04/11/2018
Fashion as one of the most environmentally damaging industry.
Hours and hours spent searching for the best outfit, matching colours, fabrics, appropriate length, choosing accurately to the occasion. So many rules... Putting on, taking off, changing and continuing to be disappointed. It is not perfect. So we go and buy new clothes. Again and again.
This is the story of many people. There is nothing wrong with a desire to look great. Fashion is style. "Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak".
"Fashion is art and you are the canvas". Fashion is a way to express yourself, your feelings, mood, emotions. Fashion is a message.
But fashion is also an industry - the second largest polluting industry in the world, behind only fossil fuel energy production. The production and distribution of the crops, fibers, and garments used in fashion all contribute to differing forms of environmental pollution, including water, air, and soil pollution.
Use of polyester, causes increasing levels of plastic in the oceans. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. Cotton growing has a devastating impact of toxic chemical use in agriculture. These are only some consequence of fast fashion which affect and destroy our planet.
We buy more clothes and don’t keep them as long as we used to. Our wardrobes are saturated. This is a huge problem in developed countries.
Retailers convince us that what we were wearing a few months ago is no longer fashionable. So, we are bombarded with new seasonal collections, encouraged by marketing campaigns and very doubtful image of what a beauty should look like. And we go for it.
So, can we, as the consumers, reduce the environmental cost of fast fashion when out shopping?
Recycling and choosing organic fabrics maybe be a little bit of help. But...
The most important is buying smarter, buying less new stuff.
Caring and repairing items which we have, buying classic and vintage items of much better quality. Creating your own, exceptional and timeless style. Look different, be different.
