A World We Dare To Imagine Part 1

Something I have contemplated a lot recently is fashion waste and its impact on our environment. Fast fashion has overcome our society and is an attractive option to consumers who want to spend as little money as possible on trendy, cheap, in-season items. This movement has caused a significant negative impact on our environment and climate. Fast fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Its environmental impact includes water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and textile waste. Second-hand goods, on the other hand, have a much smaller impact on the environment, and sustainable fashion is a great solution to combating fashion waste. The amount of clothing discarded into landfills is obscene. Something needs to be done to reduce the amount of first-hand or even completely unused clothing garments that end up in our landfills. Fast fashion products contain synthetic materials like polyester, which takes hundreds of years to decompose, you can imagine how that is not good for our world's pollution problem. The good news is that younger generations are becoming increasingly aware of this problem. There are studies that show that younger consumers are willing to pay more for ethically sourced goods. Sustainable goods are goods that are socially, ethically, and environmentally sourced. 

I think that the government needs to do a better job of supporting and promoting sustainable brands not just in fashion. The government should offer incentives to sustainable brands like more significant tax write-offs and some initial funding to help get second-hand or clothing resale companies off the ground. The consumer desire is there but as of now ethically sourced products are at a marked-up price which isn’t accessible to a lot of the market. If the government helps supports these brands and second-hand or ethical goods become more popularized, the barrier to entry will be much lower. Once second-hand goods become a more mainstream product, the demand will increase and more entrepreneurs will be enticed to enter the space. 

Not only is fast fashion extremely detrimental to our environment but it often times comes from workers in remote places who are underpaid and work in less than ideal labor conditions. It promotes unethical labor conditions and has become a huge issue in our world today. Promoting donation and clothing recycling is a great way to help eliminate these practices and even provide more hammy-down goods that can be shipped to other countries in need. Sustainable fashion aims to reduce the negative environmental impact of fashion production and promote ethical and fair labor practices. When it becomes a more widely accepted thing to hold on to clothing items for longer, purchase pre-loved items, and donate clothes that are outgrown then I think our world will become significantly healthier environmentally and socially. 

Also, think about the damage “keeping up with trends” has done to our society in the United States. People are constantly spending money on clothing they can’t afford simply to portray a certain persona or just for the sake of keeping up with those around them. I think that if major influencers and celebrities started posting and wearing thrifted and recycled goods, a real positive movement could begin and it would have the potential to really disrupt the fast-fashion industry. I have heard the argument that thrifting is stealing from the poor… but if we all decide to wear the clothes we have now for longer and ornate clothes that no longer serve us, I think there will be enough items to satisfy the immediate needs of everyone. Think about how much clothing there is circulating in our world… that’s A LOT. 

If the world accepts this trend, I think there is major potential to break the vicious cycle of fashion waste. It will also have the positive side effect of eliminating the detrimental mentality of keeping up for the sake of keeping up.