Fast Fashion
Times are changing, and many people want to make lifestyle changes that are better for both themselves and the environment. For me, this meant going vegetarian, reducing my use of plastic and fast fashion. Giving up meat was a walk in the park and within a month I didn’t even miss the stuff. Giving up plastic was more of a challenge but it was fun in a way, finding solutions and new products, it was exciting and made me hopeful. I thought I was doing all that I could, especially as someone who has the privilege to make these changes. Up until this point making lifestyle changes had been relatively simple and I foolishly thought it would stay that way. But I knew I still hadn’t addressed the biggest problem I had, I didn’t want to give up fast fashion and high street shopping. I love clothes and I love shopping for a new dress when the summer sun appears or for new jumpers when the first autumn chill hits. Fast fashion was quick, easy and convenient. It’s a cheaper alternative to designer brands and is accessible to most people in this country. Therefore, I chose to never really look at clothes consumption as a big deal. That was until I learnt that “the total greenhouse gas emissions from textile production currently stands at 1.2 billion tonnes annually and this is more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined”[1].
When I first started to learn more about the issues with fast fashion I tried my best just to cut down the amount I was spending, but still for every item I bought there was a sense of guilt which ironically was buried with more clothes. Although sustainable shopping has its own set of issues, for example the lack of plus size brands and inaccessibly for those on a lower income, I still think it is important to do what you can. Looking at how I was consuming fashion made me realise that even though I loved it, I realistically couldn’t carry on. It was hard at first and sometimes still is, but as time goes on the better I am at resisting the desire to buy something new just because I have been invited to a party.
Re-wearing clothes is great because you get to become more creative with what you already have. Charity shops are a wonderful opportunity to go shopping and find hidden gems if you have the time and patience for them. There are also online second-hand shopping options like Depop, an online retailer that allows users to buy and sell clothes, which is good if you want something more specific, or just want to search for different items. Second hand shopping has been a way for me to transition into better shopping habits. It also means rather than new clothes constantly being produced and thrown away, they stay within a certain cycle of buying and donating. This way clothes are being used, through a recycling process of buying and donating, rather than new clothes being constantly made.
Next, for me I want to start repairing more clothes so they last longer. Learning how to sew and repair items is an incredibly useful skill that not many people are learning anymore because of the convenience of fast fashion. Slip ups as a result do happen and when they do I try not to get too down about it because sometimes I need to buy socks or tights so fast fashion retailers are an easy option. So long as I keep trying, for example I have stopped following fast fashion brands on social media, which reduces the temptation to constantly be buying new clothes I don’t need.
Fast fashion is not going away anytime soon, however as someone who is guilty of feeding that industry, I wanted to make these changes. Because at the end of the day no real change will happen until large corporations and governments start taking action. But by not feeding the monster where you can might be a step in the right direction.
by Ellen Porter
References
[1] Kiran Pandey, ‘Fashion Industry may use quarter of world’s carbon budget by 2050’ DownToEarth, [date accessed: 19th November 2019]
About The Green Line
The Green Line is part of a third year collaborative project exploring our personal connection with the ongoing climate crisis. Over the next month we will be publishing a variety of pieces from the student community.
Find out more about The Green Line here.
Read entries: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten here.