February
2003
Message
T-shirts: Retail Therapy?
By Rachel Cernansky
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Here in the Satya office, we’ve been
doing some serious shopping the last few weeks. It’s the last
thing you (or rather, we) might expect, but following the December/January
issue on slavery, we felt a need to find positive consumer alternatives
to the problems that exist, at some level, in most any product we use
in our everyday lives. Rather than boycotting, well, everything, we
sought companies working to provide sustainable and compassionate alternatives,
so that individuals are able to align their ethics with their purchases
and use their dollars to actively support those working for positive
change.
We began searching for “cruelty-free” fashion with a focus
on message-gear, seeking out thought-provoking and eye-catching apparel.
We started off with a rather pessimistic disposition, as message-Tees
in the past have all too often carried messages not worth sending, or
had good messages but fit like nightgowns. As we searched, however,
we became increasingly hopeful and inspired, finding many companies
coming up with incredibly cool and creative ways to mix fashion and
social messages. Companies donating their profits, for example, to one
cause or another, while the consumer gets to send a message with every
item purchased. By making such purchases, our dollars are going to support
the people behind these companies—the individuals who are making
constant strides for a cruelty-free world.
“Cruelty-free” and “vegan” have come to be seen
as synonymous, but we wanted to dig a little deeper into what cruelty-free
really means. A search for vegan apparel will turn up a whole lot, but
much of it will likely have been made in sweatshops; same goes for eco-friendly
clothing, and even social justice message-Tees—crazy, huh. (I’ve
actually seen “No Sweatshops” printed on a Hanes T-shirt
made on a Caribbean island.) Union-made clothes are often not eco-friendly,
and their manufacture pollutes the environment and its inhabitants…
and so on. But there’s a whole bunch of companies out there trying
to make these vital connections, and that’s what counts most—the
vision and the effort. You’ve got to start somewhere, right? All
kinds of people are working to affect all kinds of positive change,
and to spread a message of a cruelty-free world. Included in this issue
are the top companies we came across. But this is only a sampler—there
are many more out there. Try your own search, it’s invigorating!
(And let us know what you come up with!)
Pictures:
Left: Catherine is wearing the 'Praise Seitan' T-shirt
from Herbivore Clothing Co.
Middle: Georgia Weaver models pajamas from Sage Creek
Naturals
Right: Rachel is wearing the 'Against Animal Testing'
T-Shirt from Animal Rights Stuff, and holding a bag from Tree Tap.
