With multiple attempts to get our hands on a wardrobe to die for, are we taking a step too far in pursuit to create those perfect looks at a deadly cost? Fast fashion is soaring these days particularly in an era where keeping up with relevant trends is tightly knotted to one’s social status. In this pursuit, however, we may have overstepped dangerous boundaries. There are some burning questions that we should be asking ourselves, such as:
- Who made my clothes?
- How were they made?
- And most importantly, at what cost?
The biggest problem with fast fashion has to be the fact that it is simply not sustainable.
Fast fashion retailers produce huge volumes as cheaply as possible in very little time focussing on quantity rather than the quality. This does, however, comes from the massive amounts of wastage on our part. We often buy heaps more than what we need but, in a few years, when we lose interest they go straight in the bin. It is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year to landfill sites and end up in incineration.
Most of us don’t think twice before discarding an article of clothing because throwing it out is just that easy. These clothes pile up in landfill sites as we shovel waste down the throat of our planet.
On the other end, there is the human cost involved. Oftentimes, workers are in extremely vulnerable conditions where they lack adequate payment and protection despite working unusually long hours. The most well known proof of this is the collapse of the Dhaka garment factory in 2013 that took the lives of 1,134 people and left around 2,500 injured.
Remember that the cheapest prices do not necessarily reflect a “best-buy”. A lot might have been forsaken for companies to be able to sell their products to you at that given price. So, the next time you want to throw out an old garment, it might be worth thinking twice. And for all of conscious consumers, there are brands like Designer Friday who are doing their bit to bring a change in the fashion industry for the better.
At Designer Friday we believe that sustainability, ethics and fashion can go hand-in-hand as we break boundaries to prove that these three aspects are not mutually exclusive. When wearing our dresses we want you to feel that confidence and brilliance you get from a guilt-free conscience while looking gorgeous. We upcycle leftover and recycled fabrics into stylish pieces instead of having them go to waste.
With that being said, it takes no more than a few simple steps on our part to say goodbye to fast-fashion and to start dressing ‘fashionably guilt-free’. Let us show you how:
- Choose to recycle, resell and repair your clothes.
- Buy only what you need. Livia Firth proposed an eye-opening piece of advice: "Only buy it if you think that you would wear it at least 30 times".
- Invest in better quality to make your clothes last-longer, thus increasing its lifespan and keeping it away from landfill sites.
- Switch to recycled, organic and ethically sourced fabrics.
- Be conscious of who you are buying from. Discover more about the brand’s sustainability and ethical promises on their website. Support your local small businesses like Designerfriday as they tend to cater to the exact needs of buyers and this reduces unwanted or extra stock that ends up going to waste.
Sustainable and ethical shopping should be the new trend. We can still afford to look good while purchasing clothes with a clean slate. So if there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Follow our journey on @designerfriday
