Over the past few years, the negative impact of fast fashion has really come to light. Companies churn out collections every few months, and their older clothes eventually tend to clog up landfills. In addition, most of these companies use unethical sourcing and manufacturing processes, which have adverse effects.
In many cases, developed countries use developing countries as sources of cheap labor and materials, and exploit these resources to create affordable yet profitable collections. All of these practices are quite harmful to people and the environment, so you should avoid fast fashion like the plague. Instead, you should look into sustainable fashion and do your own part in making the world a better place.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion, also known as slow fashion, is a movement that aims to reduce the carbon footprint and eliminate exploitative practices in the fashion industry. It takes issue with the impact mass production has on the environment and on vulnerable communities.
Basically, it wants the fashion world to focus on quality, sustainability, and ethics, rather than on instant sales and profits. You can do your part in this movement if you simply change your buying practices a bit. In fact, you should consider it a responsibility to help the environment and prevent vulnerable communities from further exploitation.
What Can You Do?
There are a few steps you can take which will make you part of the sustainable fashion movement and help you create a positive impact on the world.
1: Buy for the Long Term
Always buy high-quality garments which will last you a long time. Look for natural fibers with good tailoring and stitching. These items will look elegant, and if you take care of them properly, can last you for years on end.
With fast fashion, you end up buying clothes that barely last a year, and then just clog up landfills. Therefore, go for quality clothing which you can use for a long time, and not have to replace every year.
2: Follow the Three Rs
The three Rs, i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle, are an important part of ethical fashion. First of all, decrease your purchasing frequency and have some consideration for your wallet and the environment. Then, if something is ripped, damaged, or you’re just bored of it, reuse it!
Give your clothes new life by repurposing them in various ways. Whether you turn an old shirt into a bag, or a dress into a onesie for your child, you end up saving things from going into the trash. In addition, you can also save a lot of money this way. If you don’t want to repurpose, make sure you send your discards to an organization which will use them in a proper way.
3: Research Brand Practices
Make sure you know where you’re buying your clothes from. Look into brand practices and ask all the relevant questions. Where are the materials sourced from? Were the clothes made in a sweat shop? How long will they last? Once you can be assured a brand follows ethical fashion practices, then you should make your purchase.
However, watch out for greenwashing in this regard. Many big-name brands run major campaigns where they release one sustainable collection, but the rest of their items are the usual fast fashion fare. Therefore, always do your research. There are numerous resources out there for this purpose, such as Good On You.
4: Support the Right Communities
Like with most global problems, racism and exploitation play a major role in fast fashion. Many brands tend to release collections with distinct vibes of cultural appropriation. Appreciating a culture is all well and good, but these brands do not acknowledge the original sources and are complicit in the communities’ exploitation.
Therefore, you should buy your wardrobe from companies owned by traditionally oppressed communities. Go for brands owned by POC, LGBTQ, and indigenous communities. Also, buy from women-owned companies, but make sure they actually follow sustainable practices and are not just perpetuating the exploitative ‘girl boss’ smokescreen narrative.
5: Create a Capsule Wardrobe
Planning is the key to most aspects of your life. Your wardrobe is no different, so organize it as well as you can. The best way to do this is to create a capsule wardrobe. This basically means that you have a few key pieces with selective items which you rotate around these core pieces.
This way, you can buy a limited amount of high-quality clothing instead of a cupboard full of fast fashion pieces. Plan a capsule for every season and put together some key outfits for the best look. Also, find a tailor to make these outfits fit well for a truly elegant wardrobe.
Basically, sustainable fashion is not as hard to embody as you’d think. You just need the intent to be a better global citizen, and you’ll find all the options you need.
