This fast fashion issue has been on my mind lately. Is fast fashion avoidable? Am I a terrible human being for contributing to the problem? Do I need to change all my habits to avoid it? Will the fashion blogging niche go away if fast fashion does? These are all questions running through my head and I (clearly) have some opinions on them.
To state it quickly and simply, we should absolutely try our best to avoid fast fashion. There’s some pretty simple (and affordable) ways to combat fast fashion. However, we shouldn’t condemn people who can’t avoid it and have used it before. You don’t conquer the world through hateful comments and tactics but through understanding. Personally, I can’t guarantee I will never shop fast fashion again. But even little steps make a huge impact.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I may make a commission if you click through and purchase.
Is Fast Fashion Avoidable?
Probably Not. This is a long and complicated answer I’m sure, but unfortunately I don’t believe fast fashion will ever be completely avoidable. Fast fashion is not only convenient it’s also cheap. Those two facts alone will guarantee that it stays around for decades more to come.
In today’s society we have been trained that convenience is a top priority. I personally hate waiting over a week for something to arrive. If I can avoid online shopping I will, but somethings are just too easy to get off Amazon. And trust me when I say, we were trained to be that way by society. As a fashion blogger I have to admit that I use fast fashion. In order to stay on top of trends or actually make a sale I need items quick, and they need to be affordable for others. However, I have been shopping more sustainably then when I first started blogging a few years ago.
Even outside of the blogging world fast fashion is hard to avoid. As much as I would love (and I’m sure many others) to spend more on sustainable clothing brands, there’s bills to pay. (I will be sharing some affordable options though later on in this post, so stay tuned). Unfortunately, until we fix many other problems in society we will not be able to completely get rid of fast fashion. And you know what?It’s okay. If there’s one thing that I ask it’s that you don’t beat yourself up about shopping fast fashion. We can all do better at something. Just being aware and making small choices daily with your wardrobe can make a big impact.
Ways to Be More Sustainable with Your Closet
So what makes clothes sustainable? The fashion industry looks at these 5 issues when it comes to sustainable fashion: water usage, hazardous chemicals, life cycle, waste, and agriculture. (Check out this article for more on these topics). I believe the number one issue we can tackle as fashion consumers is the life cycle of a garment. You might already be tackling this issue and not even know it. I certainly have been doing it for years and didn’t even think about the positive effects it was having to combat fast fashion. Here are three ways to extend the life cycle of clothes:
- Buy pieces you know you’ll keep for a long time.
- Buy secondhand. (We all know how much I love thrifting & Poshmark!)
- Re-purpose old clothing items. (A great example of this right now is by creating face mask).
By using clothing until they (literally) disintegrate you are already doing the world a huge favor. Even if the item you bought was fast fashion, if you keep, use it, resell, or re-purpose it you are making a difference. Remember, fast fashion doesn’t just allude to the fact that you can get it fast, it also means that people aren’t wearing it for long before they toss it and move on to the next thing. (And let me just be transparent here, I’ve done that! I’m sure a lot of people have. It’s okay, let’s try and be better together).
The Ethical Question
I’m not going to go too deep on this because I get pretty heated about it. Plain and simple, companies need to start treating their employees like humans. It’s the Number 1 thing I was taught while growing up: “Treat people the way you want to be treated”. No one seems to do that these days, especially big companies. It’s the biggest problem I have with Amazon, even more than any kind of environmental impact they may have. And one more thing before this turns into a full on rant, if you have billions of dollars, you should be treating your employees above and beyond basic human decency. (That I would argue most employees no matter the industry don’t get).
Brands that Make Shopping Fast Fashion More Avoidable
Like I said before, fast fashion will probably never be 100% avoidable. And I’ll be honest, I’m still probably going to participate in shopping fast fashion a few times a year. I admit I have flaws and having new clothes will always be one of them. But I have started looking into brands that are more sustainable and ethical. I was shocked to find that some of my favorite places to shop have already made an effort towards sustainability. Many other brands may just be jumping on the sustainable & ethical train but that’s okay too. This is a start and hopefully this becomes the norm for all brands. Here are brands that are sustainable or adding more and more sustainable & ethical options to their clothing lines.
- Levi’s Jeans *Affordable
- H&M Conscious *Affordable
- Polo Ralph Lauren
- Vera Bradley
- Patagonia
- Sseko
- Columbia
- Boden
- threadUP *Secondhand (and affordable!)
- Poshmark *Secondhand (and affordable!)
- Petite Studio *New Favorite Find!
- Reformation *New Favorite Find!
Check out more Sustainable Brands & Ethical Brands.
My Favorite Fast Fashion Purchases (That I’ll be keeping for years to come).
