The Primark Effect

Your clothing addiction may be hurting the Earth

I spent my very first winter in France, where I studied abroad last semester. Have you seen how French women dressed up? My, they all looked so glamorous, even when they’re covered from head to toe in pullovers, coats and boots.

Silly me, I was underprepared with just one coat and a windbreaker. I already saw what was coming — five months worth of Facebook photos of me wearing the same outerwear over and over again. I had to act quick, I needed to buy another coat. And two more pullovers. And maybe blouses for when I take off my coat indoors. After all, how nice would it be to dress up like my French classmates, or those Korean women on drama series?

But then again, I was exchange student in Europe where everything was twice as expensive than they were at home. Would I really rather spend my 100 Euros on a single coat from a local retailer or a possibly life-enriching weekend trip outside of France?

The answer was simple, and it was right under my nose: Primark, the pioneer of rock-bottom priced fashion. H&M, Zara, and Stradivarius are all considered cheap by European standards but this was the real deal. Where else can you get a shirt for 3 Euros, a pair of shoes for 15 and a coat for less than 50? Perhaps I can have both my coat and my weekend trip.

I first entered Primark in Antwerp, Belgium, on a Saturday. Saturday meant shopping day for many Europeans — families, teenagers, couples flocked together armed with their debit and credit cards. I was certainly ready to buy that 50-Euro coat too, and so I entered the store with that mission in mind.

Fast fashion is the new norm

What took me aback was the stream of women lugging around their shopping trolleys, almost mindlessly filling them up with their bounty: mounds of dresses, shoes, blouses, bottoms, socks. You name it. They will get it. I had to stop and re-evaluate what I just saw. How often did they do this? Do they really need all those clothes?

Probably not, unless they are very keen on wearing their clothes only once or twice. And you’d be surprised at the number of women guilty of this unsustainable behavior. According to The Telegraph, a recent study commissioned by Barnado’s found that in a survey of 1,500 women over the age of 16, 33% consider clothes “old” after wearing them fewer than three times. This leads to a cycle of purchasing and discarding, a phenomenon called the Primark Effect. This is the very definition of the throwaway culture promoted by the sale of dirt cheap clothing. However, it’s certainly unfair to place the blame solely on Primark. Retail brands such as H&M, Walmart, Target, and Forever 21 are also to be held accountable for this consumer behavior.

The price we pay for cheap clothing

Everyone loves a bargain, that’s true. But when our new clothes mean distressing labor conditions for factory workers and harmful environmental practices, then maybe it is time to re-examine the ethics of our throwaway culture.

In 2013, an 8-story factory complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh making clothes for Primark, Benetton, Mango and other Western brands collapsed, leaving over 1,130 people dead. The fashion industry subsequently faced one of its biggest fears — the Rana Plaza tragedy placed the spotlight on the harsh conditions faced by factory workers in third world countries.

The high production targets set by the increasingly relentless demand for cheap clothes are ultimately detrimental to the conditions of workers. Despite the garment industry accounting for 80% of Bangladesh’s foreign trade, wages still remain extremely low.

A study conducted by Labor Behind the Label in February 2016 found that factories in Dhaka supplying for Marks and Spencer paid its workers an average of US$80 per month (including overtime pay and after deductions), but the estimated decent basic living wage would be around US$165. Add to this their poor living condition — respondents live a stone throw away from the factories in slum dwellings shared by three or more families.

The effects of fast fashion do not end with labor issues. Every year, the average American generates 82 pounds of textile waste per year. This adds up to more than 11 million tons of textile waste from the United States alone. Dirt cheap fashion makes us discard our clothes at an alarming rate. If anything, this promises only consequences for the environment.

Indeed, fast isn’t free — someone somewhere is paying for our contemporary fashion behavior.

What do we do, then?

Committing to stop supporting fast fashion brands is easier said than done. I wholly admit this — after all, I’m just a university student working within a limited budget. It’s the very reason why I couldn’t buy a 100-euro coat from a local retailer in France in the first place. When placed against my standards, Zara, even though it’s one of the pioneers of this whole fast fashion movement, already comes off as expensive to me (see: Fast fashion has made some of the richest men on earth via Quartz).

If you’re unlike me and you buy clothes every payday without thinking twice, consider donating your old clothes instead of throwing them out. Winter clothing can be especially valuable for disadvantaged populations living in colder climates. For those items that can’t be used anymore, try your hand at repurposing them into pillows, rugs, mittens, etc.

My sister and I share the same clothes and shoe sizes. Unfortunately, not all people have the same setup as we do and not all sisters necessarily have the same style, which is why some university students have started clothes swapping, an environmentally- and budget-friendly alternative to clothes shopping.

Looking at the bigger picture, a more proactive approach to fashion as consumers is needed to shed light on labor and environmental issues involving fast fashion brands. For example, in 2011, H&M launched the Conscious Collection, an organic clothing line made from recycled clothing. Alexandra Greenawalt, a style strategist and wardrobe rehabilitator, quickly pointed out how “sustainable” and “green” can easily used as buzzwords to boost their marketing. She argues that “H&M is the furthest thing from being green and sustainable” because of high volume production — two design approaches that oppose each other. She advices her clients to explore alternative functions and save up for better quality items.

As for me, I never got to buy the coat from Primark. I ended up splurging on an ice cream cone and a waffle (of course, I was in Belgium) from a store next door. Thankfully I left Primark early because the cashier who was a fellow Filipino treated me to an extra scoop of ice cream shortly before his shift ended. In retrospect, it wasn’t so bad — my one coat and windbreaker served me well in my six months in Europe.