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  • casem
    Senior Member
    • Sep 2006
    • 2590

    "The True Cost"

    New documentary



    via Hintmag:
    "I was getting my coffee one morning when I saw a photograph on the cover of a newspaper that instantly broke my heart," says director Andrew Morgan about the impetus for making the gut-wrenching documentary The True Cost, executive produced by Livia Firth. "The image was of two boys walking past a giant wall of missing-persons signs. Picking it up, I read the story of the clothing factory collapse outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh, taking the lives of more than 1,000 people and severely injuring thousands more. At the time of the collapse, the factory was making clothes for major Western brands. I soon learned that this was not an isolated tragedy."

    Morgan was stunned and sickened to realize that his own clothes could be a product of an inhumane fashion system. He set out to document its hidden horrors, while offering zero reverence to the major houses and chains that have built billion-dollar fortunes on the backs of desperately poor Bangladeshis, Cambodians, Haitians, and so on, most of them women. Fashion is the most labor-dependent industry on the planet, a situation exploited on every level. Plus, in addition to its appalling human-rights record, fashion is now the second most polluting industry on earth, after oil.

    "The movie that's going to shock the fashion world,” said Harvey Weinstein, The True Cost is a fashion documentary that unravels and reveals the grim global supply chain of fast fashion and beyond, a phenomenon too recent, too secretive to have its dark side exposed to worldwide scrutiny and outcry. Globalization, trade deals, and outsourcing have delivered the speed, disposability, and price deflation that have led to some of the worst manmade disasters of the modern age — all in the name of cheap fashion."
    music
  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    #2
    Thanks for this, Casey!
    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

    Comment

    • Faust
      kitsch killer
      • Sep 2006
      • 37852

      #3
      Netflix subscribers, the new documentary on the massive negative impact of fast fashion, The True Cost, is now available for streaming. It is imperative to spread the word about the disastrous nature of this beast. Please share this post. If you are a teacher, have your students watch it. If you are a journalist or a blogger, write about it. Spread the word. Thank you.


      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

      Comment

      • unwashed
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2008
        • 694

        #4
        Just finished it. It's really is a disastrous business and I think it's applicable for far more industries these days may it be on much lower scales. Most of the information is already out there but I think it's very good that it is now summarized in a single documentairy. I really like to see the big companies respond to this, but that will never happen of course.
        Grailed link

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        • DudleyGray
          Senior Member
          • Jul 2013
          • 1143

          #5
          Watched it and recommended it to my friends. So many jumbled thoughts on this. Lately, I have been feeling a certain way, like a disillusionment of consumerism and materialism, maybe a lot of people here go through it after obtaining and wearing coveted pieces but finding their lives and insatiable desire to consume unchanged. Like I could go the rest of my life without needing new clothes but I feel like I need more for an endless stream of bullshit fabricated occasions my brain invents that will never happen and could leave me broke if I don't keep it in check, it's truly stupid. But yeah, this was the right movie for what I was feeling.

          The irony of fast fashion is that it offers a fantasy of a wealthy extravagant lifestyle, but it just looks cheap. And I don't even mean the quality of the garments themselves, but just changing looks frequently, it makes a person look like their character is cheap and lacking of substance, just outright vulgar. Whereas I notice that the more standout WAYWT posters, they maintain a certain consistency even when wearing completely different pieces from one fit to the next. And they're also capable of doing more with less.

          It also made me think of how many different sources of design a fast fashion retailer must mine in order to even put out new looks every week. The overabundance of designers must be very good for fast fashion and bad for the designers themselves. Anyways, this movie should be essential watching for anyone who starts buying clothes for themselves.
          Last edited by DudleyGray; 07-30-2015, 10:10 PM.
          bandcamp | facebook | youtube

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          • gregor
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2014
            • 603

            #6
            Originally posted by DudleyGray View Post
            It also made me think of how many different sources of design a fast fashion retailer must mine in order to even put out new looks every week. The overabundance of designers must be very good for fast fashion and bad for the designers themselves. Anyways, this movie should be essential watching for anyone who starts buying clothes for themselves.
            this is a super interesting facet of the industry as well, because when it comes to fast fashion, it has to be fast, and the rate of turnover is absolutely incredible. when a mcdonald's hamburger lasts longer than an h&m t-shirt you really have to give someone the incentive to come back for more and more, which they do all too well.

