Having grown up in a consumer society, it can be challenging to wake ourselves up from the norms we have been surrounded by our whole lives. It is a sad realization when you do have this awakening. So many of these norms have become detrimental to our planet. I am continually trying to make changes in my life that are more sustainable. However, I must admit that clothing is an area I haven’t taken enough consideration in. I blindly assumed that clothes were made from natural materials like cotton so that couldn’t be bad, right? Wrong! So very wrong. In this blog post, I will talk about why fast fashion is so harmful and why we need to rewire our brains to make sustainable fashion our choice.

Learning More

As I started reading the labels of my clothes more, I noticed different materials like polyester, spandex and nylon listed. Upon further research, I learned that these are synthetic fabrics. Polyester, for example, is made from fossil fuels and does not break down easily. It is essentially plastic threads that are often mixed with cotton to make clothes shrink less and more durable. I found it bizarre to think I was walking around in plastic without knowing it. It can be discouraging to feel like you have failed in an area of sustainability when you have been trying to make changes in so many other areas. But education is the first step.

I also started learning about the process of how clothes are made. Things like the amount of water used, toxic dyes and inhumane working environments really opened my eyes to the mess that a huge percentage of the fashion industry has become.

Fast Fashion

The industry of fast fashion is quite frightening. Cheaply made clothing is getting mass-produced and shipped all over the world to satisfy never-ending fashion trends. Yes, I will admit I love getting new clothes, and when they are affordable too, that is amazing! But at what cost? When you stop to think about where the clothes are coming from and WHY they are so cheap you begin to realize that this isn’t a great thing at all.

Unfortunately, a lot of people either haven’t had this realization yet or just don’t care. The fast fashion industry is booming. Companies like SHEIN provide endless choices in the trendiest of clothing. Young girls love the ability to be able to be on-trend and do it with as little money as possible. The problem is that they are not considering what these clothes are made of or where they are being produced. The synthetic materials, toxic dyes and horrible working conditions it takes to produce these items are not what we should be supporting with our money.

We have been conditioned by the fashion industry and social media that we NEED the newest style to feel good about ourselves. This is a very toxic mindset. We need to stop encouraging wasteful purchasing and realize that another top or new pair of jeans isn’t going to solve our problems. Yes, it gives you a rush of dopamine but that vanishes quickly, and you are left just the same. The trends seem to change faster than ever. It is impossible to keep up with them. Yet, the cheap price tag of fast fashion makes it seem almost attainable, but at a horrible cost to the planet.

Making Changes

I personally have never been one to constantly jump on all the latest trends. Although, I do still buy my fair share of clothes that may not be the most sustainable. I want to focus on building a wardrobe slowly over time that is made up of more sustainable basics and staple pieces that I can wear for a long time. It can be difficult to see the price tag that many of these sustainable brands carry, but it is for good reason. Using fabrics that are better for our planet, producing clothing in smaller batches and in safe and fair working environments are all reasons why the price tag is higher. Buying your clothes from thrift stores or consignment stores is another option if you have a smaller budget and want to avoid putting your money towards buying new, unsustainable clothing.

Let’s all try to move away from the fast fashion mindset of jumping from one trend to the other and collect good quality pieces that are timeless. Less is more, especially when you’re buying high quality. Making sustainable decisions requires a lot of purposeful intent in questioning your purchases. Once you get in the habit of questioning what you are buying, you are sure to make more informed and better decisions. Ask yourself things like what is the material of this piece made of? Does this brand care about its clothing processing? You may need to do some research to find these answers but if the brand is conscious, it should be readily available and easy to find.

Putting the Pressure On

It is so important that we question the companies we are buying from and hold them accountable. Unfortunately, if there is not any pressure put on them to change, they will not. The current negative impacts that come from the fashion industry stem from capitalism and overconsumption. In order for these companies to make more money, they source the cheapest ways to produce their product. This has led to poor working conditions for workers, poor materials used in creating the clothes, and negative impacts on the planet.

The good news is that more and more companies are starting to make changes and release more sustainable lines. We as consumers need to keep pushing for the changes that we not only want to see but NEED to see. We can make a difference with our choices.

The Sad Truth

The purpose of fast fashion is to wear the piece for the brief life of the trend and then move on to the next. So, where do all these discarded clothes end up you might ask? Some people may try to donate them, but it is an upsetting fact that fast fashion is usually not donatable. The clothing is so cheaply made that most consignment stores or thrift stores don’t want them. The only place left for them to go is to the landfill. Once they make it to the landfill, they can’t break down easily because of the synthetic materials they are made of. This is also contributing to the big problem of micro-plastics accumulating in our environment.

There are overflowing mountains of fast fashion waste amounting in West Africa. It is shipped there when no one else wants it but the sad truth is that they don’t want it either. There are traders in West Africa that depend on these clothes shipped in from Europe, America and China, according to BBC News. However, the huge surge in fast fashion has made this extremely difficult because the clothing quality is too poor. Therefore, no one is willing to buy it. It is so easy for us here in North America to not see the impact of our decisions because the repercussions are not directly in front of our faces. That certainly does not mean there isn’t a huge amount of damage already being done. You can learn more about this problem as reported on BBC News website here.

If you purchase sustainable high-quality clothing, you have a better chance of giving it a second life through reselling or a consignment store. This can offset the high purchase price and give the piece of clothing a whole other life. It will also be much more kind to our planet when it finally reaches the end of its life.

New Goals

After learning all this, I know I need to make some different choices. It is important to note that you can’t change everything all at once. What is important is that you are educating yourself and becoming more aware each day of things you can change.

Clothing is absolutely one of the areas I feel as though I have neglected when it comes to trying to live a more sustainable life. However, I do believe that I get the most wear out of my clothes as possible. If not, I re-sell them or donate them. The best thing you can do with the clothes you already have is to wear them out as much as possible or donate them (if they are donatable). Don’t just throw away your old clothes after reading this because they aren’t sustainable!

I know I can be better at evaluating where I am buying my clothes from and how environmentally conscious the company is. This is a big goal for me to implement into my life in trying to be more sustainable. I hope that after reading this blog you will be inspired to do that same moving forward!