Clothes Tag Exchange / Care Instructions

I designed this clothes tag to honor the best of what clothing can be in this world: something that connects us to the earth and each other in positive, beautiful ways. Clothes tags are usually the only tiny snippet of information we get about an item's history: "Made in China," "100% cotton," etc. This amount of information is so small that it is almost meaningless. Furthermore, is it even noticed? I believe that our failure to create (demand?) a new clothes system that treats the earth and people well is really a failure of the imagination. Perhaps China is too far to go to find out for ourselves, but if we can tell stories - true stories - about the peoples and places wrapped up in the production of clothing, and if we can keep these stories and images in our heads, I believe our clothing will begin to speak to us in different ways and with new meanings - meanings that lead to the creation of careful relationships and healthy methods of making.

The tag exchange:

The tag above is intended as an intervention - as a way to introduce and cultivate the kind of imagination and awareness that is a prerequisite to ecologically and socially conscious shopping habits. Here's how it works: You send me one (or more) of your clothes tags and a self-addressed stamped envelope, and I send you one (or more) of these tags in exchange. Then you sew this tag into your garment, as a reminder and statement in support of healthier clothes. As your garment gets passed on to friends, little sisters, or thrift stores, the tag takes on a life of its own and becomes a surprise snippet for future readers and wearers. If you're about to give away a load of clothes, consider sewing these tags into them first. The tag can also be sewn on like a patch.

These tags were woven in the Eastern USA from synthetic fibers.

*There is a suggested donation of $1 per clothes tag to support the continuation of this project. If you can contribute, just include the donation in your envelope with the tags for exchange. If you cannot contribute, please limit your request for tags to 5. Thank you.

Send to:
Leafcutter Designs
PO Box 5358
Berkeley, CA
94705

"Care Instructions" is part of the Changing Clothes project.