I think there's a time issue as well. Loads of people say 'just go to a charity shop' then, and obviously buying second-hand clothes is good, but it takes a lot longer to find something you want, and you still can't get basic things like underwear.
Most people with limited incomes aren't going to be shopping for summer dresses or whatever, they are going to be looking for kids clothes, school uniforms, underwear, etc etc.
Though I think the worst of both worlds is the really expensive clothes that STILL don't operate on fair-trade/sustainable guidelines.
I also think there's been this massive shift of responsibility onto consumers as having all the power/choice, when actually it should be down to the business itself to have to operate within clear parameters and be regulated accordingly. Saying that consumers have power is essentially saying the free market works, which it doesn't. Half of the stuff is marketed as being ethical when it's not at all, and the other half is priced so high as to not make it a choice anymore.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-05-03 08:18 am (UTC)Most people with limited incomes aren't going to be shopping for summer dresses or whatever, they are going to be looking for kids clothes, school uniforms, underwear, etc etc.
Though I think the worst of both worlds is the really expensive clothes that STILL don't operate on fair-trade/sustainable guidelines.
I also think there's been this massive shift of responsibility onto consumers as having all the power/choice, when actually it should be down to the business itself to have to operate within clear parameters and be regulated accordingly. Saying that consumers have power is essentially saying the free market works, which it doesn't. Half of the stuff is marketed as being ethical when it's not at all, and the other half is priced so high as to not make it a choice anymore.