I Quit Fast Fashion
I have pledged from now on to never buy fast fashion.
Preferably I want to only buy secondhand fashion, other than for items like underwear or swimwear, where I would choose sustainable fashion brands and materials.
I probably could have made this pledge long ago but I am definitely keeping to it now. So why am I quitting fast fashion? Why am I only going to buy secondhand? How am I gonna do it?
Fast Fashion Definition
"Fast fashion is a term used to describe a highly profitable and exploitative business model based on replicating catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, and mass-producing them at low cost."
Why I want to stop using fast fashion
I think this is the only way for fashion companies to notice and make a change. If they start losing profits, they will have to adjust the way they do business so that consumers will come back.
Planet's Resources
Some clothes are not made of natural materials but synthetic materials which really means that are made of plastics that come from fossil fuels like oil. This means that the demand for oil is still high even though it is a finite resource that will disappear eventually. Also, in the making of synthetic materials, fossil fuels are burnt which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to contribute to global warming.
Fashion Workers
There have been some terrible disasters in recent history at garment factories where workers have been killed and injured. These workers are paid very little and the safety measures are not in place in these factories. This is because fast fashion is sold quickly and at ridiculously low prices meaning that the people who grew the cotton or sewed the garment are not paid enough.
Climate Crisis
The planet only has a finite amount of space and resources. Trees are being cut down at an extortionate rate to fuel societies wants in terms of fashion and other sectors. The plants that replace the trees are grown in a monoculture (only one plant in the habitat), meaning there is less habitat for other animals and the animals are being killed when the trees are cut down. The trees are a huge carbon sink which means that they store and collect carbon so it doesn't enter the atmosphere and contribution to global warming.
Saving Money
Buying less and shopping my wardrobe is the most sustainable choice and means I will hopefully start to leave consumerism behind and save a lot of money. Buying clothes secondhand is also a lot cheaper than buying them brand new so I would be able to save money that way too.
The Alternatives to Fash Fashion
Shop Your Wardrobe
The best choice, when it comes to being sustainable or making choices that are better for the planet and its people, is to use what you already own. One of the best ways to do this with fashion is to shop your own wardrobe. Check if that are any items that you haven't worn for ages or items which you could style in new ways.
Leena Norms has a great series where she chooses to style herself like the characters from a film for a week using clothes in her wardrobe with some secondhand additions.
Secondhand
You could visit or host a clothes swap with family and friends or members of the public. This is where everyone brings some clothes and can take away as many items as that donated to the clothes swap.
Charity shops always feel like goldmines to me because you really never know when you'll come across a gem that is the perfect addition to your wardrobe. And it's a bargain price too so win-win.
There are online apps and websites which are full of secondhand clothing, including Depop and Vinted. You can sell and buy on these apps. They are great for searching specific key terms to find the exact item you're after and they can have real reductions in price from the brand new item.
Sustainable
This is a harder way to shop as a result of greenwashing where companies can lie about how green or sustainable their practices really are. But a great way to check that the company you're shopping with is sustainable is to check its "status" on Good On You. This is a website and app that gives you a rating for each company to show you just how they do business.
There are also some companies out there that are sustainable companies doing good for the planet and their employees and workers. Gittemary Johansen has a great list of choices. - http://www.gittemary.com/2020/03/eco-brands-i-stand-by-a-list-of-sustainable-companies.html
These websites will give you brilliant resources about the facts of the fast fashion industry, what sustainable fashion really means and how you can start to shop sustainably too and save the planet.
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