Fast fashion is a marketing method used by many top brands focused on buying massive quantities of clothes for extremely low prices allowing retailers to profit immensely without even lifting a finger. When most people consider fast fashion, they tend to think of companies such as Shein which is home to thousands of different designs at incredibly low prices all made in and shipped from China, but many of our beloved Highstreet stores like Zara and urban outfitters are just as environmentally unsustainable. It seems everywhere we turn we are being faced with brands shoving microtrends down our throats convincing us to buy clothes that are likely to go out of fashion in just a few months, these companies are able to keep up with high customer demand and fast-changing trends by spending next to nothing on underpaid labour in poor working conditions and charging us 10x the price for it. Despite all this shopping sustainably really isn’t as hard as you think, you just need to know where to look.
Charity shops and secondhand clothing
I count myself very blessed to live in Brighton for many different reasons, as a self-proclaimed shopaholic I must admit my favourite thing about the city is the huge amount of charity shops and access to secondhand clothing. According to ClothesAid charity, over 300,000 tonnes worth of clothes end up in landfills in the UK every single year, most of these clothes have so much life and wear left in them and definitely don’t need to go to waste. Now I know what you’re thinking, charity shops are full of old people’s clothes and stuff no one wears anymore but they can also be full of some absolute gems. The problem with everyone shopping at all the same places is everyone has all the same clothes, to me there really is nothing worse than turning up somewhere to find someone else in the exact same outfit as you. There’s no shame in buying basics for your wardrobe like tops and jeans from the Highstreet brands we all know and love, but charity shops really are a great place for finding one-off pieces to spice up your outfits and make you stand out.
DEPOP, eBay and Vinted
Online shopping is both a blessing and a curse, I for one can spend hours scrolling through my phone and laptop without getting bored but can’t stand walking around a shop for longer than 5 minutes. Depop, eBay and Vinted are online selling platforms that allow you to buy people’s secondhand clothes and sell the stuff you don’t wear anymore. Listing items is super easy and ensures that not only are you buying sustainably but you are also making sure your old clothes don’t go to waste. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, just because you don’t wear something anymore doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for someone else. I often find these platforms are a good way of saving money too, a little trick I’ve learnt is if there is something you really, really want to buy from somewhere you know isn’t the most sustainable its always worth checking DEPOP to see if anyone’s selling the same thing for cheaper. Often people miss the return dates for online purchases or just don’t end up liking something they’ve ordered and it’s easier for them to sell it on to someone else instead of taking it back to the store. These platforms are also great for small businesses selling lots of unique pieces which are sourced and made way more sustainably than the large companies contributing to fast fashion.
Altering and sewing your own clothes
During the first lockdown, my Nana gave me her old sewing machine and I taught myself how to use it. Watching videos online and asking my Nana for occasional advice it was pretty easy to pick up the basics of sewing, I started by just taking old clothes I had and didn’t wear anymore and transforming them into something new. This is a great way to bring new life into old clothes instead of just throwing them away. Things go in and out of fashion so easily nowadays it can be so hard to keep up with what’s ‘trendy’ and what’s ‘cheugy’. I tend to find the reason I don’t end up liking a lot of clothes I buy isn’t because of the item itself or the patterns or the style but because of how it fits my body, being able to alter clothes so they fit me perfectly has been the best thing for my wardrobe. Jeans and trousers sit perfectly where I want them to on my waist and I’m no longer faced with them dragging on the floor because my legs are too short. Making your own clothes is a cost-effective way to keep up with the trends of the moment whilst also making individual items no one else has.
Many of the big-name brands are responsible for the environmental pollution caused by the fashion industry, contributing hugely to CO2 emissions, chemical water pollution and general textile waste. No one is asking you to change the way you shop completely but it is important for us to start taking small steps towards sustainability in 2022 if we want to make a change. Shopping second hand, from small businesses, or doing a little bit of fashion DIY every so often can have a huge positive impact on our planet and change up your wardrobe for the better all aiding in the mission to FUCK FAST FASHION.