Why I Stopped Buying Fast Fashion
5 reasons for giving up fast fashion
Disclaimer: When discussing fast fashion it is incredibly important to acknowledge that having the ability to avoid it is a privilege. Sustainable/ethical clothing is often expensive and not inclusive of all sizes. Those who rely upon fast fashion brands to clothe themselves and/or their families should never be shamed for that.
It’s unethical
Fast fashion is produced in appallingly unethical circumstances. 97% of our clothing in the west is made overseas, out of the sight and minds of those who actually purchase and wear the items. Fast fashion giants prey on some of the most vulnerable people in the world so that they can exploit them for profit. An estimated 40 million people in the world are garment workers and 85% of them are women. They work long hours for obscenely low wages, are abused, refused maternity leave and denied union rights.
China has the biggest textile industry in the world and is the largest producer of cotton. Popular brands such as Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap and Calvin Klein export their cotton from the Xinjiang region. This location has been in the media recently due to their treatment of Uighur and Turkic Muslims who have been forced into concentration camps. Articles have been published drawing comparisons between these camps and those used during the Holocaust. Large numbers of those suffering there are also being forced to work in the factories where the aforementioned cotton is produced. The above brands are currently profiting from this slave labour and continue to do so despite having full knowledge of the working conditions.
Garment workers in India have been forced to go on hunger strike during the Covid-19 pandemic due to their employers refusing to pay them for the work they completed prior to and during lockdown. Organisations which have failed to “Pay Up” include Arcadia Group (of which, many popular high street stores like Topshop belong to) and Primark. Other brands like H&M and Zara have only recently paid their workers after receiving bad press.
This blunt disregard for human life is overlooked because it exists overseas and benefits western consumers — a stark reminder that colonialism is a lingering issue.
It’s destroying the planet
Another main reason why I decided to give up fast fashion is the impact which it has on the planet. Climate Change has been declared a national emergency by many countries all over the world, including the UK as of 2019. Fast Fashion is the second largest polluting industry in the world and is solely responsible for 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions. This is more than the emissions caused by international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Fast fashion is so popular with consumers because it is extremely accessible and can be bought at low prices. In order to make this possible the quality of fabric is compromised. Harmful chemicals are used to make the crops grow at an unnaturally fast rate so that brands can keep up with the latest trends. This causes pollution and is a health risk for those who wear the final product which is why most brands will include a disclaimer somewhere on their website warning consumers that some materials may increase their chances of developing a serious illness.
Most fast fashion items are also made from non-biodegradable plastic materials such as polyester so when they are washed or discarded it flushes micro plastics into our oceans, destroying eco systems. This puts environmental and human health at risk.
Once clothing is thrown away it either gets burned which causes further pollution or goes to landfill where it can take up to 200 years to decompose. Currently, 85% of all textiles end up in landfills which again contaminates the ocean. According to research carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency there has been an alarming 811% increase in textile waste since 1960. Anyone who has purchased clothing from Boohoo, Missguided, PrettyLittleThing etc will be aware of the poor quality of garments sold by these retailers: zips break, seams burst and fabric rips. Fast fashion clothing is designed to become unwearable shortly after purchasing to encourage consumers to buy more.
It made me unappreciative of my clothes
Since giving up fast fashion I’ve learned how to appreciate the clothes already hanging in my wardrobe. Buying clothes at such a high turnover rate makes it easy to forget about the clothes we have and why we decided to buy them in the first place. Outfit repeating is almost criminal in the fashion/social media world but this makes no sense: we buy clothes because we like them, why would we not want to show them off?
This has had a positive affect on my consumerism as a whole. When payday comes around I no longer feel an instantaneous need to splurge my wages like I used to. This means that when I do buy something I enjoy and appreciate it more.
It was actually expensive
Over the past year I have saved thousands of pounds by not buying fast fashion. I now have more money to spend on experiences, which are far more rewarding than a bunch of cheap clothes, and to put into a savings account for the future. Had I given up fast fashion sooner, I know that I would have been in a better financial position today.
As stated previously, fast fashion clothes are cheap which is what draws us to them but when you add up the cost of buying this clothing on a regular basis, the number is surprisingly high.
It exploits influencer culture
Social Media influencers have become a prominent marketing method used by fast fashion giants. The majority of these people profit from promoting fast fashion to their young and impressionable followers. Buying a “haul” of unnecessary clothing for clout is unethical enough in itself but when you consider the size of their platforms and the impact of fast fashion, it’s quite reckless. Younger generations are growing up in a society which is set on normalising the need for a new outfit every weekend. Maintaining hope that ethical and sustainable fashion will become more mainstream is challenging when fast fashion is being promoted so heavily online. Young people need positive influence in their lives so that they can collectively avoid repeating the mistakes of former generations.
Over the past 14 months or so, I’ve realised that people do not want to be having this conversation. It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge how unethical your consumerism is. This is something I fully understand — when I learned the harrowing truths about the industry I felt a compulsive need to hide anything in my wardrobe with a fast fashion label on it. Now I know that wallowing in guilt isn’t progressive, the best way forward is to spread awareness and keep having these conversations — even if they are unwanted.
