Industry
Our analysis of what really goes on behind the scenes of the fashion industry
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Welcome!
Reading time:
5
min.
Why this blog?
Because:
- We’re steeped in the fashion industry: our day-to-day means quizzing factory and production managers, meeting textile experts and seamstresses, reading scientific papers on how long clothes last, chatting with other players in the slow fashion world, and making and testing clothes ourselves. So we have the technical know-how and the right contacts to spot things that are hard to see from outside the industry.
- We take our time: we’re in no hurry to get a story out; we publish it when we feel it’s ready. And honestly, it’s a good thing we give ourselves that time, because we’re not exactly quick. Spotting something that bugs us, scratching the surface, realising there’s a story there, digging deeper, talking about it, reading articles, searching for scientific papers, reading books, interviewing experts, writing 15 pages, verifying every source, cutting half of it, getting 1, 2, 10 people to proofread it, tweaking the wording… All of that takes time.
- We stay independent: there are no ads on this blog. We can say whatever we like, and brands can’t sway us. Nor is our company owned by an industrial or financial group that could dictate our editorial line (as is sadly the case for much of the media in France).
And what’s this blog about, then?
We want to share, as widely as possible, information that deserves to get out there but that you won’t find anywhere else: not in a search engine, nor in the paper. Information we come across through our work. And interesting information, mind you, because if it’s just to tell you where cropped trousers come from… On this blog, we talk about everything from how our socks are made to what’s wrong with start-ups. Sometimes we write articles, sometimes we make videos, and sometimes comics. We might post several times in one week and then go quiet for 6 months. Basically, there’s no telling. The only things we can promise are these:
- We never lie: we check everything we claim and cite our sources. Whenever we can, we go back to the researchers’ original study and try to understand it, to make sure it isn’t biased (yes, Google Scholar is good for more than writing your dissertation). We can still get things wrong, though. And if we have to put forward hypotheses or opinions, we make it clear that they are our own.
- We step out of our bubble : every time we write an article, we make a point of reading and understanding the views and arguments of people who don’t think like us. To be sure we’re not getting it wrong, and to take on board the aspects of the subject that cut against our own reasoning.
- We keep it simple: our goal isn’t to become the go-to site for people working at the French Knitwear and Lingerie Federation, but to help people who aren’t experts and still have every right to form an opinion on the subject.
What's in it for us?
The quest for truth is all well and good, but at the end of the day, we’re still a clothing brand. We think the most honest way to get a company known is to say interesting things rather than run ads (on TV, online, through influencers, via affiliate marketing, on the metro, etc.). And to be honest, we’d struggle to do it any other way. Because it’s far more stimulating to think a subject through than to set up the targeting for a Facebook ad. Because it’s far more durable to write an article that stays on our blog for good than to design a poster that comes down off the metro walls after 10 days. Because it’s far more ethical to spend our money on the salaries of the people who produce this content rather than giving it all to Google, Facebook, or JCDecaux. So yes, we have a financial interest in running this blog. But we also believe that making clothes isn't enough to change the textile industry: revealing, sharing, and inspiring is even more powerful. There you go: now you know everything, about our intentions at least. Happy reading!
