Lately, fast fashion has grown massively. In the United States, citizens now throw away 65 pounds of clothes per capita. This isn’t just a ‘Murica thing; in the United Kingdom, they throw away approximately 30 kg per capita annually, which is approximately the same weight. I may be a tiny person, but that is more than half my weight thrown away. Per Capita. EVERY YEAR. Which unfortunately, isn’t even the biggest part of the problem. If you look at the tags of your clothes, there are probably not that many clothes that are made out of 100% cotton or 100% wool. It probably contains 20% synthetics or something. Of course, synthetics means that your clothes can be warmer or stretchier and all that jazz, but synthetics also means that your clothes can’t be recycled. That means it’s great if you send your clothes to Goodwill or a shelter, but at the end of the day, it can’t be broken down.
“Last year the deadlines were about 90 days… [This year] the deadlines for delivery are about 60 days. Sometimes even 45… They have drastically come down.”
To top that off, fast fashion means that your clothes aren’t made to be durable anymore. My mother was from a poor family; one of her priorities in buying clothes is that they must last for more than a single season (that and having three kids meant that the clothes had to last long enough to go through all of them). Fast fashion also means that your clothes aren’t in fashion for that long anymore. This past summer, off-the-shoulder tops were everywhere, next summer, who knows what it will be? Rather than producing a new collection twice a year (spring/summer and autumn/winter), but now, designers have to produce collections more often. Whilst this means that trends move faster from the magazine to the shop, it also means that some underpaid person is working overtime for these shirts. Oxfam recorded that “Last year the deadlines were about 90 days… [This year] the deadlines for delivery are about 60 days. Sometimes even 45… They have drastically come down.” Whilst it is good for fashionastas, it is bad for the environment and for obvious ethical reasons. The clothing industry is not quiet slavery, but close enough to make most people balk. These two reasons are the main reason why the fashion industry is second only to the automotive industry in pollution.
More environmentally friendly and ethical brands can be found here. In short, higher quality basic pieces = timeless classics that last multiple seasons and save the Earth. Go capsule wardrobe!