There’s no denying it. The fast fashion industry has huge impacts on our planet and people. In fact, it’s the second largest polluting industry. It produces 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply and pollutes our oceans with micro-plastics. Yet after using up all these resources, 85% of all textiles still end up in landfill each year. To increase profit margins, many brands seek to have their clothes made in developing countries for the cheapest possible prices. This has enabled these same brands to dramatically decrease the price of their clothes. But how does that play out for the garment workers? Horrendous working conditions, building collapses and even deaths result as safety is compromised in the name of greed. Furthermore, the pittance of a salary that the garment workers receive is usually not enough for the workers to feed their children and offer them safe living conditions. Many of these workers therefore have no other option but to send their children to live with and be looked after by their grandparents, sometimes only seeing their children once a year. Is this making you think twice about the trendy but cheap top you want to buy, but know you’ll never wear in a year’s time?
It’s not all doom and gloom, because you can have a huge impact as a consumer. The best action you can take before purchasing an item of clothing is to educate yourself. Find out where the clothing has been made, the conditions and salary of the garment workers, and the sustainability of the brand. While there are lots of fast fashion brands abusing their position of power, there are also some amazing slow fashion brands that are taking the high road to produce beautiful clothing with people and the planet in mind. Here’s a list of labels local to me here in Byron that love the planet! These pieces can cost more to buy than fast fashion pieces; but this is the true cost of fashion. It is a privilege to be able to vote with our dollar.
Buying reused clothing from online re-selling sites (such as Depop and Facebook marketplace) is a wonderful way to access sustainable brands that might have a higher price tag. Thrift stores, clothes swaps with friends and suitcase rummages are also great avenues to explore. If you have got your wear out of a beloved piece of clothing, then consider selling or donating it in the same way. That’s circular fashion, baby.
Learning to sew or mend your own clothing are important skills in the name of sustainable fashion. Wearing a piece that you have laboured over with love is one of the most satisfying feelings. And until recently, this was a skill that was regularly practiced and passed down for generations. When sewing your own clothes, it’s important to consider the sustainability of your chosen material and from where it has been sourced. I often use linen fabric as it is strong, enduring, natural and biodegradable. In addition, linen is derived from the flax plant. This plant requires significantly less water, pesticides and fertilisers to grow and is able to grow in low-quality soil that would be otherwise unfit for crop production. You can also find online distributors selling deadstock fabrics. Deadstock fabrics come from fashion houses who have overestimated their material needs. By using deadstock fabric, you are saving the fabric from being wasted and sent to landfill. You can also choose organic and natural fibres that do not require chemicals to be produced. Chemical dyes produce toxic wastewater laden with heavy metals that are dumped into our planet’s waterways and can harm the health of both humans and animals. So rather than purchase fabric that has been chemically dyed, you could experiment with plant dying. This refers to using fruit and vegetable scraps to add natural colour to material. Lastly, cherish the clothing that you have. Buy less, buy better quality and learn to mend your clothes. If a button falls off or a zipper breaks, it is a simple fix.
That brings us to the care of your clothes. Everytime you wash synthetic fibre clothing or fabric (nylon, polyester, spandex, fleece and acrylic), millions of tiny microfibre plastic particles are washed into our waterways, pollute our seas and end up being ingested by our marine life. These microfibres increase further in toxicity when they come into contact with other contaminants from agricultural and municipal runoff. To combat this, you can invest in a microfibre wash bag. You can also wash clothing less frequently, which actually increases its lifetime. Alternatively, you can choose natural fibre clothing in the first place.
Want to learn more to flip fast fashion on its head? Various documentaries and campaigns have been able to significantly increase awareness around these issues in a bid to increase transparency in the fashion supply chain. These include documentaries such as The True Cost, Unravel and River Blue. The hope for the future is to create an industry that equally values people, the environment, creativity and profit. Fashion is just another example of how you can facilitate positive change by becoming educated, spreading awareness and voting with your dollar.