• proto_jefe@lemm.ee
    71·
    3 days ago

    Admirable but there are a couple things to consider. Take fashion for example. Yes, H&M and Zara are European owned but (I’m assuming) near zero of their production is done in Europe, and instead in poor/developing countries. In my opinion, it sort of defeats the point. As an American, I’d love to support European brands that keep their production local.

    • All Europeans 🇪🇺@social.vivaldi.net
      1·
      2 days ago

      @proto_jefe @Blaze

      It’s not just fast fashion like H&M, but European luxury brands also outsource their production to Asia. If you go to any department store with premium brands or outlet stores, you’ll find that, except for shoes, which are often made in Portugal, Spain or Italy, clothing made in Europe is pretty rare. And when they are made in the EU, there are questions about the human rights conditions too.

      When you go to ethical local stores that produce their own textiles, design and production, a simple T-shirt will cost more than €100. That’s just out of the reach of most people, especially families. So, to be able to compete and survive, it seems most European clothing brands are “obliged” to produce in Asia, otherwise they can’t beat their competitors on price.

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
      3·
      3 days ago

      Also, no matter where you live, support your local small businesses, too (as a general rule). This helps your local economy and your day to day; it helps fund your local libraries and parks; it helps keep that money flowing around and not up.

      I’ve been looking at more non-American services myself (my instance is Australian), but as we all strive to vote with our dollar or euro, we should be cognizant of the small businesses who often care about their communities and are just as beholden to the whims of the billionaires as the rest of us.