Boy does Peled's 2005 documentary China Blue take major shine off the fashion for the masses apple ( I.e the Top Shop Kate Moss', Target Patrick Robinsons', Gap doo.ri's, etc., of the world). Do people really think about who's making these clothes anymore? Are people like Jasmine Lee really making a better life for themselves and their family? Are they happy? They sure didn't look it in the film.
Watching Jasmine Lee is hard. I really wonder where she is now and how she is fairing? One almost wants to write her a letter like she suggested. If you check out the PBS Independent Lens website you can get the scoop on the documentary and how to get a copy on DVD. Even though it isn’t long and rather simple it was extremely moving and as the website says, after watching it I don’t think people can look at clothes the same way again. Time and again pieces pop up about sweat shops but they always seem to quickly die down and fade from memory, when is this going to stop? When will quality trump quantity? I find this all rather interesting considering how "green" people and the media have become this year.
Anyway, I'm thinking of turning the banner quote in the film into a T-shirt:
"If you don't work hard today: You'll be looking hard for a new job tomorrow"
...how motivational
As a side note, R.I.P Isabella Blow. You and your quirky sense of self will be truly missed. See the New York Observer piece, "Simon Doonan: I Missed The Boat on Fashion's Dizziest, Saddest Dame" here (yes, for some reason I adore Simon and his column). While you're there you can also look up their past article on Patrick Robinson (soon to be a Gap man?) doing Target and the current capsule trend.
