You might recognize actress Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex In The City, but she’s not a real-life Carrie Bradshaw – despite being an affluent celebrity. In fact, Parker goes out of her way to source recycled clothing for her family, as it benefits the environment as well as underprivileged individuals who are employed by factories overseas.
In an interview with The Edit, the performer and entrepreneur relayed that watching The True Cost (a documentary about the fashion industry’s social and environmental impacts) dramatically changed her perspective on the ‘fast fashion’ industry. No longer will she source mass produced clothing for 14-year-old son, James Wilkie, or her 7-year-old twin girls. That’s because cheap articles of clothing are often stitched together by children and adults who live and work in harsh conditions, and are oftentimes underpaid. Some of the brands that outsource from factories overseas include H&M, Walmart, and Gap (among others).
She stated:
“I will only buy secondhand clothes for my son, James Wilkie; The True Cost really changed me. The one area I’ve had a hard time with is pants, but I buy used T-shirts and sweaters for him. Track pants are hard—boys rip them; I don’t know how to get around that.”
In the interview, Parker also relays that the documentary affected the production of her new line of shoes, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker. Though they’re admittedly not accessible to many, she is proud that they are high-quality and are manufactured under ethical conditions.
“I would love to be able to offer a woman a $69 pair of shoes but those are never going to last her. The heels are going to break, and they’re going to be made under conditions that I would feel really lousy about,” Parker explained. “How could I ask anybody for their hard- earned dollars, even $69, if they would have to replace the shoes in two months anyway?”
Credit: Member Details | BCtA
Collaborator George Malkemus III, CEO of Manolo Blahnik, worked with Parker on the venture.
“So George said we are going to make our shoes in Italy, the way shoes should be made,” Parker added. “We are going to go to Tuscany, to fourth- and fifth- generation shoemakers, and we’re going to find a way to make a shoe for $395. Now, that isn’t accessible for a lot of people, that’s out of touch, but I couldn’t give them a $69 shoe that would break.”
Few people can afford a $400 pair of shoes, but Parker can feel better, at least, knowing she’s not contributing to a cruel industry which sacrifices human dignity and privilege for profit.
It’s also worth noting that on her latest TV drama, Divorce, the actress worked with costume designer Arjun Basin and not a single piece of her wardrobe was purchased new. She told Fashionista:
“I didn’t set foot in Bergdorf or Barneys or Saks. We did all the clothes from flea markets, vintage [shopping], eBay and Etsy.”
The rest of the populace could learn from Parker’s example. The effects of the ‘fast fashion’ industry are long-lasting and adversely affect poor populations around the globe, as well as the environment. Please comment your thoughts below and share this news!
This article (This Well-Known Actress Only Buys Secondhand Clothes For Her Family) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
