Fast Fashion

I've long been a fast fashion consumer - with disposable income to spend, and little self control when it came to buying stuff, I could buy a  range of items online (especially if I had an event coming up at work) knowing full well I would return some/most. Or I would regularly go into a shop & buy quite a few items that I liked the look of, some of which wouldn't necessarily get worn. 

But I've learnt more & more about the fast fashion industry (pages like Aja Barber and @the_rogue_essentials have helped me learn a LOT), which is changing my habits.  I'm not perfect but I am about learning what changes I can make.

I did a series of Instagram posts last year, sharing some facts and figures about fast fashion, and about some of the tips I'd been learning, and I thought it would be a good time to reshape these in the form of a blog post. This is partly because of some events coming up that are making me revisit my fast fashion past, but also because it is the anniversary (24 April) of the Rana Plaza disaster and the end of Fashion Revolution Week 2022.

Rana Plaza

The Rana Plaza collapse happened on 24 April 2013 in Bangladesh.  More than 1,100 people died and 2,500 were injured.  These people (mostly young women) were manufacturing clothes for many big global fashion brands. Cracks had appeared the day before but the workers were forced to return the next day. The death toll was avoidable. Unfortunately, things have not significantly improved since then.

My fast fashion history

For me, it all started to change in 2020. I'd already started cutting back on what I was buying and then the pandemic hit. A combination of not needing any new clothes because I had nowhere to go, not being in town to be tempted by shops, being home a lot more and seeing just how much stuff/clothes I actually owned, and then becoming more aware of the impact on the environment, have all made me want to change my habits.

And then I learnt more about the impact that fast fashion has on people and the planet.

But I must admit, whilst I've made strides, I am very aware that it's during a time that it's been easy to cut back on fast fashion, and it's been more of a struggle when things have started returning back to "normal", like when I'm walking through town to get to the office and walking past the various shops. Also not helped by the fact that I've put weight on so a lot of my existing clothes currently don't fit.

So I'm trying to navigate what I am learning about fast fashion, to make long term changes. I enjoy clothes - to me they are more than purely functional - but it's about how to do that sensibly. 

I'm decluttering a lot of my clothes. I managed to get rid of a load thanks to Orjenise. Whilst I like choice, and the ability to express myself depending on my mood. I have way too many clothes. I got rid of over 200 items last week, and there are still a lot more to get rid of. You might wonder how that helps the idea of changing my fast fashion ways, but it is part of my fast fashion journey. I need to reduce what I own so that I can make the most of what I do have, but more on this another time.

Project 333

I am using our impending house move to try out Project 333 - choosing 33 items to wear for 3 months (I wont be getting rid of everything else, just boxing some stuff up). I'll do another post about it soon but I am hoping it will help me work with more of a capsule wardrobe. I'm aiming to do it from 1st May to 31st July 2022.

Fast Fashion

So what is it? I came across this sentence in How To Break Up With Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo - "There's no official definition but it's characterised by two things: low prices and relentless pace." Another definition is that it's "inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends" (definition by Oxford Languages website) - the idea is the same. 

It's why retailers like H&M and ASOS saying they're producing sustainable lines is a struggle - they're churning out thousands of items and that simply can't be sustainable for the environment. 

All to tap into our need to buy something immediately - what if you go away and they don't have it next time you're in? And what if it's a bargain?? Double whammy! 

Fast fashion thrives on immediacy and people buying more than they need and/or for the sake of it and/or because it's cheap and/or because it's in fashion (although I would never have described myself as a dedicated follower of fashion). But that's why there ends up being so many unworn, or rarely worn, items in people's wardrobes and why fast fashion brands keep churning out BILLIONS of items a year (it is estimated that Zara sold nearly 3 billion units and h&m sold 2.2 billion units in 2019 - for comparison, the world's population is 7.8 billion). 

But it's clothes - you need them, wear them, right? I've definitely been guilty of buying stuff and not wearing it for years. Anyone else got stuff in their wardrobe that's not been worn? You certainly wouldn't be alone.

I'm thinking about a particular outfit I got from Primark, which hasnt been worn. It was there for years with the tags on.  And it was cheap. Cheap already but reduced even further to £3.00 (which in itself is a whole different post). No wonder sustainable fashion brands seem expensive when you can pick up an item on the high street for less than the price of a box of chocolates, or even a book.

Environmental & human impact

When you think of fast fashion and sustainability/the environmental impact, you probably immediately think of the waste - the plastic wrapping or the unworn clothes, or you might think about the industrial processes or transportation and the pollution caused by that. 

What about the effect that it has on depleting the world's natural resources? To be honest, that had been further down my list of considerations but it makes sense, especially when brands focus more on things being natural fibres (although the microplastics from manmade fibres are an issue too). Those fibres need to grow somewhere. 

There can be no doubt that fast fashion (the garment industry in fact, not just fast fashion) is an area where human rights and environmental concerns combine.  It's something that I used to bury my head in the sand about.  There can be no doubt that fast fashion (the garment industry in fact, not just fast fashion) is an area where human rights and environmental concerns combine.  It's something that I used to bury my head in the sand about.  

Yes, we can talk about the waste, the plastic, the growing and making practices, the fabrics, and overconsumption, but we can't talk about clothes and not address the human side of it. The garment industry is so labour intensive. And it's not just those that make the clothes - let's not forget that people are needed in growing materials, making fabrics/elements (fastenings etc), transporting etc. And of course, those that sell clothes. It is estimated that 1 in 6 of the world's workers are involved in the clothing industry. And it is further estimated that 80-85% of the labour force throughout the supply chain are women. 