            the effect on the designers is somewhat minimal, i feel, though it is very good for fast fashion.

            now, as for the movie itself, i have a personal connection to the garment industry, and this wasn't really much i haven't already had the more-than-displeasure of seeing, so much as merely reaffirming the sad fact that people are using clothes as an outlet of nothing more than consumption and of greed. having seen firsthand some of the factories in sri lanka, it really is eye-opening. anyone who gets the chance to see some of this stuff in person, really should, in spite of how shocking and disgusting it is.

            i thank god we interested in fashion do have an alternative, though, in clothing. it can be very, very tricky to find that in other, more corporate industries.

            Comment

            • unwashed
              Senior Member
              • Dec 2008
              • 694

              #7
              I found this particular part interesting where they referred to someone from the advertisement world or something who said there were two types of consumer goods. 1. The long lasting goods like washing machines, cars etc.. and 2. wastable goods like cigarettes and chewing gum. And that the advertisers want us to believe that long lasting products are wastable products. You can clearly see this trend everywhere... We are to believe we need a new phone every year or a new TV, new clothes, shoes. While in fact if you think about it, you only need to replace them if they're somehow broken. I still have an Iphone 3G and if I didn't updated the phone it would still work fine I guess. But society makes you want to upgrade and this psychological aspect is interesting. I already started to clean up my wardrobe some time ago to let go everything I do not really need. I'm also doing this with other stuff I have lying around like older gameconsoles etc...
              Grailed link

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              • Faust
                kitsch killer
                • Sep 2006
                • 37852

                #8
                /\ Yes, absolutely. The speed of buying what's called "durable goods" by the economists have taken them into the category of non-durable.

                From the marketing standpoint, there is "induced obsolescence" (when people have to renew their products because companies render existing technology outdated) and "perceived obsolescence," (when markets successful market new products in a way that makes the old one undesirable). Apple is the prime offender, with its induced obsolescence tactics by upgrading its software in a way that renders the old devices obsolete, in addition to their perceived obsolescence tactics. I've had to upgrade from my 4S to 5 because apps like Uber wouldn't work on it. But I really don't want the 6 and I refuse to upgrade to 8.0.

                On other fronts, I think the invention of car leases has contributed to this behavior as well (guilty as charged), and of course other forms of credit.

                What I also found interesting but didn't quite get right is the episode where the Italian economist is making the claim that consumerism, driven by cheap goods, makes us poorer. If I understood correctly, it's because consumers keep giving their money to these companies instead of saving for what really matters - shelter, pension, health insurance, etc.
                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                Comment

                • ES3K
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2008
                  • 530

                  #9
                  Unwashed, I get your point, but wouldn't compare an Iphone with a washing machine. Smartphones (like cars), are mostly leased these days. If people really would buy a car (like in the old days where people saved for a big investment like a car), they would keep it longer I guess.
                  Especially with IT products, the update cycles are even longer these days, IMHO. I still (partly) work on a 2008 or 2009 Mac, 15-25 yrs ago I replaced my computer every two years with a newer machine because it was totally outdated. Same with cars, at least I've got problems distinguishing a 2005 Audi from a 2015 Audi.

                  Comment

                  • unwashed
                    Senior Member
                    • Dec 2008
                    • 694

                    #10
                    Yeah but what makes the difference between leasing and buying. In the end the factory produced a product for short term use and mission is accomplished.

                    And in a certain point you can compare a phone to a washing machine. They should both be durable and should sustain years of use. The problem is that we think we need certain functions and therefore think we need newer models constantly. Yes they can make life easier in a way. But how many pixels must you have in your photo's you barely view again... to name a function.
                    Last edited by unwashed; 07-31-2015, 02:13 PM. Reason: typo galore
                    Grailed link

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                    • Chinorlz
                      Senior Member
                      • Sep 2006
                      • 6422

                      #11
                      Watched this last night and although I was aware of the concepts and the cost of the fast fashion industry, this helped break it down.

