One of my 2011 goals was to not purchase new attire for the entire year. I joined the Great American Apparel Diet in part to get my shopping habits under control. I often used clothes shopping as a means of relieving stress. I would blow most of a day at boutiques and outlets and Target or procrastinate from grading papers or writing by browsing Anthropologie, Fluevog, J. Crew, and Etsy. Over the past four months I've come a long way in reshaping the way that approach shopping. I have made two purchases - one was a new pair of running shoes to replace old ones that had seen a few hundred miles and the other was a pair of long pants to wear to and from the half-marathon that I ran last month (I didn't anticipate or pack for the cold and wind). Over the past couple of weeks, I realized that two pairs of my running capris are starting to exhibit some serious wear and tear. Both pairs are probably two years old and have been washed an average of once a week. GAAD does allow its adherents to replace worn out items.
If I'm going to have to shop for something new, I would prefer to purchase my replacement capris from a retailer that does not use sweat shop labor. I know that major brands, such as Nike and Reebok, have made improvements in the past decade, but I don't think they have gone far enough. Do any of you know of any ethically produced brands of running clothes?
I'm not much of a runner, but I'll ask my husband if he knows of any brands.
ReplyDeleteI know that Gaiam (which mostly does yoga wear) has some strongly written social responsibility statements, but I can't tell you whether or not they are well regarded. They're not really clear about whether they use outside or internal auditors to do factory monitoring, either (nor is it clear what standard they use). So I am suspicious but hopeful.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gaiam.com/category/company-info/social-responsibility.do
I should note that this suspicious but hopeful category also applies to Nike and Reebok. I hope to do some research on this specific question soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat about alo? I don't know how ethical they are though... the tag does say Made in China...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, most ethically-produced, organic clothes that I've liked are really, really pricey!
ReplyDelete♥ Leia
Do let me know what your research turns up! Gaiam doesn't really make anything with the dry wicking fabric - totally necessary for me on long runs in the summer or I chafe like a mofo.
ReplyDeleteI just saw an ad for them in Yoga Journal! I will investigate further....
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I feel bad about a) buying brands like NIke and b) buying running shoes off the internet instead of from a local store. I wrote aabout this a while back... http://runningporttoport.blogspot.com/2011/02/la-envidia-es-muy-mala.html
ReplyDeleteBe interesting to hear people's suggestions!
Oh my gosh this is an incredible idea. Although I wish I could say that I had the restraint to do something like this. Good on you, and apologies that I cant help you with the running clothes!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying not to buy clothes this year too. I've done pretty well and even cleaned out my closet and donated clothes that I know I didn't need. I don't know of any good ethical brand, though, sorry!
ReplyDeleteThat's such a great idea!! Love it!
ReplyDelete