Mary Van Notes

I wore blue yesterday, but I wasn’t feeling blue.  I had a fun day hanging out with friends downtown and drinking blue bottle coffee. I’ve been wearing my vintage letterman sweater a lot lately.  It fits perfect and keeps me cozy warm in the San Francisco wind.

50s letterman sweater: thrifted, had since high school
deer printed shorts: H&M
flower tights: Urban Outfitters
silver oxfords: F21
80s blue bow blouse: Wasteland (remixed here and here)
vintage Etienne Aigner purse: ebay

(photo by Joshua Cobos, taken with a disposable camera)

I feel a little bad for buying some new things at H&M recently.  For one because I’m broke and can’t afford it, but mainly because of global labor rights politics.  I became more aware of the issue after watching the following video.   Please, please watch this.

After watching that video, it made me not want to buy any new clothing that was made outside the USA.  Unfortunately I’m poor and needed underwear.   I hate that that is my excuse, as I think a lot of people just pull the defeatist card when it comes to issues like this.  They think, “Well, it’s going to happen regardless.”  If I know injustice is happening I can’t just say oh well.   I don’t shop at Target anymore because of the money the company spent on the Yes on 8 campaign.  I think you can make a difference by where you choose to give your dollar.  So I’m hoping to be better at that.  At least for the most part, I feel good that I buy vintage and American-made clothes.

One of my friends said, “Where do you draw the line? Appliances, packaging… it’s all made out of the country.”   And yeah, that’s true.  But again, if I know I can do one thing to help the problem, I’ll do that.  I will try my darnedest.  Because I know for the rest of my life I’ll remember the image of that charred hand reaching through a gated window in that sweatshop in Bangladesh.  I will never forget it, and I’ll think of it every time I read the label of an item made in Bangladesh, Madagascar, the Philippines….

Does this issue affect you?  Do you take action?  Are there stores you stay away from?  I’d love to hear what you all think of this.