New York Times Learning…

What’s Going On in This Picture? | Oct. 22, 2012

BY THE LEARNING NETWORK

OCTOBER 22, 2012 7:00 AM

I cannot recall exactly when I found this picture and the New York Times article that accompanied it, but I can honestly say that when I did it had a profound impact!   

As a former teacher, I often used photographs to inspire students to think critically about real world issues.  This photo surprised me when I presented it to my students, and they began to talk about the “fast fashion” industry and the concept of “outsourcing.”   We learned that “outsourcing” meant finding countries to make clothing much cheaper and much faster than it could be done locally.  Outsourcing meant companies turned larger profits and more people could afford their throw away products.  Fair enough, but one aspect of this thinking was the closure of manufacturing locally, and the increase in wealth of only a few.  Further, when we needed manufacturing locally for COVID products, it was not available.  This thinking, my students felt, left us vulnerable!

Further research took us down the path of ethical supply chains and the many horror stories of factories with workers living in terrible conditions.  

In addition to the conditions for the workers in the factories, we discovered the issue of toxic, chemical laden, textiles that our youth were buying in large quantities and wearing to the detriment of their health.  After all, we discovered, there were no iron clad safety measures in place to monitor textile content.   There appeared to be “guidelines,” which we considered to be politically correct, watered-down safety measures with no real accountability to the manufacturers.  Who was collecting all that textile toxic waste and where was it going?  This question was best answered, we believed, in the photo taken by the New York Times.   To say we were shocked by our discoveries was an understatement.  My students vowed to make a difference and so did I.  

The concept of a second-hand clothing store or vintage shop was not new, but the idea of redesign was something that had not been explored as thoroughly as possible.   We decided to do just that.  Pause Friperie & Re-Conception (Pause Friperie & ReDesign) was borne.   We knew we had to start somewhere, and this was it!  We felt that our success could encourage others to take a stand on using what is already here.  

We welcome you to our journey and hope you will stay with us as we explore solutions to the situation evident in our inspirational photo!

We thank the New York Times for their impact in inspiring one small shop owner and her students to embark on this critical journey.  We believe we have enough gently used clothing and fabric in Montreal to keep us warm through many winters to come.  

Thank you to the people of Montreal, Quebec City, Trois Riviere, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Denver, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, London, Sydney, Paris, Montpellier, and other places around the world that have stopped by for just a moment to hear our story! With you as our partners, we will meet our goals. 

Goal #1 – Success!! We are very happy to share that we have hired our first design student and we are beginning the process of re-design.  She will introduce herself to you very soon!

Will it all come together overnight?  Likely not, but your support has allowed this first step and we see a very bright future together. 

Yours in ethical fashion,

Debra