Europeans know how to relax.
On a recent trip to an environmental textile auditing company in Zurich, Switzerland I managed to get a good dose of European culture. As my focus is on fashion, environment and culture I noticed a great many things about the differences between Europe and North America. Besides, the fact that they still smoke way too much..tobacco that is..I realized that for some odd reason they are just way less stressed about everyday life than we are. I offhandedly attribute this to their history with the two world wars and the feeling that “it might all end tomorrow so why not live and enjoy today as much as possible” but I think that it must be more complicated than that. I can’t really explain how 1)I can watch a mother, her baby and young child riding a bike(yes all three at the same time..child in a baby seat up front, mom riding and young one sitting sideways on the back tire/carrying case area) cruising down the street in Amsterdam looking good and totally casual as they rode through hundreds of pedestrians, cars and other bikes and then 2) come back to America and read in the New York Times about a motorist bashing a guys’ head in because he scratched his car with his bike -only after the driver pulled out of his drive way and hit the biker! WTF?
Steven Saldebus is a clothing designer/entrepreneur currently exploring the use of recycled and sustainable materials for use in fashion.
This blog about trying to live a smarter, more progressive life while absorbed in consumer culture.
Enjoy