Electronics Enthusiasts and Fashion

[VK3DRB]

Someone brought up fast fashion and its damage to the ecology, and the fact the French have just introduced legislation to thwart it. Sounds great.

Most electronics people (hobbyists, engineers and technicians) are the opposite to fast fashion. Maybe its because we are generally not narcissistic, or we would rather spend our hard earned money on test equipment. I noticed over the past 40 or so years at real electronics component stores, customers' are not exactly fashionistas. Same with attire for work colleagues.

For example, I spend about $100 per year on new clothes, and maybe $50 on shoes. I still have a jumper (pullovers) that is about 35 years old. Here is a picture or my last pair shoes I wore in public until after my wife threatened to throw them in the bin if I dare wore them in public again. In the practical sense they were super comfortable and had developed flow through ventilation. Another advantage is no-one is going to hold me up at knife-point and try to steal my shoes. I reluctantly bought another pair, but I have kept these. Maybe I should auction them on eBay to the lowest bidder.

Am I alone in my attitude to clothes? Are we different to the general population in this regard?

[pcprogrammer]

No not alone.

I too could not care less in what I'm wearing. Only once in a while I buy new clothes to replace something I really can't wear anymore. The wife is the same. Down here in the middle of France it does not matter either. Most people here don't give shit about what you wear, as it should be.

Walking shoes is a bit different because I walk every day to keep the body active and good shoes help against pain, but still only when shoes are on sale and when the old ones are to worn out or start to leak.

[SiliconWizard]

Judging from the picture, I doubt you spend $50 on shoes per year. Maybe per 3 decades.

[jpanhalt]

Ever do a DIY move with a woman involved?  My clothes could fit in one or two suitcases.  The big, heavy wardrobe boxes were filled with "hers" stuff -- not including the shoes.

My shoes are not quite that bad, but I still have some casual shirts and sweaters from my college days 60 years ago.  I hate shopping for clothes, and that has nothing to do with cost.  I usually wait for a weekday at opening time, which unfortunately is usually 10AM.  The stores are pretty much vacant then.   It's also safer.  Mall shooters in the US usually wait until much later.

[nctnico]

I'm not really fashionable but I'm not wearing: anything in black, anything with patchwork pattern (I'm not a forrest-worker), T-shirts and jeans. Although I have to admit that I have not been able to avoid black completely. Sometimes it is the only option available nowadays.

My clothes typically go through 4 phases: suitable to wear to work/customers, suitable to wear at home, suitable for dirty jobs like painting, metal working and then they get recycled. This cycle can take 15 years though 

[NiHaoMike]

My clothes typically go through 4 phases: suitable to wear to work/customers, suitable to wear at home, suitable for dirty jobs like painting, metal working and then they get recycled. This cycle can take 15 years though 

Same here, although clothes recycling isn't a thing in the US so unusable clothes get turned into cleaning rags.

[rdl]

I bought some new jeans last year because what I had finally wore out after 20 years. One pair is all you need, right? I buy two or three decent knit shirts every 10 years or so. T-shirts and underwear though have to be bought more frequently.

[VK3DRB]

Judging from the picture, I doubt you spend $50 on shoes per year. Maybe per 3 decades.

Its not often I get a laugh out of EEVBLOG, but your comment made me literally laugh out loud. Thanks. We all need a laugh. I actually had those shows for about five or six years, which is what I expect out of a good pair.

[coppercone2]

look at the water requirements for the production of fabric goods

https://sustainablecampus.fsu.edu/blog/clothed-conservation-fashion-water

Pick one, fabs or fabulous, if we have both it ends up like dune. I think the technology (using copious amounts of water for wafers and such) is better then maintaining super surface finish on clothing items.

[VK3DRB]

Ever do a DIY move with a woman involved?  My clothes could fit in one or two suitcases.  The big, heavy wardrobe boxes were filled with "hers" stuff -- not including the shoes.

My shoes are not quite that bad, but I still have some casual shirts and sweaters from my college days 60 years ago.  I hate shopping for clothes, and that has nothing to do with cost.  I usually wait for a weekday at opening time, which unfortunately is usually 10AM.  The stores are pretty much vacant then.   It's also safer.  Mall shooters in the US usually wait until much later.

As for shopping for clothes, I hear you. Shopping for clothes with the wife in a mall is the most mind numbing thing a man can endure other than sorting out a huge mixed bag of SMD resistors by value. There is a good reason why in shopping malls, electronics stores like Tandy were once strategically placed opposite women's dress or lingerie stores. I used to stand outside lingerie stores because inside the store there was nowhere to look without being classed as a pervert. If the wife is looking for a dress, never say the first thing she shows you will look great on her because she knows you just want to get out of there quickly. Do it on the second.

[VK3DRB]

look at the water requirements for the production of fabric goods

https://sustainablecampus.fsu.edu/blog/clothed-conservation-fashion-water

Pick one, fabs or fabulous, if we have both it ends up like dune. I think the technology (using copious amounts of water for wafers and such) is better then maintaining super surface finish on clothing items.

That is quite alarming. I don't know why in Australia, the second driest continent of earth other than Antarctica, has to grow cotton here. It is crazy.

