The truth about fast fashion: it's ruthless
About 100 billion garments are produced every year, and 92% of them end up in landfills.
Wearing trendy, affordable clothes is cool. Or it is, until you realise how much it impacts everything around us.
If you think that clothes from Zara, H&M, or Forever21 are “good quality” for “ cheap”, you’re wrong. The goal of all fast fashion companies is all about creating cheap, trendy clothes as quickly as possible to meet ever-changing demands.
How quickly do these trends change? Often within a matter of weeks or even days. If you’re socially active, and by that I mean “Instagram” or “TikTok”, you’ve probably seen that one day a clothing item is blowing up on the platform, and the other it is making its way to the window isles in the mall.
Impact
Now, why should it be concerning? It’s not like the clothes are doing anything bad; all they do is be worn. Let’s take a look at our discussed items journey.
The making of it - to make a single cotton t-shirt takes 2700 litres of water. If you drink 3 litres of it every day, the amount should be enough for you to stay hydrated for about 2,5 years.
To your hands - The shirt goes to your closet. Get’s worn a few times. A new trend rolls around, and you change it out to a new clothing item. Let’s be generous and say that you brought your cotton shirt to the recycling thing that “H&M” has. That would seem like a good strategy. Recycle, reuse, nobody gets hurt. Right. The item you gave away doesn’t get recycled. They end up in some of the worst dumping grounds in the world. Countries like Ghana or Benin. Out of your eyesight.
It’s destiny - clothes are left there to rot.
It doesn’t end there
Most of these garments aren’t built to last, which means that the shores of underdeveloped countries tend to fill up way quicker. Even if people do try to recycle, only a fraction of the clothes we discard are properly recycled. The rest end up not being reused or repurposed but instead contribute to environmental pollution and local economic challenges.
Trends change so fast that clothes often don’t have a chance to be worn out before they’re thrown out.
The cheaper the clothes, the more the industry thrives on low wages and unsafe working conditions, which means the cheaper the price, the lower the human dignity.
Cheap clothes = cheap material, underpaying their workers and flouting environmental standards.
Solutions and Alternatives
What can you- no scratch that- we do to make things better?
Second-hand shopping, thrifting, and vintage stores are one of the solutions. That goes both ways, either if you buy or bring clothes in for selling. This way, clothes get to actually fulfill their purpose and last for longer. Even doing projects like sewing a blanket from old t-shirts is a way of helping our environment.
Capsule wardrobe is a huge movement. Focusing on purchasing fewer, high-quality, long-lasting pieces. Getting dressed is so much easier. Having fewer choices equals fewer decisions. Shopping for clothes that you know you’ll love, that fit you like a glove and are good quality, is for sure a win.
Renting clothes. A quick fix for fulfilling your need for new clothes and looking phenomenal at special occasions.
A few more thoughts
Your clothes are supposed to last. It’s a way of showing who you are. Expressing your authentic side. There’s no need to have a different outfit for every single day. You don’t have to buy a different pair of jeans for every single occasion. If they’re not ripped, you’re good to go. Even if they are, take it as a chance to show off. Maybe it’s a slit on the knees, maybe you’re going to patch up the hole with an awesome print, or maybe even drawing something by hand.
The same goes for make-up or beauty products. If you have a brand new bronzer or a shampoo that works just fine, why buy 15 more? Use what you have and buy it later. Be mindful. It’s not only good for the planet and your wallet but for your well-being, too.
Now, don’t jump up from your sofa and run to your closet to declutter. Wear what you already have. Just the next time you want to buy something, think to yourself if it’s just a statement piece or if you are going to be able to create lots of outfits with it.
Moral of the story
Fast fashion may seem like a quick fix, but the true cost is far higher than what we see on the price tag.
Even if the space in your closet and the amount of money is not a problem for you, think about the environment, the people who have to live in those countries filled with the clothes you threw away, about human beings who are being used.
Maybe you don’t need a 28th pair of shoes added to your collection. Even if you do, donate what you don’t need to others who can’t afford that themselves. This way, you both will get a pair of new shoes.
It’s all about what will happen in the future. Now it’s all fun & games until you start seeing the consequences of your own actions.
“What if we started by slowing down and not consuming so much stuff, just because it’s there and cheap and available. It’s amazing how that process makes sense financially, it makes sense ethically, it makes sense environmentally.” – Andrew Morgan
