Is Fashion Really an Unsustainable Hobby?
Consumer reports for 2019 are stating that fashion brands are becoming even less eco-friendly than before. “The question is no longer whether it is necessary to improve sustainable business practices, but rather how long it will take before consumers stop buying from brands that do not act responsibly,” says the Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 Update. This faltering of sustainability gives the fashion community as a whole a bad look. Many wonder if in this ever-increasing consumption of goods will ever be sustainable at all. The reason fashion is seen as unsustainable is that the average consumer doesn’t care where their clothes go before or after their use.
Fast fashion brands such as H&M, Pacsun, and Forever 21 have constant controversy around their unsustainable practices and poor treatment of workers. This doesn’t mean however that all brands are like this, in fact, there are thousands of brands whose main goal is creating sustainable clothing for the future. In this article, we will discuss the many ways in which you can have a full closet worth of clothing and still have a small carbon footprint. The simple solution to this common misconception is a conscious consumer.
While it’s true many people often go to the mall and just purchase what looks good to them, this is not the practice of most who consider themselves fashionable. In fact, none of the classic fast fashion brands are in the top 20 fashion brand rankings of Q1 2019. To be properly fashionable in this time one must be conscious of their surroundings. In the fashion realm, those who do shop at fast-fashion chains often aren’t considered to be truly involved in the culture. This form of gate-keeping can be seen as toxic to most since it creates a class divide, yet you don’t need to be rich to not shop at fast-fashion shops.
Sustainable Fashion Practices
Buy used
Thrift stores often get a bad image from those uninvolved in the fashion field. They’re seen as dirty and something to be left for those less well off. However, a thrift store is where the best clothing is found. Stigma aside, who wouldn’t want to purchase a full outfit for less than a full meal at McDonald’s? Besides, each item you buy from a thrift store is one less garment thrown to waste, and one less garment that needs to be produced. It may seem odd that people obsessed with making themselves look good would wear something worn previously, but this is the appeal. Finding a cool jacket for only 3 dollars is way cooler than buying a new jacket from H&M for 39.99 (you’re also saving the environment while you’re at it). The vintage worn-in look is constantly being replicated by high fashion and fast fashion alike. The difference is high fashion brands reuse old clothing rather than creating new clothes in an attempt to make them look old. Websites such as grailed, poshmark, and apps like bump provide a way to shop for used clothes (including designer brands) online. They work using peer to peer sales rather than collecting items at a store and selling them there. This allows fashion connoisseurs and the average consumer to be sustainable at home rather than shopping at the usual chain brands.
Rework Your Old Garments
A hole in a sweater doesn’t mean that it’s no longer useful or stylish. Actually, the deconstructed look is in right now. This isn’t the only option, however. Patches are the easiest way to save a garment from the waste bin since they can cover whatever damage it had. Unique garments are often regarded as better than the original product. There’s something to be appreciated about saving that old sweater and making it your own.
Buy From Sustainable Brands
“A thorough research about long term fashion trends is important in designing the extended life cycle of the product. A designer can incorporate simple and convenient methods to transform a product from its first life to its second life.” (Source 1). The idea of reworking clothing may seem daunting to those unskilled in working with clothing garments, but a new trend is arising in which brands create their clothes with the idea of the simplicity of transformation in mind. Providing all the materials and instructions needed a tank top can be transformed into a backpack in less than five minutes, saving you the consumer money and the Earth from the waste the tank top would have made. An example of a sustainable company is Rage, in which “Theirs [clothes] hand washed in cold water. In terms of waste, they use offcuts to produce accessories and other waste is recycled as mattress fill or given to schools and colleges.” This is an example of a sustainable company that should be supported because they are breaking the stereotype of fashion brands being wasteful.
Wash Things Less
Sounds simple right? People often become involved in the habit of washing clothes after every time you wear them. Not only does washing clothes deteriorate them substantially, but it also wastes a lot of water. “Washing every 10 times a product is worn instead of every 2 times reduces energy use, climate change impact, and water intake by up to 80%,” (levistrauss.com). Realistically, clothes don’t need to be washed unless they either smell or look dirty, other than that it is unnecessary. Even wearing clothes that look dirty is a trend so if you’re really feeling avant-garde go ahead and throw the washing machine away and save 100% of water intake (please don’t).
