Well here goes, we will be starting the adventure in 8 days time and already from the research I am doing there seems to be a key factor to buying British and that is cost. I’m starting by looking at clothing as I will be needing some new work clothes in the New Year and as the sales will beckon very soon I thought it wise to starting hunting for pure British.
There do seem to be a number of people who design and make British and I am comforted that as my jeans have just gone at the knee that I will be able to replace them. The big stumbling block however is price as most are ‘designer’ or ‘independent’ and so jeans start at £150!
This has made me really think therefore how it is that my wonderful standard Gap jeans can be made for £40?
Are they substandard quality? Well I can answer that instantly with a no! These jeans have lasted nearly 2 years of every weekend use which I think is pretty good going.
Are they made somewhere or by someone that makes them cost pence to make? Well this one is more tricky and not one that I would go into for one particular store over another, that’s not really what we’re looking at.
However this does raise the question of do you get what you pay for? Does knowing that the people who have produced your clothes, food and everything else have been over 18 and have been paid fairly for the work they have done, make things that are substantially more expensive than you would usually buy worth it?
A tough one for the start of the project but I think an important one. At least by buying British we should be safe in the knowledge that what we buy, although heavier on the wallet, should be lighter on the conscience.
-Emily
Hi all of you. I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing. I only just found out about you following the mass media write-ups.
It’s a tough old thing trying to get British stuff – even apparently British things like HP Sauce, Branston Pickle, Weetabix and “the Mini”, to name a few, are all foreign owned now.
I admit to being totally hypocritical in my buying, but I do try, for lots of things. This applies to my own website which has a Swiss registrar and is hosted in the USA, but going forward on lots of purchases I’m checking everything!
e.g. For Xmas, I got given a Debenhams sweater which was made in Madagascar! A first for that on a label for me.
Also, I think you may have fallen into a technical trap when starting your website since your host 1&1, though having a .co.uk domain name, is hosted in Germany and is owned by a German… see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Internet