#sheining

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[alwaysbewoke]

feel free to share the truth...

[one-time-i-dreamt]

[peachesingreece]

Reminder to avoid buying anything crochet new from big stores. Crochet (unlike knit) CANNOT be done by a machine and must be done by an actual human being. The person who made it was definitely not paid an appropriate amount for their labour. Most big stores use sweatshops anyway and I know it’s hard to completely avoid buying anything from a major store. But if those specific items don’t sell, we can send a message to companies that we don’t want items made fully by hand using slave labour

This summer, avoid any new crochet items. You don’t need THAT specific top that badly

[lockerandom]

You know, with Shein, Alibaba and Temu being so popular, I was thinking that maybe we could make a list of some ethical and sustainable clothing brands. These will be more expensive, but if you buy from them you'll be helping someone anytime you make a purchase. Please list all the ones you know in a reply.

Pact Clothing sizes up to 2X. Sells men, women, and children's clothing. Items are sustainably made and Fair Trade.

Midnight Hour Sizes up to 4X with a few 5X items. Cute goth and alternative clothing. Items are sustainably and ethically made.

Able Sustainably and ethically made women's clothing. Sizes up to 3X.

Svaha Own by an Indian woman. Very cute science themed clothing for men, women, and kids. Clothing is mostly made in India and is ethically sourced. Sizes go up to 5XL

Proclaim ethically sourced bras and underwear and basics that comes in three shades of "nude". Sizes S to 3XL

Toad&Co Clothing inspired by nature. sizes S to 2XL.

Raven and Lily Supports female artisans creating handmade jewelry, bags, and homewares. Empowers communities through fair wages.

Altar Specializes in alternative and custom fashion. Sizes S to 6XL.

EDIT: I did not expect the to blow up! I want to find all the suggestions in the reblog and add them to the OP. I'm a bit swamped with work this week though. I may make a whole new post later. In the mean time, please check the notes for some other excellent suggestions! Some are here on tumblr! Shout out to

@freshhotflavors @morningwitchy @crowlines @mayakern

@mayakern has posted images of her clothes in the notes and they are all very cute!

I want to stress that you can't do everything. This post isn't here to judge anyone who needs new clothes but can't afford an ethical brand. I once had my apartment flood (basement unit!) where the ceiling fell in the bedroom and had to replace everything! Clothing that fit me is hard to find and I think I bought everything from Walmart. This is just for some suggestions and to advertise these other brands.

[werewolfvegan]

SHEIN and Temu aren't the innocent, budget friendly alternatives you may think them to be. They're both companies rooted in exploitative, inhumane business practices, including dehumanising working conditions and slave labour. There's a viral video going around that shows a large amount of Temu factory workers, barely clothed and being observed by security guards, as they sort through thousands upon thousands of packages.

These companies thrive on enticing people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds into overspending by using game-like incentives (interactive spin wheels to increase discounts, minigames revolved around adding more items to your cart or wishlist, etc.) while using their apps. These apps are carefully and consciously designed in such a specific way that encourages people to feel pressured into overspending for fear of missing out on an unmissable deal (this is a common business practice that extends far beyond SHEIN, Temu, and other fast fashion companies).

Their apparel and clothing is made as cheaply as possible with poor quality material (which ultimately means these items have to be replaced sooner and thus help perpetuate a toxic consumerist cycle) and often using stolen art and designs from independent artists. Do yourself a favour and stop supporting the toxic fast fashion industry. Thrifting, upcycling, and learning to make DIY clothing are infinitely better alternatives and help to support your local community.

[slavicafire]

I'm on a bus with a bunch of teenagers and honestly. they look absolutely ridiculous - I haven't seen people dressed weirder in years. weird outfits, weird fabrics, weird hairstyles and weird makeup, all put together in a way that's entirely puzzling to me. what bliss! what utter, utter bliss. nature is healing! and the kids are alright!

[nyancrimew]

shein switzerland has been sending me monthly emails titled "not just the may flowers are blooming" and im slowly starting to doubt they know how seasons work

[antinativefaves]

YOUR FAVE IS ANTI NATIVE: Temu and Shein

Don't support businesses that steal Indigenous artwork and then mass produce it for pennies. Support Indigenous artists and shops.

[shiftythrifting]

I don’t know what this means and I’m afraid to ask

[kirstysdreams]

[nenan]

Adual Jok Akol photographed by STAR for New Currency and S_.ein

[stardew-bajablast]

if you haven’t at least tried sewing or crocheting or knitting your own clothes, you really should. even if it’s just one time and you never do it again, i really think everyone should do it at least once

learning how to crochet was what finally made me grasp the abject horror of the fast fashion industry and realize just how laborious and time consuming it is. i have to take a few days off a week so my back/wrists don’t get sore — and i get to do this as a leisure activity in the comfort of my own home, rather than in a sweatshop. it takes dozens of hours to produce a single item. there is just something about trying it yourself that makes you realize just how little the people making our clothes are being paid for retailers to be able to sell clothes at such obscenely low prices.

i understood in the abstract that people were earning literal slave wages to make my clothes, but that concept wasn’t real to me in a way i could understand until i spent 14 hours making something that i myself wouldn’t have even been willing to pay more than $10-20 for if i saw it in a store.

i have not bought any new clothes since learning how to crochet. every time i see clothes at a store (especially obviously handmade items like crochet), and i look at the price tag i feel genuinely sick to my stomach.

i’m not saying everyone needs to make their own clothes in order to be against fast fashion, but what i am saying is if hearing about the conditions and wages secondhand has not been enough to make you stop buying it, if you find yourself becoming desensitized to the suffering of the people who make your things, you should try making something yourself.

you need to see firsthand how physically and mentally demanding it can be and imagine how much worse it would be if you were forced to sit in a sweatshop for 16 hours a day doing it nonstop, earning pennies an hour to do so. you need to spend weeks laboring over something only for it to turn out looking like shit so you realize just how much wisdom and technical skill goes into these supposedly “unskilled” and undervalued jobs. if the abstract concept isn’t enough to get through to you, then you need to get hands on.

[kirstydreaming]

Gabi

[cozylittleartblog]

worst way to start my new year, thanks. i have a lot of things to say about these companies but i'm tired and just keeping it focused to the pin side of things for this one. do not ever buy pins from these companies, literally ALL of them are stolen from small artists like me. if you want to buy enamel pins, check out etsy, and artist's personal websites and shops! (though even Etsy has some bootleg pins that ship straight from china, so tread carefully…)

Every pin I've designed is, thus far, EXCLUSIVE to my etsy. if you find it anywhere else, it's been ripped off! and once these stupid bootlegs pop up, it's basically a never ending game of whack-a-mole trying to get them all taken down...

[i-love-you-just-the-same]

geninuely believe simon riley would be a temu victim

(steals price's or johnny's credit card. grew up without money, probably hoards it and everything he buys is dirt cheap. wouldn't get much after the first bit he bought since quality is shit, but I totally see him still buying a few small things to see if he would like the better versions.)