I've enjoyed reading Slow Fashioned articles since I discovered them a few months ago. Recently posted is a great article about something I think about a lot; quality. In How to spot quality in clothing: they explain several details and finishes to look for when purchasing apparel. This article covers key factors in garments being well-made, though I would add to this list the quality of the fabric itself, not just the labor and construction techniques that go into making the clothes.

My personal preferences for defining quality includes the soft feel of the fabric, and that it lasts many washings without pilling, changing size, or developing holes, which is unfortunately hard to determine before you buy the garment. I also like fabric that is thick enough to not require another layer of underneath it. Remember when most shirts were thick enough that you didn't need to wear a tank top under it so your bra doesn't show? Paying less for a shirt isn't better economically if I have to buy two of them. I'd rather pay a little more and not have to wear two shirts at once to prevent it from being transparent, but it seems more and more that that option isn't available.

Another common complaint is about polyester/synthetic fabrics, which rarely work well for me. I nearly always choose natural fibers so that they breathe and are more comfortable to wear throughout the day without getting clammy and holding the odor of perspiration. The downside of 100% natural fibers is that they tend to wrinkle and crease more than synthetic fabrics, but I would rather have a few wrinkles than fabric that gets clammy and smells bad, or has unknown chemical treatments to prevent it from wrinkling. I've read that formaldehyde is used as an anti-wrinkle fabric finish - something I don't want next to my skin!

It is interesting to note what a SF-Bay Area apparel professional recently pointed out: for offshore garment production the highest cost is the fabric since labor costs are so low. Therefore they compete on having the lowest cost fabric, which can translate to lower quality fabrics. Domestic garment production has higher labor costs, so keeping construction costs to a minimum is most important, and the fabric isn't driving the total cost of the garment to the same extent. That means in relative terms the focus on controlling costs is different, but of course fabric cost does matter in both scenarios.

What do you think adds to the quality of clothing?

Rebecca Burgess' year-long Fibershed Project has been an inspiration to watch unfold. The Fibershed Project is her commitment to wear only clothes made from fibers sourced within 150 miles from her home for an entire year, and has led to wonderful collaborations.

I would love to have more local textile and apparel options in the SF Bay Area. Imagine being able to use textiles cultivated and milled within a few hundred miles for the production of a full fashion line! Wouldn't that be amazing?

There was a great article about her in SFGate a few days ago here. I love how she says that Michael Pollen was speechless when asked about the role apparel plays in a sustainable lifestyle.

The education aspect of her work is important because while many people understand the importance of organic/sustainable food, they do not yet fully understand why sustainability in the fashion industry is important or the key issues and challenges we face today. There is no one perfect solution, but there are many different innovations that are a huge improvement, and I'm excited to begin the journey of working towards increasing sustainability in the fashion industry.

Oh snap! Way to go, Etsy and Glamour Weddings - you really thought that was handmade in the U.S. for that price?

Glamour mistakes Chinese reseller on Etsy as "handmade" wedding dress by Joyce, and Etsy celebrates their sellers' success -
to the chagrin of crafters who actually make the wares they sell on Etsy. Glamour has removed the offending dress from their article, but have not acknowledged their mistake. C'mon - really? Can't you do better than that to manage your reputation, folks?

(Illustrated by one clever commenter....with the ability to supply 10,000 pieces a month, Joyce would be making over 300 "handmade" dresses a day.)

Promoting sustainability in the fashion industry is the right thing to do, and it will become more and more important for fashion companies as transparency increases and consumers understand the global impact of their purchases.

Just. Discovered. boutiques.com  - and loving it!

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-02-new-number-quantifies-greenness-of-your-unitard