"Chemicals in our Clothes: How Toxic Fashion is Making us Sick—and How We Can Fight Back"
While researching her new book, sustainable fashion expert Alden Wicker unearthed some disturbing information that the fashion industry would rather keep under wraps. But what can we do about it?
Dear Friends,
Every time we get dressed, we’re unknowingly donning a mystery cocktail of chemicals that have significant implications for our health, not to mention the health of our planet. But what can we do about it? This week, we’re taking a brief pause from our Fall issue theme, “The Art of Repair,” to present a new audio interview that delves into a dark corner of the fashion industry.
Longtime Craftsmanship contributor Alden Wicker has been investigating the fashion industry for more than a decade, reporting stories for publications such as The New York Times, Vogue, and Wired, for her own very popular website, ecocult.com, and some superb articles for us (including her groundbreaking and still-popular article, “Eco-Fashion’s Animal Rights Delusion”). While researching her new book, “To Dye For,” Wicker uncovered a worrisome trail of harmful chemistry used in our clothes. In conversation with Craftsmanship’s Pauline Bartolone, Alden provides practical tips for identifying and avoiding the worst offenders—and reveals some surprising options for finding more eco-friendly fashion.
I hope you’ll tune in and listen to “Chemicals in our Clothes: In Conversation with Alden Wicker.” As with all of our audio offerings, you can download or listen to it on our site or wherever you like to get your podcasts—now including YouTube.
Share your Repair Rants & Raves with us in our new reader survey. Is there some item you’ve owned and loved forever because it’s still useful—and repairable? What wasteful purchase do you most regret? It only takes a few minutes, and we’ll share the best stories throughout this issue. (More details can be found on the survey itself, and below.)
“The Art of Repair” will continue through November, thanks in part to our issue sponsor, the Culture of Repair. Each week, we’ll release a feature story, short article, mini-documentary, photo essay, or podcast that relates to our mission—to “create a world built to last.” So please, stay tuned.
In the meantime, I hope you'll always find something intriguing to read, watch, or listen to within our pages. We welcome your thoughts via email, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for donating to our cause as you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Sincerely,
Todd Oppenheimer
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Craftsmanship Magazine
Craftsmanship is a reader-supported publication. To help sustain our ad-free, independent journalism, please consider a paid subscription here on Substack.
Fall 2023: The Art of Repair
In a culture addicted to novelty and fast profits, the humble art of repair has declined almost to the point of extinction. But it’s not too late: In this issue, we’ll delve into the history of planned obsolescence, and the reemerging ethos of restoration. From the patient hands of watchmakers, piano restoration experts, and veteran appliance repairmen to the story of a young French woman who got her country to ban planned obsolescence, we’ll explore what it really means to create, maintain—and truly value—a world built to last.
This issue is supported in part by a grant from the Culture of Repair.
Interested in sponsoring an upcoming theme or project? Contact us at publisher@craftsmanship.net.
Our Readers Share Their “Repair Rants & Raves”
RAVE: "I am a custom hat maker and vintage hat restorer. I recently had the honour of restoring a 95 year old Borsalino hat that a lady's grandfather had worn on the ship that brought him from England to Canada in the early 1930’s. It cleaned up and looked like new again. It was a thrill for me to bring this almost century-old hat back to life, ready to be worn for another 100 years."
- Robert G. (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
This issue is all about "The Art of Repair," and we want to hear about the belongings you love most for their usefulness, beauty, and longevity—and those you love to hate. We'll share the best entries throughout the issue. Submit your entry here.