non-sweatshop made.
www.knowmore.org
Read up on what brands are the main sweatshop labour offenders.
www.fairtrade.org.uk
So you can see what other consumer goods you can get more ethical with.
* * * * *
One of the most visually stunning festivals in the UK is Scotland’s Wickerman Festival. Not to be confused as a copy of Burning Man, Wickerman was inspired by the classic 1973 cult movie with...
Following on from our time spent with the magnificent Pulled Apart By Horses on their album release tour, we’ve got a full photo gallery of delights from Stephen McLeod to give you an insight...
One of our favourite bands at Artrocker.com has always been The Black Keys. Currently promoting their new album Brothers, we’ve got these exclusive pics from last night’s show at London...
Leah Mason. Photo: © Geoff Kirby
Latest pictures from Dot To Dot 2010 Festival in Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester. The Dot To Dot Festival covers cutting edge indie, rock, dance and pop...
Patti Smith with Patrick Wolf and Seb Rochford played in London at Union Chapel.
mmm
earthandwear have converse copy shoes... but only in really limited sizes.. only 5 and 6 for the stuff not in clearance; the latter being sizes 2,3 or 4 at present - not much use to the more err, 'well-endowed' amongst us.
Love it
Fantastic to read, Blood red shoes are now my new Brighton hero's!
A Carnivore's Humble Opinion
I am all up for not just responsible consuming, but what about hand-me-downs? Screw the high street brands they pay sweet F.A. for clothing that is negligably better quality than immitation brands (that apparently fund terrorism) and flog it to the masses for a 900% mark up (probably more). You can find it all in a Marie-Curie/Oxfam shop 6 months later anyways (tho in islington they'll probably charge you half-price so i recomend dalston or hackney). 2nd-hand chic!!!!
As for world-wide vegetarianism, sorry not gonna happen.
How about realistic alternatives like ending the McTryanny of the rainforest. Get rid of soya-intensive mcshite and Big-Cahoona-Burgers and get everyone onto organic locally-reared (at least from the continent) produce. In this country WE CAN ALL AFFORD IT!!!! I'm afraid this includes staying away from mutant chicken shops too! Most people eat an unhealthy amount of poor quality meat anyway, that's why so many stupid people idolise the morons in the tabloids.
- that's one theory anyway :)
ethical stylist
I think it's fab that a great local band like Blood Red Shoes are making a stand - we need more role models to show people how easy it is to make a statement with what we wear.
I work as an ethical stylist in Brighton - www.ethicalstylist.co.uk - and try to promote exactly what you're saying - let me know if you want to work together on a mini Brighton ethical fashion campaign!
Lou
Spending Power and the climate/grain
Thats great - the power of spending is probably the only way left to express our opinions. On that note would the writer join in advising that avoiding the consumption of meat so far as possible would be one of the best ways to help combat not just the current grain shortage, but also climate change: the rearing of meat is one of the heaviest industry's in existence creating huge carbon emissions, and requiring so much grain as to make the rearing of cattle completely inefficient. A well educated public could turn these problems around through their spending choices alone in a matter of years, not decades even.
Post new comment