Hey, all you fashion-loving eco-activists! Today we are taking a look at an industry we all deal with every day, totally without thinking about it: the fashion trade. Or rather, one aspect of that whole mad fast-fashion world! This matter is very close to my heart, representing, as it does, the combination of style and my passion for the planet on which we live. So here goes.
Over the past few years, fast fashion has changed both how we shop for clothes and what we wear. And with its rapid production cycles, fast fashion delivers the very latest style straight from catwalk to consumer at breakneck speeds—and very low prices too. It all sounds great, doesn’t it? But if you take a look behind the scenes…
I think the first time I really understood fast fashion was when I was browsing online and saw how many new items came out every week. From there arose my question: “How can they produce so much, so fast, so cheaply?” I was led down a trail of research by this particular question, and the results were not at all pretty.
The Environmental Cost: A Detailed Examination
The environmental impact of fast fashion is enormous. It is a big contributor to water pollution, for instance. Just in the dyeing process alone, it’s second only to agriculture in terms of global water pollution. Consider this: Producing just one pair of jeans can use up to 2,000 gallons of water. Enough to provide drinking water for about 10,000 people a day!
Far more than that, however, is water waste. The industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing havoc on our climate and environment. And we must add the deepening pools of textile waste. As more and more items arrive in quick succession, clothing is quickly discarded. We now find landfills overflowing with clothes that may take several hundred years to decompose.
For all it takes from the natural world, fast fashion exacts as great a price on human beings. Fast clothes are made cheaply by workers, often in countries with little regard for labor laws. These workers get paid little and often toil under unhealthy conditions. The dark side of this aspect of fashion was tragically brought home by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in 2013, which proved a grim wake-up call for myself and many others in the industry: we had ignored and profited from workers’ plight long enough.
A Journey to a More Sustainable Style
Coming to grips with the repercussions of my fashion decisions plunged me into pondering sustainable style. Sustainable fashion focuses on reducing its environmental footprint, observing fair labor practices, and creating an economy where waste is negligible throughout the lifecycle of a piece of clothing. It is about quality over quantity, cherishing the craft and story behind each piece you wear.
Changing over to a sustainable wardrobe has not happened easily. It has meant effacing images of clothing and thinking of clothes as commodities versus things with intrinsic value you want to keep. Nonetheless, each step—from finding second-hand and vintage pieces to supporting an ethical brand—feels like a vote for the kind of world I’d like to see.
Although embarking on a sustainable-style journey may appear formidable at first, it has proven to be incredibly rewarding for both oneself and the planet. Let’s consider what we can do to make the fashion industry more sustainable for everyone by making our own choices and changes.
Autonomous Consumption: The Power of Choice
The root of sustainable style is to become an autonomous consumer. This entails thinking carefully about our own acquisitions: Do I really need this? Who made it? What circumstances were used to make it? Is there an environmentally friendly substitute for this product that I can search out? What I’ve found useful is that stopping to reflect on these questions before purchasing often leads me to less buying on impulse and a greater appreciation for what I have.
Here’s Where Second-Hand and Vintage Really Shine
In sustainable fashion, there is nothing like the second-hand and retro classics that many of us have a passion for collecting. Shopping secondhand not only stops clothes from going into landfills, but it can also lead to the discovery of history-laden, unique pieces. Shopping for vintage is almost like going on an expedition, finding treasures that add both character and historical depth to your wardrobe.
Supporting Ethical Brands and Building Bridges with Transparency
As demand for sustainable fashion grows, a greater number of brands are beginning to implement ethical measures. Sponsors of these brands are actually passing on an extremely strong signal to the industry about what their consumers value. Look for companies that reveal detailed information on how they do production, the materials they use, and where they get labor. This way, you can be sure that what you buy is in accordance with your ethical standards.
Sustainable style also means a shift of attention away from quantity and towards quality. By purchasing well-made pieces that you’ll be able to wear for years to come (rather than buying throwaway items that fall apart after only a few times out), we are reducing waste and saving resources in the long run. It’s about creating a wardrobe consisting of pieces you love and that withstand the test of time.
DIY Fashion: Repair, Upcycle, and Personalize
Another side of sustainable style I love is the DIY culture. By mastering simple repair skills, you can extend the life of your clothes, and upcycling provides a creative outlet for bringing old clothing back into use from storage. As for personalizing your clothes, it also means that they become more meaningful and less disposable, which fosters a more profound connection with what you wear.
The Ripple Effect: Influencing Change Beyond Your Wardrobe
Adopting a sustainable style is no longer confined to the clothes we wear; it is more about influencing change on a larger scale. Through our experiences shared, through calling for industry change and supporting policies in sustainability, we can make our part of a bigger movement towards more ethically framed and environmentally friendly fashion business practices. By spreading the word and taking action to change production and purchase processes, we form a stronger impetus toward this goal.
It’s a voyage towards a sustainable style, which involves continuous learning, growth, and making informed decisions. This journey aims to protect our planet and provide a way forward for the entire fashion industry. Let’s all take these steps together. Together, we can reduce the environmental cost of fast fashion and pave the way towards a more sustainable and elegant future.