In World 236, Britain continued championing responsible clothing production and consumption after the wartime Make-do and Mend campaign and Utility Clothing Scheme. Post-1945, local councils compiled comprehensive guides on the area’s resources for clothing: production, consumption and care, and disposal. These guides were well-used by the public, consistently updated, and fully digitised today.
These guides helped dressmakers, alteration and tailoring services, second-hand shops, and launderettes to thrive in the post-war decades and so they remain firm fixtures of every village, town, and city. We feel connected to our clothing and are well supported to care for it throughout its life.
What if …
constantly buying and replacing clothing – made by exploited workers overseas – never became the norm?
Issue targeted:
lack of knowledge or provision of local clothing services, often leading people who want to do better to feel stuck or unsupported
Inspiration:
wartime clothing consumption campaigns, community organisations and spirit
This World was contributed by Alana McPake (located in Glasgow, Scotland) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
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