Shopping! I feel thinking about this activity alone is enough to spark joy in us. Honestly, receiving neatly packed black and white packages filled with sweaters, turtlenecks, and all sorts of other things excites everybody (including me) like nothing else. But the point of starting this blog with shopping is because we all were, at some point, addicted to browsing different websites, looking out for the newest trends, and adding them to the cart.
But what we have almost missed out here is to notice how quickly these trends change! And to meet such demands of the consumers, stores quickly overstock and satisfy consumers’ whims. Once this is over, they throw away their collection to make room for the next season, and this is just a gist of how fast fashion works! Continue with the blog to read more about fast fashion and what you could do to stop supporting it.
So, what is Fast Fashion?
In the last few decades, the term fast fashion has become quite the buzzword, and I am pretty sure if you have been in the world of sustainable fashion, you might have heard this a lot!
Talking about fast fashion, it refers to inexpensive and quickly made products, including clothing, shoes, accessories that draw inspiration from current fashion trends. The idea here is to look out for the type of clothing the consumer wants at the exact moment. And then make them available for the consumers as quickly as possible to capitalize on these trends. It might seem like the obvious way of how everything works so, what could be the problem?
So, breaking down the problems with fast fashion brings us to:
Environmental impact.
Since the goal of fast fashion is to produce quick and inexpensive goods, a lot of corners get cut down in the process. And a large chunk of it comes to the environment.
About ten percent of the world’s total carbon emissions are from the fashion industry – more than the combined emissions from airlines and international shipping. Plus, clothing production forms the second-largest consumer to consume water supply – a resource that we are already running low on. Apart from that, a lot of dyes and other toxins from the industries get dumped into local water bodies.
Impact on Workers.
Do you ever wonder why such clothing is so inexpensive?
The cost in fast fashion is cut down to quite some extent because the producers outsource the production to lower and middle-income countries. Unlike the rest, these countries have fewer workplace regulations where they pay very little to the workers. And by little here, we mean an amount that does not suffice even the living cost of the workers. Yes! It is the scenario in most cases.
To break it down, the only reason fast fashion is so affordable is that these brands pay very little than what they deserve!
Now, what can you do not support this?
#1 Try Thrift Shops:
Thrifting is not only cheap but also cuts down on your contribution to the environmental waste that comes from buying new products. Even if you do not choose a fast-fashion brand, there are slow fashion ones too! These are basically the opposite. But the only thing with slow fashion brands is that even if they are environmentally conscious, they are more expensive than fast fashion brands. And this makes many shoppers eliminate such brands from their list. Now, here is when thrift stores come in!
Such stores promote sustainable fashion by selling second-hand clothing, thereby contributing their share in reducing carbon emissions, water waste, and other environmental impacts. Yes, indeed, thrifting cannot be the ultimate solution to all our environmental problems, but it will reduce the demands of new clothing.
#2 Say Yes to Conscious Brands:
By this point, we mean supporting brands that consciously make efforts to have a lesser impact on the environment and paying fair wages to the workers. So, what can you do to brace these brands? One of the ways is buying products from them as it gives them a signal that they are on the right track! As producers, they get a thumbs up and know that they should continue the way they have been doing.
However, it should not be mistaken here that buying everything from such brands will get us to the ideal future that we have been imagining. Instead, the point here is to be more critical of choosing our brands – the more conscious ones that fit our budget.
#3 Curating a Capsule Wardrobe for yourself:
I am sure you have been in situations where there is so much stuff, yet nothing to wear! And trust me, we all have been there. Now, this is where having a capsule wardrobe helps.
To put it in simple words, the idea of curating a capsule wardrobe involves taking out or getting rid of all that stuff from your closet that you do not wear or do not like. That way, you have a wardrobe full of your favorites only. And you could either donate or thrift that stuff that you plan on getting rid of. It will help you organize your wardrobe better and encourage you to invest only in things you love and not in anything that is trending! Personally, I feel this is the best way to develop conscious consumer habits while still having everything I love.
A crucial point before wrapping up this blog, shopping from slow fashion or conscious brands does not make one morally higher than someone who still follows fast fashion! There can never be a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to purchasing products. The aim here is to be more conscious and analyze where to pick our next clothing item rather than blindly hopping into new trends.
I hope you found this blog helpful. Thanks for getting to this point. Happy Reading, guys!
