I have been a thrift store shopper since high school, since before Molly Ringwald went public (bitch!) and set off a flock of vintage vultures who carried the top pickings back to their pricey lairs. Even so, Dee and I spent many hours in the local Salvation Army, where we always found more than enough with which to outfit whatever ska or mod or boho personas we were sporting at the time.
I still really enjoy those Eureka! moments of finding great clothes for reasonable prices, such as last month when I found Mali two brand new Carter's footed fleece pajamas for $2.99 each. They were exactly what she needed, and I felt extra proud of myself for not feeding into the retail machine.
But should I feel proud? I no longer have to shop in thrift stores; should I even be there? Shouldn't Mali's jammies have gone to someone who could not otherwise afford them?
I think so. I think that my responsibility is to ensure that my family's clothing comes not only from responsible retailers, but is of good enough quality that it can either last us for a long time or be passed on. We also need to consume less, but that is another, longer post.
As usual, I am interested in reading other peoples' comments on the matter. In the mean time, here are some decent resources for fair trade/responsibly made clothing, as well as holiday shopping:
http://www.globalmamas.org/
http://www.indigenousdesigns.com/
http://www.fairtradefederation.org/
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/
Technorati Tags: fair trade, responsible shopping, thift store
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