Many of the people who make the clothes are not paid a living wage (some aren't paid a minimum wage), work excessive overtime, work in awful conditions etc. We could say that it's because of laws/regulations in the countries that garments are often made, which is problematic in itself, but let's not forget that it isn't so long ago since the issues with the Boohoo supply chain at a factory in Leicester. 

So let's consider some facts on the impact of fast fashion on people and the planet:

• It is estimated that 2 tonnes of clothing are bought every minute in the UK.  That produces the same aount of carbon emissions as driving a car around the world 6 times (Oxfam report 2019) 
• It is estimated that even if brands were to add the full price of paying living wages on to the price of a garment (in the Australian supply chain), prices would only increase by 1% (Oxfam/Deloitte Access Economics - What She Makes 2017)
• The fashion industry is projected to use 35% more land for fibre production by 2030 (Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2017)
• It can take up to 2,700 litres of water to grow enough cotton to make one t-shirt (World Wildlife Fund 2013)
• If the number of times a garment is worn were doubled, on average greenhouse gas emissions would be 44% lower (Ellen MacArthur Foundation "A New Textiles Economy" 2017)
• In 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from textile production totalled 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.  That's more than the emissions from all international flights and maritime shipping combined (Ellen MacArthur Foundation "A New Textiles Economy" 2017)

What can you do?

So, you want to reduce fast fashion purchases, but what can you do? 

Firstly, wear what you've got - the most sustainable option is the garment that you already own.  1 in 3 young women think an item is "old" if it has been worn once or twice (McKinsey Global Fashion Index "The State of Fashion" 2019).  Even if this seems low for you, how often would you say you wear the clothes you own?  I have a number of items that get worn very regularly but others that don't get worn, some still with tags.  So rewear it, restyle it, rework it! However, I've not always done that & I'm conscious that I'm now coming at this as someone who has waaay to many clothes and so it would be an unusual state of affairs if I didn't already have something appropriate in my wardrobe.

This is therefore something which is very much a work in progress, but here are some tips that I've found useful:

• Declutter your wardrobe. 
• Once it's cleared, tidy up your wardrobe. See what you actually own. It makes it much easier to resist buying something new!
• Take care of your clothes. Don't wash too often.
• Learn to mend/sew/repair clothes (or find someone who can!)
• Don't shy away from rewearing items (I know someone will think "of course - I rewear items" whereas for some people this might be a mental block)
• What about clothes rotations? Pack some away, then swap them around when the season changes or when you get bored with the ones you've been wearing (I got this tip from The Intentional Mum) 
• Jazz things up a bit. Find different ways to wear a garment. 

If you're not wearing something regularly, think about why and learn from it. 

Olivia Firth suggests asking whether you will wear something 30 times. For some people, this threshold is too low - I think that's missing the point though. There is so much impulse buying when it comes to fashion. The 30 Wears question gives an extra step to the process, and for many eg those buying a new top for a night out, it makes you stop and think beyond the immediate one-time wear. Also, the more an item is worn, the more its environmental impact lessens.

My preference, though, is to buy secondhand. It's not always easy (neither is finding a sustainable label that caters) because I am size 18ish, 5'10, with wide size 8 feet but there are so many options for places to look - charity shops, ebay, Facebook, Vinted, Depop, swapping with friends. 

If you are buying new clothing, think before you buy - why are you buying it? Do you already have something similar? Do you have something that it will go with? Will you wear it at least 20-30 times? Can you go secondhand first? Could you borrow/swap it? If you didn't buy it today, would you come back for it? 

But it's not all about what/how you buy, you should also consider demanding more from brands.  Read up, become informed. Sites like Good On You have information on specific brands. Ask questions of the brands. Ask #whomakesmyclothes and #whomademyfabric. Tweet. Email. Write a letter. Let brands know that it's an issue. Also sign petitions and check out organisations like Labour Behind The Label, Fashion Revolution and Clean Clothes Campaign for more info.

No longer using your clothes

What about when you no longer use the item of clothing?

Recycling or regenerating old fabrics into new ones is an option, and it's something that is coming more to the fore as knowledge and technology improves. However, it's still a process. The first option, as I've mentioned above, would instead be to use what you've got and once you can't wear it any more, consider what the alternative options might be for it - is it good for somebody else to wear? Or can you use the fabric for another purpose? Can a dress become a skirt or a top become a cushion cover? Can it be reused as cleaning cloths, or used to stuff cushions? 

If you want to pass it on/sell, there are a number of options.  I think there is a definitely a conversation to be had about whether easy avenues for disposing of clothes simply encourages people to buy more, whether new or secondhand, I do think it's important to consider the option for getting rid of items responsibly.  So here are some options!

• Pass on to a friend or family 
• Sell/give away/swap through social media (like Facebook marketplace or groups, including brand, style or size specific ones, be it through separate listings or replies to ISO (In Search Of) posts, or perhaps your own Instagram preloved pages
• Sell at a car boot sale (although don't expect to get much for items)
• Donate to charity shop, baby bank, shelter/refuge - check if there is anything specific that these organisations want
• Sell through apps like Ebay, Vinted, Depop 
• Speak to a business that sells preloved clothes, who may want to buy your clothes from you.
• Take them to a clothes swap event

I do tend to favour the methods where I am giving them to somebody specific. But there are so many options and there's no denying that you have to balance other factors like time and ability to sell/post.

I would love to say that I will never buy fast fashion again but I'm not sure that's true. What I will try to do is to shop more consciously - I'm going to think more before I buy. Do I need it? Can I buy it elsewhere/preloved? What do I know about the brand? It's not easy changing the habits of a lifetime but I'm certainly trying!