Is buying local always the most ethical option out there?
A conscientious New Yorker knows that supporting local businesses is good for the people and the planet. By choosing neighborhood stores and service providers, you support local business owners, keep what you spend in the local economy and invest in your community.
A local farmstand is almost always the most sustainable option for your food, as it creates the least carbon footprint and provides greater transparency into its impact on the environment and workers.
But what about local fashion boutiques?
Photo by Liza Summer
Unfortunately, it’s much more complicated. The boutique owner is very unlikely to be producing their own textiles and/or stitching them in-house, so they have to be aware of the sources of their clothing and transmit (and verify) that information to the consumer.
So to be a “sustainable” local fashion boutique, one needs to put extra effort, time, and money into ensuring that the clothing they are selling meets the standards of environmental and social responsibility… and for the fashion consumer, to inquire for information and demand transparency. Just because you’re shopping locally or at a small business does not mean you are necessarily helping the environment, workers, or your local community.
Below are some potentially problematic sources of your local boutique’s offer that their owner is not aware of (or would prefer not to know about):
What we recently have been noticing quite often among small fashion boutiques, is that they source their pieces from B2B online marketplaces (with the biggest one being the infamous Alibaba and their subsidiary, Aliexpress). Sourcing from websites like that is fast, easy, cheap, and appears to be transparent since the clothes can be ordered straight from the manufacturer. However, there are a lot of issues that are related to this kind of sourcing practice, such as price not matching the quality or the online vendor being unfair or abusive employer (and there is no way to check that unless you commit time and resources to vet the factory).
Then, we have US wholesalers and agents that supply those boutiques but don’t provide in-depth information about the origins of the garments, which is even less transparent than sourcing online.
And finally, we have some of the US-based production that we cannot be proud of. There are still reports of unsafe and low-pay garment factories that force their workers into 60-hour work weeks (for further reading, please check this Guardian piece). So, if your local boutique does not put enough effort into vetting their sources, even those based in the US, they may give business to the wrong people and perpetuate misconduct.
What can you do as a consumer who wants to support local fashion boutiques but not ignorance and/or neglect about how those clothes were made?
Ask, ask, ask! By expressing interest in what the product is made of, where was it made and who made it, you show that this information is important and part of due diligence.
Talk to your friends and family. By gentle education and raising awareness, you can multiply the impact you have on your community and local business owners.
Choose the local boutiques that already are doing the job right. We are working on a list in New York, but maybe you have your favorite local clothes store that does the job right? Comment below your recommendations!
So, is the local fashion boutique the most sustainable option? It definitely can be if care and transparency are included.