                      One of the things that came to mind is that the international pressure of the fast fashion industry seems to be affecting the "classic" two-collections-per-year fashion model. Sales start earlier and earlier and pre-season collections, "cruise" collections etc. have cropped up to fill the half year time between shows. At this rate, it is going to be very hard to go back. The current generation (all the teens shown posting their "loot" on youtube in the documentary) has grown up with Zara, H&M, Old Navy and others and to change that mindset is a daunting task to say the least.

                      Changing a cultural mentality is not going to be easy, and at least in America, we always want THE lowest prices.
                      www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

                      Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

                      Comment

                      • justin_bridou
                        Member
                        • Feb 2015
                        • 40

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Chinorlz View Post
                        At this rate, it is going to be very hard to go back. The current generation (all the teens shown posting their "loot" on youtube in the documentary) has grown up with Zara, H&M, Old Navy and others and to change that mindset is a daunting task to say the least.

                        Changing a cultural mentality is not going to be easy, and at least in America, we always want THE lowest prices.
                        Albert,

                        I agree with you, but I'd go one step further, with saying that the mentality which that has to be changed is that desperate need of buying stuff. We can see it here on SZ. The underlying background is that quality artisan's stuff are done with high skills and expected to last more than the "fast fashion" products. Then, people can do conscious buying and buy less.

                        but we can see here that there is a will and certainly a need of always buying new stuff. people are always lurking for something and are basically never satisfied with anything. it's like looking for stuff, deciding if it fits your need and wait to get it from the carriers was a true activity by itself.

                        It took the example of SZ because it is the more paradoxal to me, but you can of course generalize it to anything. if you were able to take the average guy between 15 and 45 and check the time of his life devoted to the act of buying, i'm pretty sure it would be amazing

                        for me, it's that mentality that would need to be changed.

                        disclaimer : to my dear friend bukka, no need to call me a troll as you're used to. if you disagree, please, just do nothing, it would be much appreciated ...
                        Last edited by justin_bridou; 07-31-2015, 02:14 PM.

                        Comment

                        • Chinorlz
                          Senior Member
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 6422

                          #13
                          interesting. Yes for sure we are all consumers one way or another. We all have our vices and ways that we like to spend our money (be it tangible goods or travel or otherwise), and that seems to be an indelible part of human nature.

                          If you have the means, I don't see a problem with "buying more" as long as you're buying "right" (in the case of ethical production). What one does with their money is their business. Pairing the mindset of "buying more" with "paying less" is where there is the potential for something bad coming in to play. Everything has its cost somewhere down the chain. Once again, human nature (especially as the world and peoples' lives become busier and busier) is that if it doesn't affect your immediately or if it is not right there in front of you as a direct cause & effect, then it is not your problem.
                          www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

                          Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

                          Comment

                          • DudleyGray
                            Senior Member
                            • Jul 2013
                            • 1143

                            #14
                            So when Rick became a full-fledged lifestyle brand, did they mean the lifestyle of continually browsing the Internet for archival and new seasonal collections, new arrivals, flash/outlet sales, seasonal sales, used listings, buying/selling/trading, and waiting for packages? If so, that brand resonates with me, because that is my life.

                            Originally posted by Chinorlz View Post
                            If you have the means, I don't see a problem with "buying more" as long as you're buying "right" (in the case of ethical production).
                            If you factor in the environmental impact of energy and resources for the sake of "luxury," ethical production sounds like an oxymoron.
                            bandcamp | facebook | youtube

                            Comment

                            • justin_bridou
                              Member
                              • Feb 2015
                              • 40

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Chinorlz View Post
                              ways that we like to spend our money (be it tangible goods or travel or otherwise), and that seems to be an indelible part of human nature.
                              I would not associate that far "spending money" with "human nature". i'm sure that we went the wrong way, one day, when we thought it was worth giving a value to everything, even living entities, but that is another debate.

                              And to go further, I still think that this is this will of buying that create the need to lower the price and the consequences we all know. Things are not as they are for no reason. As soon as they are people who want to spend their money beyond their need, you'll find guys who want to take the more money they can from them and will try to lower the production costs.
                              As I understand thing, if there is a "buying more" need, it won't be a "buying "right" for long time ...

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