Fair trade business casual

[Melalvai]

I'd even just take assembled outside of sweatshops, and save the fabric issue for later.

The Diamond Gusset jeans look nice and I will need a new pair of jeans soon. But what about business casual? I sometimes wear jeans to work but generally try to wear slacks, especially if I have a meeting. It is a medical school so dress expectations are a little higher than at the university. If I wear jeans all the time, people might think I'm making some sort of statement, as if I'm "against the Man". I don't want to be making a statement (intentionally or otherwise) all the time.

Edit: I've been to the americansworking before and browsed it fairly thoroughly without success. But I noticed that you had mentioned a specific company, American Apparel, so I googled them, and found that they do have some selection. The sizes do look a bit strange. But I'll check it out further.

[radacrider]

I ride in my work clothes (6 miles one way) and have started buying travel clothes - fit better than my jeans on the bike and more comfortable, quick dry and all that. Still the challenge is finding those clothes with a conscious.

[Reesha]

What about higher end resale shops? We have a few in St. Louis and they have a great selection usually. Plato's Closet, the Scholar Shop, leap to mind. I keep finding amazing pencil skirts from the 60's and 70's which look like they came straight out of J. Crew.

At least when you're buying used you are not adding to the problem. Just a thought!

I wear a lot of patagonia clothes to work. They have comfortable skirts, cute tops, and gorgeous sweaters and I *think* their materials are all ethically produced etc. You might want to check that out though.

[PamNY]

This is not useful to the OP, but here is an article that demonstrates just how complicated the ethical issues in clothing can be:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...hing-interview

[Melalvai]

This is not useful to the OP, but here is an article that demonstrates just how complicated the ethical issues in clothing can be:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...hing-interview

That's a great article. That's so cool that Walmart is at least thinking about trying to improve their practices, and that they look to a small company like Patagonia for their experience.

Patagonia actually is also fair trade, I don't know if they can claim that exact label but they do state on their web site the steps they take to ensure their products are made with fair labor. In fact they were one of the founding members of the Fair Labor Association (although they dropped out for a while).

Patagonia may be a partial solution. Their clothes are geared toward being active and they are a little more casual than what would be ideal. But the pants are slightly less casual than blue jeans. And the bike shop in Columbia (not exactly local but it's the closest bike shop) carries Patagonia. Of course it's pricey, but I knew that would be the case.

[OakLeaf]

AFAIK only food goods are certified fair trade (and as you may know, there are some serious ethical/philosophical/turf battles going on in that world right now). American Apparel is also problematic because of their sexist and size-ist advertising...

Good luck, I'll be interested to read what suggestions others have ... I'd love to have ONE pair of slacks that look half decent or ONE pair of shoes of any kind that fit, made with humane labor and environmental practices... (and I'm way too curvy for Patagonia, unfortunately)

[Trek420]

REI is one store that lets you search by "Made in USA"

http://www.rei.com/search?cat=450035...%2CMade+in+USA

Since my job's being off shored I appreciate the attention to locally sourced stuff (wherever in the world local is to you). Wherever you are now (this is an international board) or were before and whatever it is you do now your job can go away. There's someone somewhere who will do your job for less. Probably not as well as you do (my replacements do not do as well as I do, that's for d@mn sure).

But who cares!!! They will do it for less.

Think you're exempt from that because you are a ________ and that job can't go away? Think again.

So I do appreciate buying local, creating, saving jobs, sustainable work wherever local is for you.