Ethics is important. It is one reason why I never use tantalum capacitors in any of my electronics designs. This link rates clothing brands for ethics, including environmental stuff. It is Australia-centric, but there are plenty of global brands in there. Amazon gets a bad rap... https://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/ethical-fashion-guide/

[coppercone2]

ethical is one thing but you need to make it worth the water

[nctnico]

And how about dumping unsold / unused clothes somewhere in a desert in Chili (random Google pick):

[SiliconWizard]

That looks picturesque.

Another option would be to send all our waste into orbit. I'm sure many would find that a good idea.

[Geoff-AU]

Another option would be to send all our waste into orbit. I'm sure many would find that a good idea.

Falcon 9 can put 18 tonnes in LEO orbit using a bit over 400 tonnes of propellant, or 22 tonnes of propellant for 1 tonne of payload.  You're way, way better off simply burning the garbage than burning enough Kerosene to put it in orbit.
 

[pcprogrammer]

Another option would be to send all our waste into orbit. I'm sure many would find that a good idea.

Falcon 9 can put 18 tonnes in LEO orbit using a bit over 400 tonnes of propellant, or 22 tonnes of propellant for 1 tonne of payload.  You're way, way better off simply burning the garbage than burning enough Kerosene to put it in orbit.

And how much poison would that put into the atmosphere. 

I know things can be filtered, but still it might the best solution to dump it in the desert nobody uses. Something for archeologists of the far future to discover and wonder why it was done. 

But indeed it is absolute bullshit to send it to space. Would waste far more resources than benefits it might bring.

[tom66]

Another option would be to send all our waste into orbit. I'm sure many would find that a good idea.

Falcon 9 can put 18 tonnes in LEO orbit using a bit over 400 tonnes of propellant, or 22 tonnes of propellant for 1 tonne of payload.  You're way, way better off simply burning the garbage than burning enough Kerosene to put it in orbit.

Not to mention Falcon 9 has only been proven to be reusable up to around 20 times and you dispose of the entire second stage in the ocean every time... yeah I can't ever see space-based disposal of waste making sense.

We're not necessarily short of landfill space, the problem is more the environmental catastrophe of having to create that waste in the first place, we need to stop!

[Haenk]

I hate shopping for clothes, and that has nothing to do with cost.  I usually wait for a weekday at opening time, which unfortunately is usually 10AM.  The stores are pretty much vacant then.   It's also safer.  Mall shooters in the US usually wait until much later.

I german comedian once compared the shopping habits of women and men. Men usually shop "commando-style" - run into the shop, grab item, run to the cashier, and away you are. Usually takes less than 5 minutes.
Women on the other hand. ... Probably don't need to tell
(Luckily my wife does not insist on my company while shopping any more. That has probably saved myself thousands of hours of lifetime.)

[SiliconWizard]

Well as a generalization (oh yes I know those are bad), men have more of a "hunter" behavior, while women, more of a "gatherer" behavior.

[switchabl]

Well as a generalization (oh yes I know those are bad), men have more of a "hunter" behavior, while women, more of a "gatherer" behavior.

Indeed, if you observe closely, you will often see men track a wild pair of pants through a clothes shop for hours before going in for the kill. Personally, I do find the whole thing rather gruesome and I am not sure it still has a place in modern society. But who am I to argue with evolution.

On a more serious note, if you enjoy restoring electronic equipment, you might also find mending satisfying. It has gone out of fasion (pun intended) with new clothes getting so cheap but why throw something away if you can just fix it instead?

[Circlotron]

There is an excellent Facebook page called Dull Men's Club (to which I subscribe, BTW) You need to go and have a look.

[Smokey]

As the son of an engineering nerd, and now an adult engineering nerd myself, I understand the inclination to disregard stuff like what your clothes look like.  But I can also say that leaving the house looking like a homeless person with your clothes falling apart has actual consequences whether you want to accept or acknowledge that yourself or not.

No one is saying you need to buy and wear whatever expensive high fashion currently has on the red carpet/runway.  But for the sake of your family and any organizations you may happen to represent, just put in the minimum effort to not look like a bum.  We can pretty much all accept that being the guy with poor hygiene that smells bad all the time isn't ok.  (Being a working professional and still..) Walking around with holes in your worn out clothes isn't much better (insert "distressed" jeans counter argument here).  Claiming you are "saving the environment" or "fighting capitalism" is not a valid justification.  If you solve complicated engineering problems for a living you should also be capable of periodically finding a Target and buying a new minimum basic set of clothes.

/rant off

::edit:: I'm not sure why I need to say this, but it should be obvious I'm not here making any sort of statement about what should or shouldn't be acceptable for ACTUAL homeless people to wear, or do, or anything related to that. 

[themadhippy]

Walking around with holes in your worn out clothes isn't much better

Theres a place for you in our stasi  goverment to help implement the  latest version of the criminal justice bill.

[Smokey]

Walking around with holes in your worn out clothes isn't much better

Theres a place for you in our stasi  goverment to help implement the  latest version of the criminal justice bill.

... [img width=100] ...
Without making a stand on if those sorts of laws are good or bad.....
If you are an actual engineer, with a job, and you are at all at risk of being mistaken for an actual homeless person and therefore in danger of something like this, then you brought that on yourself

[SiliconWizard]

Sweet.