In 2020 we are going to experience a lot of trends, especially when it comes to fashion. The early 2000s and e-girl trends took off in 2019 and will continue to do so in 2020, with minor adjustments of course.
These fashion trends are maintained through the mass consumption of textile products by people across the world. In order to stay on top of the newest trends, people go to stores that sell cheap clothes and then in a year when the trend is dead, they throw them out.
According to a report released by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Circular Fibres Initiative, the equivalent of one garbage truck of clothes is sent to landfills or to be burned every second.
All of this waste culminates into a serious effect on the environment. According to the Circular Fibres report, “total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production, at
1.2 billion tonnes annually, are more than those of all international flights and
maritime shipping combined.”
Making a single pair of jeans produces as much emission as driving a car 80 miles, Levi’s released in an environmental report.
All of these numbers are made even worse when you take into consideration a report by McKinsey & Company that in 2014, consumers were purchasing 60 percent more clothes per year than they were in 2000.
We are now producing more clothing and going through it at a higher rate than ever before. And for what? To stay up to date on what’s trending? So that no one sees you rewear outfits?
The effect of buying one piece of clothing from a retailer like H&M, ASOS, or Forever 21 is more than just being able to flex your new threads. The production of these clothes not only harms the environment but the workers that have to create them.
In order to keep production costs down, so that people are more likely to buy more items, producers almost always underpay and overwork the staff who creates their clothing.
A report published by Oxfam Australia in 2019 found that only 1% of Vietnamese and 0% of Bangladeshi garment workers were paid a living wage. These people are barely able to make enough money to survive, much less to save money so that they can move upwards.
According to Green America, these workers are not employed by the company that will be selling the clothes that are being produced. Instead, fast-fashion companies have contracts with other companies, called Tier 1 companies, in the producing countries that have contracts with factories. Garment workers are employed by the factories and not the companies that have contracted the factories out. Because of this, the fast-fashion corporations don’t have any legal obligation to oversee the production of their products.
The production of fast fashion items is not ethical to produce or consume and we need to do better about our purchases.
The first step to reduce or cut off your consumption of fast fashion is to establish your style. When you have established your style, you won’t feel the need to go out and buy new things constantly in order to always switch it up.
Then, it’s important to buy clothes that last. Many items from places like H&M and Forever 21 are made quickly and cheaply, with little thought into how long they will be wearable. When your clothes aren’t lasting long, you are forced to throw them out and have to buy new ones. Invest in some good quality clothes, especially basics, from sustainable brands. Brands you can look into are Dorsu (dorsu.org) and Mayamiko (mayamiko.com).
Finally, buy secondhand. Buying from thrift stores is cheaper than buying from anywhere else and they are a lot more sustainable because you are saving clothes from being thrown away. If thrift shopping at places like Goodwill is too overwhelming for you, you can try places like Plato’s Closet or Clothes Mentor. These places buy clothes and then resell them, so their selection is more specific. If you want to shop from home, you can browse some Instagram thrift pages. Owners of Instagram accounts like @vellavintage and @ursistersclosett thrift for you and then list their prices either on the page or on their own website.
There is no excuse to support the fast fashion companies anymore, at least not in the capacity that we have. Learning about the source of the products we consume and taking those into consideration when we make purchases is how we can start to effect change and speak with our dollars.
Photo: Olivia Esselman/ The Johnsonian
