Why You Need to Avoid the Term Handmade
Confession time. One of my biggest pet peeves in the fashion and sewing space is when people state a garment is handmade as though that is somehow unusual or extra special.
You may or may not know my career history is heavily intertwined with campaigning and educating others on the crisis that is happening within the fashion industry.
Recently I was invited to talk at Pure London, the UK’s largest fashion and textile trade show about how to launch your brand with sustainable credentials. Furthermore, my former streetwear line always tried to shine a light on the product journey from concept to creation for my customer to reconnect to their clothing because the reality is all clothing is handmade.
Not always ethically. Not always under pleasant circumstances. Not always fairly paid and not always with love or as a hobby.
So in the context I sometimes read, when people beam with pride that their latest make is handmade, to me it further devalues the garment workers behind fast fashion pieces that are created in appalling conditions and under questionable legislation’s that desperately need to change.
As sewists, I truly believe it is our moral duty, whether we like it or not, to take these issues seriously. We know more than most the skill and time that goes into garment construction, so we should also relate to the absurdity that in some fast fashion stores the price of a t-shirt costs less than a coffee.
Consider the farmer that nurtures and harvests the crops to grow raw material destined to be spun into a textile by an artisan, dyed by an additional process including additional labor, cut, sewn by a seamstress, trimmed, packaged, shipped across the world… and this costs the consumer as little as £3 whilst the retail store still makes a profit? How? Somewhere along this production line, some one or some people are paying the detrimental cost.
A new item of clothing purchased from a store has passed through a multitude of hands before finding itself on a hanger in your wardrobe. So when you sew a new make, it may take you an afternoon or spread out across a longer, relaxed period of time. It’s certainly done with enjoyment, inspiration and creativity in mind, and yes it is handmade, but so is every other garment on this planet, and we need to recognise that.
Hand Sewn vs. Hand Made It is important to note that hand sewn is a different statement relating to the delicate process of stitching without a machine.
As alternatives, and to give your me-made pieces the love and pride you intend to shine (and they rightly deserve) , you could say: 🧵Home-sewn ✂️Made by me 👕or even DIY.
Can you think of any more suggestions? Let me know in the comments!