In the virtual age we live in, it’s difficult not to be part of the vast collection of social networks that exist today. Social media has been an excellent tool to interact and engage with people all over the world, such as helping small businesses enter large-scale markets, connecting friends and family, creating spaces for communities and much more. However, like everything else, the use of social media has its cons. In this case, I want to focus on the role that it plays in the fashion industry.
Fashion influencers have had the opportunity to grow on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram and their content has significantly contributed to the way fashion is perceived. For example, the term “fast fashion,” which is the rapid passage of fashions, is promoted by clothing franchises that produce high-volume products of low-quality materials (usually derived from plastic), without treating manufacturers fairly.Some of these franchises are Forever 21, Shein, Zara amongst others. With the use of the Internet, the content consumed related to fashion moves much faster than it used to before. When it was only talked about mostly in magazines, many of those trends were monthly compared to now, when trends can change weekly. This occurs as videos and photos from fashion account platforms are constantly on the lookout to create new content more often.
Being exposed to this content leads us to see the same pieces frequently on all platforms, say for example a suit. It is soon sold in fast fashion stores by not using elaborate techniques. Because of this, they can keep up with the speed of fashion trends at a low cost so that the consumer can participate in those trends. The problem occurs when next week, the suit is no longer the main topic of the conversation and the attention shifts to a pair of boots and so on. This promotes overconsumption and environmental damage due to the misuse of toxic textiles. Apart from this, the problem with fast trend cycles is that they are easy to follow, thanks to their accessibility in stores like the ones mentioned above, and this leads the consumer to subconsciously, not develop their own sense of style.
Having your own sense of style helps to break with fast fashion patterns by being aware of which pieces of clothing you feel the most comfortable with, and feel more like yourself. By doing this, you can consciously let the trends go and only pay attention to what you genuinely like and to what you know you’ll give a long life of use. How do you do this? It is much simpler than you imagine. My preferred method is knowing how to distinguish something that I appreciate, and I admit that it looks good on others who are wearing it, from what I know would look good on me and feel comfortable in. It is worth mentioning that many people come to identify with some type of aesthetic (see: soft girl, academia, grandma chic, cottagecore, etc.) to facilitate the process of distinguishing between trends and what they really like. That’s great, but my advice is that you don’t need to box yourself into just one way of dressing. You’re allowed to want to dress in a particular way some days and change it up other days, but the important part is that both ways resonate with your personality and make you feel good.
You can look for your style perhaps in your favorite movies of all time or TV shows that you love. Your style can be present in the things that you are passionate about and yet you still don’t know it. So, think about it, look at photos of when you were little and the colors you liked to wear the most or the shoes you liked to go out with the most. Once you find that sense of individuality, you will have found your style and with this, you will pay more attention to the clothes you want to wear.
Having your own fashion sense and wearing your pieces to the fullest is the most sustainable way to dress. Taking proper care of what you already own, (like washing your clothes according to their tags) and using them frequently, reduces the consumption of textiles. This makes you feel better and much more comfortable than trying to constantly be on trendy pieces, when you already know that you are not going to like them. To make it clear, just in case, I’m not saying for you to restrict yourself from shopping from fast fashion shops, since in reality the accessibility in prices is beneficial for many. Sustainability looks different to everybody. So, now you know, if you clicked on this link and read this far, you want to be part of the change and that’s the first step, you want to improve your lifestyle for your sake and the planet’s. Therefore, search, find yourself and be happy.