Kerri BridgmanWhen you walk into a store, there’s an energy that comes off the clothing, the bags, the shoes. That energy isn’t random. It’s the result of people.
Anything you pick up physically has been touched by a human. Yes, machines are involved, but behind every step there’s a person, someone who wove the fabric, tanned the leather, dyed the material, cut the pattern, or assembled the garment. From the design to the final stitch, humans bring products to life.
That’s where the conversation about fast fashion gets complicated.
Because yes, you can buy a $5 tee shirt. But should you?
I’m not talking about the $5 itself. I’m talking about the cost behind the cost. Who wasn’t paid fairly along the supply chain in order for that tee shirt to end up with a $5 price tag? Whose labor was undervalued or overlooked to make that possible?
This is a major conversation in fashion right now, but still not the main one. People are beginning to ask, “What does my purchase really support?” but it’s not yet the standard mindset. And the truth is, this isn’t only about fast fashion. Luxury brands, too, are often guilty of cutting corners in ways that harm workers.
In some countries, like Italy, the government actively tracks who is paying their employees fairly and who isn’t. In the U.S., we’re not there yet. Tariffs and policy changes may not be great for small designers, but they are forcing us to ask: What would it look like to bring more manufacturing back home?
I’ve worked with factories in the U.S. that raised their own red flags—that’s a whole other story. But the point remains: no matter where it’s made, a tee shirt is never just a tee shirt. It carries the hands, energy, and lives of the people who touched it. And when we see a price tag that feels “too good to be true,” it’s worth asking who ultimately paid the price.
If this conversation about the “real cost” of fashion resonates with you, and you’re ready to bring more intention into how you produce or source, let’s connect. This is the work I live for.