The “Worker” issue celebrates the people who toil, as our lead essay suggests, “Behind The Seams.” Our staff writers profiled a seamstress, a pattern maker, a milliner, a cobbler, a textile designer, and a design educator, describing each person’s background and their craft. Foreign Policy Digest writer Mahanth Joishy discusses the darker side of the fashion industry in “Sweat Equity,” a piece on child sweatshop labor in South Asia that is beautifully illustrated by artist Christopher Cunetto. Peruse our program summary to see how FFP is working with Kiva around the world to provide micro-loans and opportunities to artisans in Uganda, Praguay and Peru.

If this is your thing, free digital copies on signing up to their list.

It’s not your thing, no snark. pls. Be advised that I’ve been a garment workers union rep, have RSI from necessity based garment sewing and low tolerance for the trend of snark against fashion bloggers by ‘class conscious’ aspirational working class identified [but never labourers] critics - who overly project/deflect their defensiveness about upward mobility at those still underclass people who appreciate cultural criticism.

Oh look, I’m on a tangent post! Anyone on tumblr who habitually participates in ‘call culture’ accusations of elitism, basing their judgements largely on who’s in their own personal clique, rather than engaging with people and the posted content, will inevitably be that jerk accusing the ‘oppressed’ of being ‘elitist’ while claiming to defend them sometimes. Because those ‘oppressed’ like blogging, politics and pretty pictures to. Because those ‘oppressed’ are actually the global majority, a substantial minority in western nations and overrepresented in political activism. Because it’s hard to accurately gauge personal social locations via intentionally shallow photo tumblrs.

This probably sounds defensive. But hey tumblr, the deluded feedback i got on prior fashion labour posts from people with far better education and inclusion in ALP ‘regular aussie’ middle class income, but ‘working families’ pack mentality than me.

I’m not talking about those people debating politics or defending themselves from the ample prejudice in fashion [constant cultural appropriation, body shaming etc.]. I’m talking about the level of really obnoxious, half informed, smarmy spectatorship masquerading as political commitment, from those with no real interest in fashion as labour rights, creative industries or cultural criticism.

what can i say, it feels like political blogging is in a weird dogmatic/petty stage atm.