Do You Want To Know Where Your Sweater Comes From?
Posted by: Leonora Epstein
Filed in:
style
12:59PM, Monday August 3rd 2009
Most meat-eaters prefer to not think about the previous life of their duck confit or the origins of their rack of lamb. Similarly, most of us don’t put too much thought into where our clothes really come from (we can’t advocate the use of fur, but do admit to wearing a bit of leather). Maybe that’s because most fabrics seem non-threatening. But now you might wince the next time you wear your winter wool sweater. Liz Jones of the Daily Mail explains that the wool in your clothing probably came from sheep raised for slaughter, not garments, as wool is now a devalued fabric.
Jones took the case one step further by taking in some sheep headed for the slaughterhouse, and making her own sweater (pictured) from the pets. Umm…
But, come the heatwave in May this year, having tried sponging my lambs with iced water, I decided they were too hot. I contacted a holistic shearer called Simon. He arrived with shears and special shearing slippers…I worried that my lambies, who are called Caitlin (she has horns and a dark face), Willow (she is very thoughtful) and Ash (so shy she reminds me of myself at a Seventies disco) would be alarmed, but Simon was so gentle I needn’t have worried.
Aside from the fact that her resulting sweater is a) not fashion-forward and b) horrific, is there value in seeing the process from start to finish? As in, would you be into seeing a picture of the lamb from which your sweater came? (Okay, we kid slightly.) Or would you rather know your clothes as they are in your wardrobe, not on the farm? [Daily Mail]
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Coral
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 01:43 pm: [report]
I think it’s much better than the wool from sweaters are coming from lambs who are going to be slaughtered for meat. That way, more of the animal is being used, rather than sacrificing twice as many animals. It falls in line with the Native American’s principles: that they would use every part of each animal. Because killing animals for meat or clothing isn’t going to stop anytime soon, which is fine, but we should at least stop wasting parts, and in fact, its more cost effective for everyone involved.
yarngasm
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 05:39 pm: [report]
I am part of a knitting group that has some members who spin their own yarn. I can see a bit of the appeal for wanting to see the process through from start to finish, but it’s not very cost-effective. I think it’s regarded more as a novelty than a necessity for them. Personally, I think it would be best to use all parts of the sheep.
melissaann
wrote on August 3 2009 @ 06:24 pm: [report]
When are smart, independent, educated, and fashion forward women (like the ones on this website) going to stop being so ignorant? It is not right to turn a blind eye to any industry just because you enjoy its products. No one is perfect, but you girls need to do some research on the meat industry before you start agreeing that its better to use the entire animal. Oh wait, you’d rather eat lamb chops than have a conscience.
MondimNebel
wrote on August 4 2009 @ 08:36 pm: [report]
To my knowledge, you don’t have to kill the sheep for wool… but I don’t really do much research on the topic. As far as getting ANY clothing from animals… I think it does matter where it comes from. Mainly, legal or not? Poaching an animal for its fur is harmful to the existence of the species. Legal hunting is controlled and is often to the benefit of the species; with a controlled population, we can be sure that every animal is getting enough food and has enough room to live.
As for animals raised for the purpose of clothes (or food)... that is their only purpose in life. They were bred specifically for the purpose of food/clothes/etc and therefore don’t have a place in the world, because we (humans) were the ones who put that there, not nature.
fallonthecity
wrote on August 4 2009 @ 11:42 pm: [report]
I don’t know. I think people have a bad habit of thinking of animals as cute, furry, less talkative people (“Willow” is “thoughtful”? Really?).
There’s never an excuse for brutality (which some corporate slaughterhouses certainly show their livestock), but I have no problem seeing the process from start to finish. When I was growing up, my parents bought as little food as they could that came from corporate farms because of how they treat their animals and their workers. In addition to a vegetable garden, we kept pigs, chickens, and cows… and there was an excellent slaughterhouse nearby run by a Mennonite family. I always enjoyed some very good meat, but I never thought “I’m eating Bessie…”