The Sad Side of Fashion
{A portion of this post was previously posted on Instagram.}
I recently watched a an incredible and eye opening documentary on the fashion industry called The True Cost. Released in 2015, The True Cost studies the impact of the garment industry on the environment and the low wage workers (mostly women) in Bangladesh, India, China and Cambodia who work in oppressive conditions to keep up with our demand for ‘fast fashion’. It also explores the cotton industry and how dangerous the use of GM pesticides is to the people working with them.
After watching @truecostmovie I can say with certainty that I will think twice before needlessly picking up another piece of clothing from some of the worst fast fashion offenders. I will also be slimming down my writing about these retailers on my blog.
Changing the way we shop for fashion can take time. It’s not always an overnight process. But from today forward, I will do my best to change my fashion consumption habits and that will be reflected here.
If you only watch one movie about the fashion industry - which is the second largest contributor to waste on our planet, let it be The True Cost.
Image from @fashionforgood
Like any habit, cutting down on your consumption will take time and adjustment. Trust me, I don’t plan on boycotting all new clothing outright. After alI I’m still a contributing member to the economy - and it would miss me if I was gone. ;) But there are many ways that you (and me) can start to cut down on your fashion consumption:
Shop your own closet. I’ve been doing this a lot lately - even before watching the film. We all have clothes in our closet that we don’t regularly wear. Pull them out and wear them and you might even find a new favourite.
Shop consignment, vintage and thrift shops. If you follow Julia Grieve from Preloved on Instagram (@prelovedjules) you’ll soon find out she loves a good trip to Value Village and she regularly comes up with awesome finds. Julia is the master at mixing thrift finds with new pieces to create awesome looks. My favourite consignment shop is Ex Toggery in Leaside.
Take care of the clothes already in your closet. Don’t wash your clothes after each wear if you don’t have to. There are obvious exceptions here of course, but sweaters for example don’t need to tossed in the wash after every wear - especially if you wear a tee or tank underneath. Washing in cold water helps to keep clothes (especially black) from fading. Jeans definitely don’t need to be washed after one wear. I’m so guilty of this. Repair your clothes instead of tossing them. I recently took a coat with a broken zipper back to Lululemon for repair. They fixed it without cost and it’s prefect again. If you buy from Patagonia, they are amazing for this. Patagonia will repair their clothes for life with no questions asked. Love it.
Shop less and shop better quality. Clothes of great quality will last longer - especially if you follow step three. One of my Insta followers commented that they have committed to only buying 20 new pieces of clothing this year and even used the hashtag #20in2020. That’s commitment.
Limit your shopping at fast fashion retailers. I can’t tell you where to spend your money…so that’s all I’m going to say about that.
To be completely honest, this change will be hard for me. I love shopping and get a rush from buying something new for my self. That’s probably why there is currently fifteen white tee shirts in my closet. Who needs that anyway? But I am committed and I hope you’ll consider small changes for yourself as well. This New Year commitment has reenergized me and I have a fun new project in the works that I’ll be writing about in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
Happy New Year!!! I hope it’s not too late to say that!
