Day 7 - Tour de Fleece: The Sweatshops of Leicester, UK

Day 7: Today's video is a bit of a ramble. Heads up! But, it's a worthy discussion point since the Tour de Fleece is all about handspinning and it's very slow. It's a slow craft because it's all handmade. Fast fashion and the history of Leicester's textile industry is presented in very brief terms here, but it had important ramifications during the pandemic of 2020 (to present).
Articles mentioned:
July 2020: inews.co.uk/news/consumer/boo...
August 2021: inews.co.uk/news/leicester-sw...
June 2022: www.socialistparty.org.uk/art...
I don't spend enough time on myself so this challenge will focus on me spinning for myself (mostly) and sharing some personal projects--and personal growth with y'all.
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[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jennifer, I'm sorry I missed most of the live today. I hope you're OK xx ❣ 😘 It was interesting to hear what you said about Primark and their prices. I agree that people should be paid their worth and not be undervalued. There's another spectrum in that most of the clothes sold in M&S and the prices they charge when they're not made here but in the Czech Republic. Textile mills shut down and work moved elsewhere because it was cheaper. I know that there are people here who work here, especially in textiles for a lot less than they should. Happy Spinning and TDF 🐏 🚲 💓 Take care and stay safe Lots of love Jen xxxx 💖 💕❣🐑🐑

[@ExpertlyDyed]

That's also very true about M&S. Their Per Una label is pretty amazing; the lady I am helping to make a corset for used to go to sample sales from the Per Una label. I do remember hearing that a factory was setup in Manchester to process, spin, weave, and cut and sew pure cotton dress shirts. I got a sample of the cotton they processed because they wanted to know what we thought of it as spinners. It's all really fascinating. What we do is anything but and ancient art (even if it is also that too!). Esther Rogers mentioned this recently on her Instagram and it absolutely costs what it does because it has to. Tomorrow will be a little brighter. 😊

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

@@ExpertlyDyed To think that we pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. We seem to have gone backwards. I hadn't heard of that label before. I love the look of the Corset you're helping to make. You're both so talented. I hope we get to see the Corset when its finished. Happy Spinning ❤ Take care and stay safe Fibre Friend 🐑❤ Love Jen xx 💖 💕

[@ms.beatle248]

I read an article just now. Terrible things like this happen in today's world.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

I know what you mean. My neighborhood has a Facebook group and I remember that being my initial awareness of sweatshops in Leicester. I didn't believe it at first until I saw links suggesting that this was the reason why our positive rate was so high in comparison to literally everywhere else in the UK. It's important that we make our work as visible as possible because you'll never learn this stuff in school. It'll get taught if it's all out there in the open.