(More) Shopping Woes

After my disappointment trying to find organic flowers/gifts, I have had another similarly frustrating morning today with clothing.

It is my birthday in a couple of days and I'm going out for dinner tonight with a couple of close girlfriends. I have a nasty habit of buying new clothes for a special event, but this time I was somewhat justified because I no longer fit into the majority of my clothes since loosing weight after Caleb was born. So I thought it would be OK to get a new shirt to wear tonight. Easier said than done. I have made a commitment to buy only organic clothing that is manufactured in a just way if at all possible. I have been trying very hard over the last few months to stick to this, and apart from a pair of nylons, I have not bought any clothing for myself that is not organic and from a trusted source. Now, it is that last part that is the tricky bit. Superstore actually has a very small line of organic clothing now, but when I contacted them to ask how they were able to offer organic clothing at such low prices, they responded that they don't break the law in the countries they manufacture these items. Hmmm... interesting response. So I took from that that they do not break the law, but do not really care how people are treated in the manufacturing of their clothing. That was dissapointing but predictable. I am glad that those acres of cotton fields are now pesticide free, but I am sorry that the change hasn't extended to looking after the workers who manufacture the goods.

So sadly, the nice, cheap, Superstore clothes are off-limits for me. So I have been shopping either online (which I don't love because of the shipping and the fact that I can't try things on), or at Cotton Ginny. Cotton Ginny now has quite a substantial selection of organic cotton clothing and they have a position on fair trade. I wouldn't say they were necessarily "fair trade", but they do try to respect the earth and its people in their business decisions. The only problem is that most of their clothes are for middle aged women. They have some nice basic pieces (t-shirts and jeans), but since I am also trying to not buy into the consumeristic culture of "I need that shirt in every colour", that doesn't help me much. They are lacking in the more stylish clothes and anything fancier than a casual outfit. So not really what I wanted for going out to dinner.

Even though I knew in the back of my mind that it would be futile, I decided to take a little walk around the mall to see if any of the other stores carried a line of organic clothing. It was seriously disappointing. Out of all those stores, there didn't appear to be any that had organic clothes. I may have missed some - but none were advertising organic clothing, and these days it seems everyone is hopping on the green bandwagon and if a store does carry organic products, they're only too eager to shout it from the rooftops.

In the end, I went back to Cotton Ginny and got a little pink shirt. It was nicer than a regular t-shirt and will look good with a few different pants/skirts I own, so it will get a lot of use through the spring/summer.

I just find it amazing that so few stores are getting with the program and going green. I really do believe that it is just a matter of time before more and more consumers start demanding this type of product. So I guess I am trying to do my part by spending my clothing dollars at a store that carries organic, even if the style is not exactly my preference. I have to say that I have a hard time justifying buying something fashionable from a regular store, knowing the human and earthly abuses that occurred to give me that product. I think we really need to look at our priorities. I love nice clothes, I really do, but at what cost? I have an easier time paying the cost myself than justifying someone else having to pay it for me.

Hopefully it won't be too long before we have more decent options for sustainable, ethical goods.

If any of you know if some quality organic retailers, or lines within regular stores, leave a comment and share the love!