I'm afraid this is one of those moments yet again where I sincerely apologise for having not written anything for over a month.... and you guessed it, deadlines. Well good news, I'm back (whilst I have the chance).
As a Fashion Design student, I have also had the opportunity in the last month to really open my eyes. Through all the gunk I have being sent to my inbox about a new 50% discount, or cookies popping up on the side of my browser on the new misguided dresses that I HAVE to apparently have for £15, I have opened up my eyes nice and wide to the antichrist of the fast fashion circus.. you named it, to sustainability.
I wrote a post a while back about the current state of the fashion industry and indeed, how it is speeding up - consumers are wanting things quicker, they want it now, meaning designers are churning out designs quicker than they can get their morning Starbucks in rush hour. That is only 2% of the reality of the fashion and textiles industry right now. With emerging brands such as Missguided, publicdesire, boohoo, even zara and h&m, the fashion and textiles industry is working at top speed in order to get this weeks looks into stores and to their consumers, at an affordable, comfortable price. Sounds good right? Hold on just one minute.
Have you heard of Global warming? Global warming is caused by the earth's atmosphere indeed, warming up, affecting weather patterns, water levels and environmental growth. Global warming is caused by the "greenhouse effect", in which the earth traps heat radiating from earth towards space - with CO2 acting as a main cause of this trapping. Now burning fossil fuels creates this CO2, such as burning coal, oil and gas.
And here's the key part. The fashion and textiles industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, and remains the second largest industrial polluter, second only to oil with fast fashion indeed speeding up this pollution.
In context - you have the christmas party coming up, you need a dress for next week. It's the end of the pay month and you have about £20 to spend - but you want to look like Kylie Jenner, with the shoes to match. So you order a dress online that's £7.50, reduced from £15. You then buy the matching shoes for £12. The dress just about makes it through the christmas party, with the hem falling apart as you're dancing, and your heel snaps off as you get into the Uber. Well, they were cheap, so I guess it doesn't matter if you throw them away, you kind of expected them to fall apart anyway.
We've all done it, I myself... and here's the situation explained. The reason the dress and shoes are so cheap, is because the fabric is cheap - the fabric used is a cheap synthetic that uses twice as much oil to create, and double the amount of water waste is also created.. ergo, CO2 production and global warming. Throwing away the cheap dress and shoes also creates CO2 pollution - the items go to a landfill site and are left to rot away, creating CO2 and methane pollution. Kind of regretting that £20 now a little right? And because of the low price tag, the items are bought 10 x more, doubling the pollution.
This is one of the considerations that it is important to take as a consumer. We all love to shop.. the thrill, the feeling of having something new to wear, the adrenaline when you find THE DRESS in the sale and you get the last size 8. But it's also our responsibility as consumers to do what we can to help slow down global warming.
Want to buy a new shirt because you're feeling the boyfriend look this season and know a nice cotton shirt is going to feel great under THAT jumper? Don't buy a cheap cotton shirt online. Have you heard of organic cotton? The production of Organic cotton needs less pesticides in production (hello CO2) and reduces water waste by up to 50%. Organic cotton is a little more expensive but it feels great, it lasts longer and it reduces harmful gas emissions. When you get a hole in your Jamie jeans and you're not sure how you can wear them out? Save them. Keep them for summer. Create a pair of high waisted shorts with them... or better yet, donate or stitch it up yourself. It's just a hole right?
As a design student, I have come to the realisation that there are far bigger things going on in this world than what we realise, and the danger of our own living environment is higher than ever - in terms of my contribution, this year I am focusing on creating a sustainable collection of garments that aren't only sustainable, but also stylish. As a consumer? I'm trying my best to consider what I buy and think about what lays behind the item and what the bigger picture is. After all, it's another excuse to invest in higher quality pieces rather than cheap throw aways that waste my money.
So, don't throw away - save. Don't buy cheap - invest. simple huh?
photo credit - Georgia Sillitoe http://www.georgiasillitoe.com/
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