Reflecting on my role as a global consumer; after I went through my closet, I realize that I have a very big impact on the lives of people around the world. I have a substantial amount of clothing from brands that make almost all of their clothing overseas. Fortunately, about half my clothing is made in Canada, but just because it is made in Canada, it doesn't mean that the factory workers are paid fairly. Many textile workers in Canada are paid just barely minimum wage. After looking through my wardrobe, I notice that I could probably clothe about 15 people in a third world country. It makes me feel really guilty when I buy something at the mall, and I never get around to wearing it. I think that I will put more thought into what I'm buying from now on. This project gave me a lot of information about the brands that I usually buy, and what kind of labour they use at their factories. I would like to buy brands that are made locally, but I have to pay about five times more for locally-made clothing because their workers' wages are higher. I am very proud of the fact that I only own one item of clothing from Nike, and about 12 from Le Chateau, which makes its clothes in Canada. It will be very difficult for me to stop buying clothes from the Gap, because the quality of their clothing is exceptionally good, but I know that I cannot support a company that exploits its workers.

It is also difficult to buy clothes that are made in Canada because most brands have to move their manufacturing overseas at one point or another to expand on the global market. I have noticed that local brands, with the exception of Lululemon Athletica, do not market their clothing to young people. Especially in Victoria, local designers tend to design their clothes for the older generation, leaving the younger generation to purchase their clothes at big brand name stores. The Gap and Roots are next door to each other in downtown Victoria, but more people shop at the Gap because generally, Gap clothing just looks better.

It is cheaper to buy a more famous brand because they mass-produce their styles, but mass-production comes with massive amounts of pollution. The pollution comes from the chemicals used to refine and process the materials (e.g. Cotton) to make the clothes. Generally, my lifestyle, especially my clothes-buying habit, is definitely not sustainable in the long run.

In conclusion, I will resolve to do two things:

This project allowed me to become more aware of my global impact as a consumer, realizing my impact on the environment and other people in the world. Surely my self-image of sweat-shop freeness and environmentally friendliness is now forever gone.