Thread: so is anyone planning on boycotting overseas costume designers

In reference to a note posted by a group on facebook , the note outlines which products and companies to boycott if one chooses to be part of the ..um..group.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...35267?sk=notes

I'm just wondering how many dancers are planning on boycotting any costumes that are made overseas..um..seeing that we buy a lot of costumes from overseas countries.

The way I see it, buying original costumes made overseas helps to keep the art alive and support families over there. While I'm sure this doesn't apply to every Egyptian or Turkish designer, the good ones pay their seamstresses fair wages, and they can make a living doing beading techniques that have been passed down for generations. Bella is known for treating her workers very well. Same goes for buying music from overseas musicians and taking classes from native instructors. Because so much of our dance comes from overseas, it's only responsible to support these artists who enrich our art.

Of course, buying a costume from a domestic designer is a great option for convenience, communication and fit. I'm having a costume made by one of my friends who designs couture eveningwear, and I have to say that it's pretty cool to watch her fit and drape the fabric to my body!

I'm not a member of the group, but I took a look at the 'info' page. It's not clear to me what the objective of this group is, but their boycott rules are posted as follows:

WHO WE BOYCOTT:

► Union busters
► Koch Industry products
► Fox News & Rush Limbaugh advertisers
... ► ALEC and other conservative Republican front groups
► Large contributors to Republican and Tea Party races as found via Opensecrets.org, Sourcewatch.org and other sources
► "Bottom-line" companies whose business practices lack commitment to the strengthening of the American economy and American workers, as well as to the health of our environment and our citizens. Our listings are created from online groups who gather and source this information (such as GreenAmerica.org.).


I doubt if Amira Kattan or Sahar Okasha are advertising on Fox, contributing to the Tea Party, or working to bust unions.

As far as that last point... I consider myself a global citizen, and the entire world is in economic crisis. I am just as happy if my actions benefit the economy and workers anywhere in the world, I don't cling to some tribalistic mandate that says my actions must benefit only my own family, country, state, hemisphere, etc. I'm much more concerned about the working conditions my products were produced in than the geographic boundaries.

It's perfectly OK with me if a family in Germany or India or Egypt or Turkey or... dare I say...even China sits down to a hot meal tonight because of something I purchased, as long as no one in the family had to labor under sweatshop conditions.

Nice of them to provide a fully comprehensive list of who to support should you have the opposite POV too.

well I live in Hawaii so we have to import a LOT of stuff lol so i won't be boycotting..their list is so unbelievably long plus I have a hard time believing everyone on the list is actually giving up every one of those products or businesses.

Just doesn't seem like a well thought out plan with a spelled out solution.

*looks at list* None of this crap is stuff I can even buy here so I'm sweet I guess.

This is all very ten years ago isn't it? And it seems this list is not about made overseas (if I simply boycott anything made offshore then that also means no Akai silks, right?) so much as made under licence for particularly horrid corporates.

It's rather difficult to be a completely ethical consumer, because everything is corporatised. Everything. I buy local where I can, but that's because a) my income is OK at the moment and b) I want to spend most of my money in my city to help its rebuild. That's not stopping me spending gajillions on flights to the US and Canada next year, or purchasing stuff that is made in whatsit zones overseas. We have a trade agreement with China - nearly everything cheap is from China. If I want to buy mid-range footwear, which is pricey to me, it's invariably made in Indonesia or China. If I buy a locally made dress, where was the fabric manufactured? I can tell you straight it's not here.

Unless I make everything myself and only buy second hand... it's not happening.

I do boycott DB beers and particularly its label Monteiths these days, because of the Radler Issue. But that has little to do with human rights and more to do with totally screwed up legal scenarios in which corporations can copyright something they have no right to copyright.

well written!

Originally Posted by Zumarrad

*looks at list* None of this crap is stuff I can even buy here so I'm sweet I guess.

This is all very ten years ago isn't it? And it seems this list is not about made overseas (if I simply boycott anything made offshore then that also means no Akai silks, right?) so much as made under licence for particularly horrid corporates.

It's rather difficult to be a completely ethical consumer, because everything is corporatised. Everything. I buy local where I can, but that's because a) my income is OK at the moment and b) I want to spend most of my money in my city to help its rebuild. That's not stopping me spending gajillions on flights to the US and Canada next year, or purchasing stuff that is made in whatsit zones overseas. We have a trade agreement with China - nearly everything cheap is from China. If I want to buy mid-range footwear, which is pricey to me, it's invariably made in Indonesia or China. If I buy a locally made dress, where was the fabric manufactured? I can tell you straight it's not here.

Unless I make everything myself and only buy second hand... it's not happening.

I do boycott DB beers and particularly its label Monteiths these days, because of the Radler Issue. But that has little to do with human rights and more to do with totally screwed up legal scenarios in which corporations can copyright something they have no right to copyright.

It is true that it's almost impossible to buy things ONLY locally. However I do my best to support local businesses when I can. They may get their raw materials from overseas but at least I can know that the person who manufactured the item for me is being paid a decent wage. I avoid paying $$$ for something from a big chain when I know that 99% of the retail price is the company's markup in order to make huge profits for their shareholders, and that the person who made the item probably got paid 5 cents an hour. :P

As an artist and artisan I have to deal constantly with the disconnect that the general public has about what things should cost; big-box prices for so many goods are artificially low because of unscrupulous overseas manufacturing where people are paid a pittance, and companies here in NA treating their employees like garbage.

If an overseas company is proven to have a good track record regarding employee wages and accountability, I'd have no problem buying from them.