1) I spend too much money on clothes. And, while I never complain about the shipping costs because I just factor that right into the price tag of something I'm buying online, having my clothing purchases shipped to me has used up quite a lot of my spending budget. This is obviously not a great enough deterrent to stop me from ordering clothes online, but I should probably at least wait to place a multiple item order with those designers whose online shops I frequently buy from in order to cut down on both the shipping costs and materials used.
2) I recently had two Etsy purchases which did not fit quite perfectly. While both designers very graciously offered to alter their respective item and pay for the shipping required to do so, I couldn't help but think that it was too much of a waste to ship one piece of clothing three times just so that it fit me perfectly. Both items are beautiful as they are, so I should just be happy with what I have, rather than costing their makers money and materials, as well as everything involved in the shipping via air process.
3) A dress that I saw online and then tried on in a local boutique haunted my dreams, and so I felt the need to buy it. I know I'm supporting the indie designer either way, but I felt that I would be making the wrong decision by ordering the dress online to save $50. I love the boutique that I tried it on in and do like supporting them (as they carry only indie designers and are simply by far the best shop around)...but $50 is $50. $50 that I could go spend in said boutique after ordering the dress online. (Hmm...that's a good idea actually. That could actually relieve my conscience.) So I think that if an indie designer sells his/her creations both online and in a local brick and mortar store, I do think it's a more conscientious decision to buy from the store in regards to the environmental impact of shipping. However, with the mark-up usually present in order to run a brick and mortar store, sometimes it's not really affordable to support both designer and said store.
4) One thing about being Canadian is that most if not all Canadians are proud to be Canadian, and non-Canadians expect Canadians to be proud to be Canadian. One more time? Okay...Canadian. So, as a Canadian fashion blogger, and we are a rare breed for some reason, I feel like I should support Canadian indie designers. And in my head, 'support' does not just involve blogging about them, but also spending my money on their pieces and wearing them, walking billboard style. So, with a limited budget, I feel like I should be consciously devoting more of my money to Canadian-made clothing, even if that means that I can't buy everything I want from a non-Canadian indie designer that I love. The nice thing about doing this is that I know the clothing travelled far less miles to get to me than something from overseas. And Canada needs a stronger fashion scene.
So, is that clear as mud? Yeah, not really. I will definitely continue supporting indie designers no matter what country they are in, but I think that I will: a) cut down on my spending (and thus maybe free up some traveling money, meaning that I could subsequently purchase clothing in their city/country of origin); b) be more aware of what labels my local boutique carries and weigh the pros and cons of buying the same item in the boutique versus online; and c) try to allow Canadian indie designers a larger portion of my budget. Also, with my flight to NYC all booked and paid for, I think I will save up all future purchases from my beloved designers in that area for a pick-up order.
Okay, rant over.
