Hi there, for our first blog post we wanted to briefly cover fast fashion and why it has such a high impact on our environment. We feel it is important to know where your clothes are coming from and who's making them. We understand that it can be difficult to shop sustainably sometimes because it's not always cheap, but we would like to emphasize quantity over quality. When you buy a well-made and slightly higher priced piece of clothing, you're not only doing a favor for the planet, but a favor for yourself and your conscience!
So, what is fast fashion? Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand. Its impact on the planet is huge - the pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means that environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast fashion's negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes—making the fashion industry the second largest polluter of clean water globally after agriculture.
There are also human costs... Fast fashion impacts garment workers who have been found to work in dangerous environments, for low wages, and without basic human rights. It can also impact the consumers themselves, encouraging the "throw-away" culture because of both the built-in obsolescence of the products, and the speed at which trends are produced. Fast fashion makes us believe we need to shop more and more to stay on top of trends, creating a constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction.
This is why we want to encourage you to vote with your dollar and make more conscious decisions about the brands you buy from. When you shop local, shop ethically, and shop sustainably you can feel good about what you're buying and know that it's a quality product that will stick with you for the long run. Try looking up some of your favorite clothing brands or stores with the Good On You app to see how eco-conscious and responsible they are - it can be shocking! At Shop SLOYC, we do our best to carry brands that care about the planet, care about you, and look good on you. Some of our favorite sustainable brands are Girlfriend Collective, Wolven, and People of Leisure 😇
Sources:
Rauturier, Solene. “What Is Fast Fashion?” Good On You, 10 May 2020.
Wilson, Derek Prince. “Fast Fashion Infographic.” Behance.