If All Else Fails, Donate What You Don’t Use
Donating clothes is the easiest way to make you feel good about your effect on the environment while actually making a difference. Sure, you might not like that style shirt anymore or that pair of pants doesn’t fit like it used to. If you don’t have the desire to reuse it then donate it to someone who can give it new life. Someone less fortunate would happily take a piece of clothing you don’t want anymore. “A lot of people have a misconception that their donations are ending up on the back of someone in need in your community,” as Jessica Schrieber says, a key figure in clothing donation. Most clothing donated actually goes to different countries who are in desperate need of textiles to use. Donations may not be as effective as other means of reducing your impact since they must be transported still, but this is much better overall than letting it sit in a landfill for the rest of its life.
Why is Fast Fashion so Bad to Begin With?
For context: examples of fast fashion brands include but are not limited to H&M, Pacsun, Zara, Macy’s, Forever21, and Uniqlo.
Now that we know the ways to sustainably be fashionable we must discuss the current fast fashion industry. In the world, 80 billion articles of clothing are used a year which is 400% more than in the 1990s. As we buy more clothing we also get rid of more. And instead of making the sustainable choice of reusing or donating clothes, many throw them to the landfill. Sustainability.edu states that “In Australia, we now send 85% of the textiles we buy to landfill every year.” This is emitting vast amounts of greenhouse gasses and energy. So much so that one garbage truck worth of textiles is wasted every second. For context, this is 2,625 kilograms or 5787 pounds. Just a reminder, this is happening every second. 2700 liters or 713 gallons of water is used on average to create a cotton t-shirt. Many fabrics are created from petroleum and won’t even be gone within this millennium. This begs the question, why is the overconsumption of fast fashion still happening?
Classical fashion is conceptually based on classism. “New fashions originate from the rich and powerful and are imitated by less privileged classes, who aspire to improve their social standing,” (researchgate.net). This competitiveness is driving masses to purchase fast fashion items rather than progress their own style and exhibit their personality sustainably. At the end of the day, most people don’t care where the t-shirt came from unless they are deeply ingrained into the fashion industry. Realistically, that 13 dollar shirt from H&M which is mimicking a 328 dollar designer shirt from Rick Owens can be purchased from a thrift store for less than a dollar (it will most likely be better quality than H&M too).
Overall, the stereotype of fashion being an unsustainable practice is due to the fact that the fast fashion companies who in fact do not care about the environment take the spotlight away from the several other methods of sustainable yet fashionable clothing. This is an issue which will only be solved by a change in consumer ideals in which quality and sustainability are pushed rather than low prices and mass production.
Sources:
“Fast Fashion Quick to Cause Environmental Havoc.” Sustainability, 14 Nov. 2018, sustainability.uq.edu.au/projects/recycling-and-waste-minimisation/fast-fashion-quick-cause-environmental-havoc.
Sharda, Nidhi L., and V. K. Mohan Kumar. “Multifarious Approaches to Attain Sustainable Fashion.” Nordic Textile Journal, Sept. 2012, pp. 30–37. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=93913631&site=ehost-live.
Scaturro, Sarah. “Eco-Tech Fashion: Rationalizing Technology in Sustainable Fashion.” Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, vol. 12, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp. 469–488. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2752/175174108X346940.
Bick, Rachel, et al. “The Global Environmental Injustice of Fast Fashion.” Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, vol. 17, no. 1, Dec. 2018, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s12940–018–0433–7.
D’Souza, Clare. “Marketing Challenges for an Eco-Fashion Brand: A Case Study.” Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, vol. 19, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp. 67–82. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2752/175174115X14113933306824.
“Sustainable Clothing Solutions.” Green Eco Tips for Sustainable Living, www.globalstewards.org/sustainable-clothing.htm.
“The Lyst Index: Fashion’s Hottest Brands and Products Q1 2019.” Lyst, www.lyst.com/the-lyst-index/2019/q1/.
“Environmental Impact.” The True Cost, truecostmovie.com/learn-more/environmental-impact/.
“By the Numbers: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of ‘Fast Fashion.’” World Resources Institute, 15 Jan. 2019, www.wri.org/blog/2019/01/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion.
