Clare Hare Darien Musings

8/11/2017
Clare Hare Darien is proud to incorporate Liberty Art Fabrics into her clothing line. Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened a small shop on Regent Street London UK in 1875. Mostly an oriental import emporium in the beginning, the shop expanded to become one of the most famous department stores in Europe and sold in
1878: Liberty Art Fabric.  Liberty of London was a department store that sold modern design of all kind. Liberty's main goal for his store "was to combine utility and good taste with modest cost." leading to a highly successful combination of art and industry. Liberty himself said that his store aimed for "the production of useful and beautiful objects at prices within the reach of all classes".  
Liberty art fabric was produced in collaboration with the dyers and printers of Thomas Wardle. Liberty & Co. initially provided an eclectic mix of popular styles, but went on to develop a fundamentally different style closely linked to the Aesthetic Movement of the 1890s, Art Nouveau (the "new art").  The company became synonymous with this new style to the extent that in Italy, Art Nouveau became known as Stile Libert yafter the London shop. The company's printed and dyed fabrics, particularly silks and satins, were notable for their subtle and "artistic" colours and highly esteemed as dress material, especially during the decades from 1890 to 1920.
 Liberty Fabric is one of the most recognizable printed textile designs.  Liberty has a wonderful collection of paisley style designs.   Liberty categorized their fabrics with different names: Abstract,Conversational, Floral, Floral Conversational, Fruit, Geometric Floral, Leaf, Paisley.  Liberty has always marketed their designs as ‘Liberty Designs’. Most of the time we do not know the names of the designers.  This is a typical small-scale dainty floral pattern that characterized the Liberty style which Clare Hare Darien has used in her designs.  Liberty & Co have more than 25 000 different designs in their archives.

Articles of Interest pertaining to "Sustainable Fashion":
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 --8/3/2015  Chinese Textile Mills are Now Hiring in Places where Cotton was King 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/business/chinese-textile-mills-are-now-hiring-in-places-where-cotton-was-king.html?emc=eta1&_r=0_

--7/22/2015 Myth of the ethical shopper 
 http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/the-myth-of-the-ethical-shopper/

--7/8/2015 Fair trade becomes fashion 
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s569/sh/22a2a4b8-b580-48d4-8e18-377527133200/1d8a3773fbaf02be0c274def42252b5a 

6/5/2015 
Here’s Why Skin Cancer Rates Are Up—and How to Protect Yourself 

Skin cancer rates have risen significantly, what's the best way to stay protected?The rate of skin cancer has doubled over the last 30 years, according to new federal data.

Melanoma, specifically—which is the deadliest kind of skin cancer—is on the rise, and according to the latest research, the yearly cost of treating it is estimated to triple to a total of $1.6 billion in the year 2030.

One way to prevent skin cancer is to cover up, and sunscreen is typically a go-to to protect skin in the summer heat. However, recent data has suggested that while sunscreens add protection, they aren’t necessarily up to snuff and often brands make coverage claims they can’t really deliver. There’s also the fact that many Americans still don’t wear it daily (and many still use indoor tanning beds).

12/15/14
Made in the U.S.A. seems to count for a little bit more every year.  

Recent news reports of a new ‘Alliance of U.S. Retailers’ making tentative steps to improving factory conditions and infrastructure in Bangladesh.  We all remember the dreadful collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory last year, which claimed the lives of over 1,100 workers, leaving an additional 200 still missing.  

Accordingly, this new group of U.S. retailers, whose members include Macy’s, J.C. Penny Inc., Nordstrom Inc., and Wal-Mart Inc., has established an initiative to give Bangladeshi factories access to low-cost loans backed by a corporate guarantee.  While it is argued that this initiative will help factory owners achieve compliance with safety regulations, this action does not directly ensure that workers’ conditions or saftey are improved. 

Last week, The Wall Street Journal cited that in November, one factory owner receieved a loan of $900,000 from the IFC to buy fire doors, safety lights, and automatic-sprinkler systems.  While this is certainly a step in the right direction, it does not resolve the larger issue of the harsh tribulations imposed on workers in these types of factories.  

The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights describes the realities of working in the Rana Plaza factory prior to its collapse:

Some 3,639 workers toiled in five factories housed in the Rana Plaza building producing clothing for some ## of U.S., Canadian and European clothing labels and retailers.  Eighty percent of the workers were young women, 18, 19, 20 years of age.  Their standard shift was 13 to 14 ½ hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 or 10:30 p.m., toiling 90 to 100 hours a week with just two days off a month.  Young “helpers” earned 12 cents an hour, while “junior operators” took home 22 cents an hour, $10.56 a week, and senior sewers received 24 cents an hour and $12.48 a week.

The Insitute then details the account of what happened the day of the collapse:

On Wednesday morning, April 24, 2013 at 8:00 a.m., 3,639 workers refused to enter the eight-story Rana Plaza factory building because there were large and dangerous cracks in the factory walls.  The owner, Sohel Rana, brought paid gang members to beat the women and men workers, hitting them with sticks to force them to go into the factory.  Managers of the five factories housed in Rana Plaza also told the frightened workers, telling them that if they did not return to work, there would be no money to pay them for the month of April, which meant that there would be no food for them and their children.  They were forced to go in to work at 8:00 a.m.

At 8:45 a.m. the electricity went out and the factories’ five generators kicked on.  Almost immediately the workers felt the eight-story building begin to move, and heard a loud explosion as the building collapsed, pancaking downward.

1,137 confirmed dead at Rana Plaza.  A year later, over 200 remain missing.
Buy less But Better movement  9/8/2014
We cannot, at this understanding, maintain that corporate loans will ultimately do justice to this charge of inhumanity and allow us peace of mind in the products we buy off the racks of major retailers.  

Clare Hare Darien proudly manufactures all of our clothing in New York City, where production meets regulatory standards in terms of both product quality and working conditions.  Don’t be distracted by big-money power moves by large corporates; buy the clothing that you know was made as it should be made. 

You can always do better.  Buy less, buy better.  Clare Hare Darien. 
People are willing to pay more for clothes that last longer.”*

While “fast fashion”—what some call the trendy, inexpensive in-season clothing that imitates high-end brands—plays dominant force in today’s consumer world, word on the street is that many in the fashion industry are moving the other way, that is, prioritizing quality over quantity.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal cited industry executives noting that there is a “changing mindset” encouraging retailers to provide simpler, smaller, and longer-lasting wardrobes.  In terms of clothing, this of course means high quality material, superior construction, and transparency regarding production sourcing and manufacturing.

Clare Hare Darien finds itself in line with this philosophy, which is that quality material, built the right way, breeds customer satisfaction.  Our fabrics, regularly imported from London, Italy, France and Brazil speak to a refinement that is matched by expert pattern cutting and sewing by seamstresses located in the heart of New York City’s garment district.   

We are proud and committed to producing quality clothing in the United States and sharing in the vibrant economy of New York City.  We invest our time and care into making the best product out of the best materials.  It’s time to invest in clothing that will last.  Buy less, buy better.  Clare Hare Darien. 

 
*Nate Herman, VP of International Trade and resident economist at the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

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