Conscious Fashionista, One Piece At A Time
“Guess how much this dress was,” asked my mom in a giddy voice that gave away her bargain stealing ways. “Guess!”
In front of me was a 3/4 sleeve polyester dress in solid muted blue. My eyes lingered on the logo from a well known fast fashion brand. “Ten dollars,” I mumbled.
“Yes!” Her delight in both my answer and the fact that I guessed correctly was followed by curiosity, “how did you know?”
This recent conversation with my mom is on my mind as I prepare to head to Denmark as part of the inaugural class of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Talents at UNLEASH — a 9-day innovation lab to create real, implementable and scalable solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals. As I am finishing my graduate studies in Sustainability Management at Columbia University, I am excited to learn from my fellow talents and to collaborate on ways we can influence consumer behavior to more sustainable consumption.
In fast fashion, the real question to me really should be, “Why is it so cheap?”
Fast fashion refers to the mass production of affordable clothes over a short span of time to capture current trends. This low quality and high volume business model, explained Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, is why fast fashion chains can “put a small markup on the clothes and earn their profit out of selling an ocean of clothing.” To stay profitable, fast fashion retailers like Gap, H&M, and Zara, cultivated consumers to buy more clothes in order to stay on trend.
More clothes of course, leads to more wastes; and lower quality clothes are more prone to disposal. What’s the point of keeping a stretched t-shirt with faded colors when you can buy a new one for less than a glass of wine? In the U.S. alone, textile waste is estimated at 13 million tons a year — that roughly equates to the weight of 39 million adult male hippos.
Supply chain problems in the fashion industry have also been well documented. Labor scandals due to poor working conditions and unfair wages at factories in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam resulted in a public backlash that demanded reforms in the late 1990s. However, the deadliest catastrophe, happened only 4 years ago, where over 1,100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 24, 2013. Subpar construction materials and illegal structural additions were the main causes of the disaster — an avoidable tragedy that highlights the need for better transparency and oversight from retailers in their own supply chain.
To make conscious fashion decisions, we can start with our existing wardrobes. Instead of throwing away old clothes, we can take advantage of the take-back programs at some retailers. For example, H&M implemented an in-store collection program where consumers can donate unwanted clothes in all its stores across the world, “no matter what brand and what condition” — each donation is rewarded with a 20% discount for future purchases. Since its inception in 2013, H&M has collected around 40,000 tons of clothes that have are either worn again as second-hand, reused into other products, or recycled into textile fibers.
Second, we can stay curious and engage retailers for accountability on their products. This might seem overwhelming for any individual to tackle. But social media campaign like Fashion Revolution Week, which occurs in April in remembrance of Rana Plaza, helps create a community with a simple hashtag, #whomademyclothes. To participate, simply wear a favorite piece of clothes inside out to show its labels, take a picture, and reach out to the retailer over social media with the common hashtag. This creates a collective demand on retailers to provide more transparency.
This also allows retailers to highlight their existing ethical and sustainable commitments. People Tree, based in the U.K., is the first clothing company in the world to receive the “World Fair Trade Organization Fair Trade product mark” back in 2013. During the Fashion Revolution campaign, they actively engaged with the consumers by introducing various artisan co-ops from its supply chain. “The artisans at Kumudini produce garments with techniques rooted in the ancient textile heritage,” read one tweet. Included is a link to an overview of Kumundini Welfare Trust, a social business in Bangladesh that specialized in block prints and hand embroideries, as well as a photo of artisans holding up signs: “I made your clothes.”
For more in-depth research, set aside a few hours and check out the comprehensive Project Just. Co-founded by two fashion lovers and Global Fellows from Acumen, the non-profit impact investing fund, their manifesto is that “informed and empowered consumers have the power to transform the fashion industry to an ethical and sustainable one with each purchase.” Any curious consumer can research a brand and Project Just will provide an overview based on assessment factors such as transparency, labor conditions, and environment. For example, the overview on H&M noted the brand’s goal to “use 100% recycled or other sustainability sourced materials by 2030” as a pro. However, the uncertainty over whether H&M can trace its entire supply chain is highlighted as a con.
Critics have highlighted the difficulties in breaking the fast fashion cycle. After dropping off donations in a store, consumers might be tempted to buy more, especially when gifted with a discount and newly freed closet space. Clothes from retailers with responsible supply chains that pay fair wages and limit environmental impacts will likely cost more than its fast fashion counterparts — limiting interests from consumers on a budget. While consumer behaviors will not change overnight, the awareness over true costs of fashion continues to grow. A high quality t-shirt will undoubtedly outlasts a low quality one by many seasons.
“Do you want to check the label on the dress and see where it’s made,” I asked my mom.
“Made in Bangladesh,” she mused, “I just assumed it was made in India or China.” Though not an earth shattering revelation, for a lifelong fashion bargain hunter, it is one step closer to a more informed decision.
