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Costuming and purchasing ethics

I've been thinking about this so much since starting work in costuming and I guess I'd just love to hear feedback on an idea I have about how I want to conduct myself as a costume designer.

In theater, there are typically a lot of purchases made. And when budgets are low, many places resort to the "Bezos Boutique" ahem for costumes. (Along with other exploitative companies and fast fashion chains.)

More and more, I want to make a list of places that I will not purchase from as a designer. And it's not meant to be a "well, I can only purchase from designer companies" but more of a focus on:

can I focus on buying locally?
can I thrift or rent more items that have future use than single-use slop?
can I avoid supporting exploitative companies?

I know the response from many designers would be: but we don't get paid enough to do XYZ to accommodate that. Which ultimately means that either WE as designers are exploited for the time it would take to ethically buy (let's face it, we're already exploited though) OR it means designers have to resort to exploitative companies.

I'm designing a show this summer, and really considering using it as a soft launch of this internal ethical list of alternatives. I know it'll be hard, and will take time, but I also am deeply curious what it would take to do this work in a way that aligns with my personal beliefs.

Anyway, I'm curious if folks have every seen this in action? Or been in discussions around this? Or even have feedback or tips on this kind of thing?

4 comments

Comments (4)

Sumalee Eaton

Apr 01

What a fantastic discussion-- first of all, I'm totally with you. I would even argue that it's not simply budget that keeps us purchasing from the Bezos Boutique (so glad to see other people using this term, SPREAD IT), it's largely time/labor as well.

Just thinking out loud here, it starts with design. It's not just about "where do I source things ethically?" but "how do I design within a scope that allows me to source ethically?" Y'all know I'm not a designer's designer, but in my design experiences, I often found that I was trying to work to too high of a standard and overcomplicating things, and sometimes this was compounded by the expectations/vision of the rest of the production team in terms of the "level" we were working toward.

This mentality often leads to this need to build/buy things new, rather than using what is in front of us (from stock, rental, borrowing, etc) and just rolling with it even if it's not perfect/what we were picturing. Since most theaters are relying on BB for EVERYTHING on stage (especially scenic and props), I feel like you have to have a very solid process developed avoiding them as a vendor because it's so much a part of production team culture now.

I found myself using them as a relief/respite so I could focus on other things. It was always things like 6 matching chiffon skirts for the ensemble, or appliques/trim, or 20 pairs of Dickie's coveralls that we need to ship quickly. Shipping is always a huge factor in ordering Prime!

Thrifting and sourcing ethically takes a lot of time, and is best done on an extended timeline where you can adjust and evolve the design accordingly (like say if you find thrifted fabric that is a different color than expected, etc) AND you have to order well in advance from non-Prime sources. As a slow decision maker, I always struggle with this, but I think it's a muscle that can be strengthened.

This is a very worthy endeavor, but it will not be without its challenges! (Esp with the closure of Joann). I have not heard anyone else bring this up really, and so I am excited to see what steps you take to make it happen. My main advice would just be (like in everything else) to give yourself grace. Stick to your plan, but if you need the emergency Prime order for your sanity, let it happen. You're still being mindful!

Bianca | Bookhoarding

Apr 02

Replying to

I like your nudge to consider the ethical design upfront. For me, I started as a cosplayer on a budget of $0, so I feel like I've always been seeking out alternative options, if that makes sense? I've also been relying on deadstock and reuse fabric and notions for a looooong time, which has baffled my teachers. Like, I haven't shopped at Joann for at least five years (the last time I went in they didn't have a basic foot or even needles for my machine, so I left and never came back). So I'm hopeful that training myself for personal and school projects can give me the initial runway to do as much as I can to stock what I need now.

I definitely think if I need to design for a musical or something with multiple matching things I'm going to hit a roadblock. Even understudy costumes might be a challenge, so I'm trying to take it in stride and focus on giving the designs as much flexibility as possible until I can't.

Right now I think my biggest hurdles might be skins, where to get new sets reliably, and shoes. But historical shoes are always a pain, so I'm prepared for that to be a whole thing.

And yes, it was eye-opening how much production crews are relying on the Prime shipping for things. Even Target.

Sumalee Eaton

Apr 02

Replying to

You make a good point, which is that straight plays are much more conducive to the type of sourcing behavior we're trying to cultivate! I am also a total make-do-and-mend costumer, but all anyone does in my market are musicals, and nothing says overconsumption and mindlessness like a musical. (Respectfully!)

And that's what I was getting at when I said it starts with design-- the theatres choose unsustainable, unrealistic shows, so it's hard to be sustainable and realistic as a designer. A lot of these directors need to hear "everyone will be in black T-shirts and their own jeans for this number"-- those are the types of sustainable design decisions I was mostly referring to. With builds, I have a feeling we both (and many of our costume friends) are coming from a similar background in terms of using alternative materials (though it's so interesting that your teachers don't relate?? They should be leading this charge imo??)

Skins are tough. I don't have advice on that.

Shoes are also tough but I do think it's a moment where you put people in character shoes and call it "good enough". Spats, gaiters, boot toppers, etc can also help even though they're not perfect!

Again, fantastic discussion. Kind of making me miss design 🫣 Become famous so I can work as your draper!!!

Edited

Bianca | Bookhoarding

Apr 05

Replying to

I totally get what you mean about design on that higher level. I just always jump right to the end game, but obviously the initial convos are critical. I partially think that pitching a sustainable/ethical show would actually raise more concerns upfront vs. just silently doing the labor on the backend. You know what I mean? It just doesn't feel like all productions care about sustainable/ethical practices, unless maybe they like promoting that. Maybe I'm off target in that assessment, but that's the vibe.

I'm starting to think about this on future use scale, but also looking at the production I'm currently on as an example. Admittedly, I'm working wardrobe, and not design, but it's still such a relevant convo there too. I was told repeatedly "Well we have to go to Target because it's easiest."

I took a walk on my lunch break yesterday and ran across a drugstore a block away from work that had everything we had needed. So it feels like convenience isn't just a need, it's an idea that many people have been sold on to affiliate with Zon and Target and everywhere else.

I think this is the kind of footwork (ba dum tiss) I need to do ahead of my show this summer. Even if it's just making a shopping list and linking to a google map. Because I honestly think, esp with looming price hikes, that creatives are going to have to redefine "convenience" or at least take a hard look at what it means. Is it really more "convenient" to drive 1 minute to a drug store or 10 minutes to a big box store? And how much is the difference in pricing?

(Also, idk if I'll ever become a famous designer, but I'd loveeee to have you as a draper one day. Let's cross our fingers I get a nice budget show one day.)