13/06/2026
My emerging day yesterday revealed a story …
Here goes ...
I had a customer challenge my prices. “My friend told me you charge £25 for 2 hours” she said. I replied that would mean I was working for less than the Minimum Wage let alone Living Wage. Enter next customer, “Prices gone up then?” he says. “Nope” I say “I’m simply earning a livelihood”. What’s going on that I have to justify my livelihood! And yet, it happens ALL the time.
This is why ...
We have become accustomed to cheap clothes - but did you know it’s garments workers who are paying the price. The fast fashion system is built on exploitation and modern slavery. We’re talking about workers struggling to stitch together a living by doing 60, 70, even 80 hour working weeks facing violence and harassment in unsafe factories. All this… for fleeting trends and throwaway fashion.
I kindly explained this to my customer “It’s all about raising awareness” I said. “How do you do that!” Well… just like this, a post to DOLLY fans. Spread the word peeps.
‘Imagine a world where it takes workers half that time to make a genuine living wage that allows them and their loved ones to live in safety and in dignity’
So now you know - and you probably already did but we tend to turn a blind eye – honour your precious clothes and the people who make them by keeping and mending them. If you’re bringing them to me, your choice obvs, expect to pay a fair fee for not only my time and materials but also for decades of skill and expertise. I can’t and won’t compete with a system that doesn’t sustain people or planet.
