I don’t shop for clothes all that often. What I want I make for myself and what I can’t make I often buy used. It’s only in vintage apparel, really, that you get the true sense of the origin. Tweed woven from the wool of sheep who foraged on the moss of the moors in Scotland… Icelandic sweaters knit in Iceland by the hands of people who descended from the Vikings who created the designs… Leather shoes built on lasts that have been handed down through generations of shoemakers in the Italian alps. These things all have meaning to me as do the signs of wear and use, true indications of durability and utility. They wake me up to the notion that there is nothing sustainable about something disposable. That the only way to be a conscious consumer or producer is to tighten the loops of exchange, not expand them. are you concerned about the food you eat? Buy it from your neighbor, you can look over the fence anytime and see how it’s grown. concerned about how your verve clothing is sewn? Yes, you still might run into one of our ‘grannies’ in line at the store…just ask her.
The Outdoor Industry’s Christian Griffith, has lived his passion for more than 25-years. His lifestyle and clothing company, VerveClimbing.com, reflects his values and is an extension of them. His ideas on Sustainability, so well expressed here and reprinted from his website, remind us that how we live in the world shapes our destiny. Live well.
