'When you know where something came from you are more likely to treasure it'

I recently read this article: 'Sitting in judgment, why discerning consumers should pay more for less' in Selvedge Magazine issue 20, Nov/Dec 2007, by Beth Smith.
The article made me begin to question what it means to design and make more objects when we already have more than we need. 'Greed has replaced need; consumption of goods bears no resemblance to the quantity we actually use.' (Smith 2007: 59). ‘One jumper will make you much happier if you’re cold, three jumpers (even in different colours) will not make you three times happier.’ (Smith 2007: 59). It made me begin to question a designers responsibility to design things that won't go out of fashion, that will be of good quality, that use ethically sourced materials, and perhaps have the potential to be adapted or modified by the user to respond to their changing needs or fashions. I linked this to the garments designed by Issey Miyake, able to be cut out and designed by each individual wearer (see image above).

The article then goes on to discuss buying '...locally from small producers, or the larger companies that support them. It's the antidote to the feelings of emptiness available on every anonymous high street...it makes you a participant as well as a consumer, where you have a sense of who's in your universe and how it fits together. When you know where something came from you are more likely to treasure it.' (Smith 2007: 59)
I have added links to the websites of companies mentioned in the article for their ethical design policies:
squint
Toast
Riedzioni
Luma
Gayle Warwick
Oecotextiles
Cynthia Ashby