The Cost of Fast Fashion and what we can do about it
Fast fashion has highly dominated how we think about clothes.
The cost of clothing has dramatically decreased due to certain companies selling clothes at ridiculously cheap prices. You can pick up clothes now for less than a take away coffee. Its crazy and is it even ethical?
Years and years ago clothes were handmade and meant to last a lifetime. They were worn until holes appeared and then mended until holes appeared and then mended until holes appeared and so on.
House coats and aprons were worn to protect clothes as well as Sunday best clothes were kept for Sundays.
Clothes were worn until threadbare and then discarded not for landfill but for another use, a rag for cleaning or as a patch to patch up other clothes.
I love the story of my grandparents where when they were courting my grandmother chased my grandfather round the verandah flirting and when she grabbed hold of his shirt it ripped as it was so threadbare.
Time changed our thoughts and care around clothes. Shops started appearing where seamstresses would make clothes to order. Then more seamstresses were hired by companies to make the garments.
Fashion catalogues were produced. In time mass production came into play and with that quality dropped but quantity rocketed. People wanted to keep up with fashion, they wanted to wear what was shown on runways.
Now clothes are produced at high speeds. No longer are clothes produced to go in line with four seasons but bashed out quickly to keep up with trends and desires. It now takes 10 to 15 days to go from design to be available for sale in shops.
FIFTEEN DAYS!
WIth clothes coming out at that rate what happens to the mass of clothes already out there in our homes, in shops, charity shops and everywhere else in between?
With 100 billion garments being produced every year what do we do with what is already out there? What do we do with the clothes being produced this year and next year?
These are big questions that do need thinking about.
One simple answer that we can do right now is to remember that we can each take action in a positive way. We each have a choice. We can be shocked at stats like this then forget them because we have enough to do or we can take action.
How you may ask?
By the following:
Take a good hard look at the clothes you already have and start loving them again. Remember back to why you bought them in the first place. Fall in love with them again.
Choose to not buy any more clothes just wear what you already have. If this is a challenge for you look at styling ideas, play around with the clothes you have to make now outfits, take snaps of these outfits so that you always have a reference.
Plan the clothes that you are going to wear a day in advance or plan a whole weeks worth of clothes this can help take away any last minute stresses around your clothes and the whole ‘Ive got nothing to wear scenario’ which can make us want to hit the shops.
Swap clothes with friends and family. Go to clothes swaps. Have fun finding new clothes that are not making a bad impact.
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