When I was growing up, girls I went to school with loved hanging out at the mall. While I never understood this, fashion companies sure do. That’s why they pump out new styles every week. As quickly as possible and and with the biggest margins that they can manage.
While most people love $7 tops and $20 shoes, I’d rather compile a quality collection of sustainably-made (and non-toxic) clothing. That’s why I make every effort to be a conscious consumer, doing my research on the fashion industry and looking for alternatives to fast fashion.
What I found out was that the true cost of fast fashion is far greater than any bargain. For starters, if there’s a new “season” of clothes every week, you’re bound to be out-of-style before you’ve even worn your new find. To keep up you have to buy more and toss more – the average American throws out more than 68 pounds of textiles per year!
And that’s just the beginning of the environmental impact. In order to keep costs down, manufacturers don’t adhere to safety standards and some of your fave inexpensive accessories contain lead, in addition to all the other chemicals – pesticides, insecticides, formaldehyde, and flame-retardants – that are routinely used in mainstream fashion.
20% of all water pollution comes from the apparel industry. If we change the way we shop we can make a huge impact.
Perhaps the most tragic cost of all is the human cost, with up to 60 percent of fashion being produced by ‘informal’ workers, there’s no way to regulate their working conditions.
But you don’t have to participate in all this madness. You can step out of the fast fashion system, by following the below tips:
Shop vintage
The most reliable path to being a sustainable fashionista is to by buying vintage. While you can’t be sure the vintage piece was ethically made, by purchasing a vintage piece you’re breathing new life into something that might have been discarded into a landfill. Here’s my guide to getting great deals on eBay.
Look for natural materials
Did you know that polyester is actually toxic because it’s made from petroleum? Always avoid synthetic fabrics, as the processing chemicals and dyes used in these materials are particularly toxic. Instead, opt for (organic, if possible) cotton or linen.
After all my wool and cashmere sweaters got moth holes in them, I replaced them with with thick sweaters, denim, t-shirts, pants and more — all made from cotton or linen. If you can find it, hemp is another great choice.
Manufacturing practices and supply chain matters
For example, bamboo products are being marketed as green, but while bamboo itself is very sustainable, it is often processed with so many chemicals that it becomes toxic. And even if a brand uses “organic” cotton doesn’t mean they’re using non-toxic dyes.
There are some certifying companies such as OEKO_TEX or GOTS which cover parts of the supply chain, so you can also look out for those certifications. If you are buying non-organic clothing, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification will ensure that there are no toxic chemicals used in the textile dyeing and finishing process.
Think you can just wash away the toxins? Think again
Washing clothing does not thoroughly remove toxins, but it does spread the toxins to our local water.
Made in… where??
There is a lot of haziness in labelling law, since it’s a ‘standard’ rather than a rule. Companies take advantage of that and put a ‘Made in USA’ label when the component parts are not actually American made.
The good news is that fashion-conscious consumers don’t have to compromise. A simple rule that I’ve adopted is to build my wardrobe slowly by picking out sustainable pieces I love. I try to find brands that don’t use toxic dyes and chemicals or underpaid labor. That doesn’t have to translate into expensive clothing; check out a couple of my favorites brands: Wildlife Works (their profits save animals) and Thought, or search for “organic clothing”.
Being an ethical consumer is all about educating yourself then doing the best you can. After all, if you want to change the world, the best way is to vote with your dollars.
What’s your best fashion tip? Do you try to shop sustainably?
The world is so toxic now. ? I fear for all our safety.
As far as I know, there are a lot of issues with cosmetics and almost any other chemical products out there, even food. We’ve all heard about how it is all unregulated or that companies are allowed to hide certain ingredients in labels just to hide the fact that something isn’t a hundred percent healthy for consumption. So how do we feel safe as consumers in this market that’s hungry for profit? Everything is all about money in this world and nobody really cares for the safety of life preservation…
Sad, but true.
If we try to lessen those who are patronizing the constant buying for new clothes all the time, the production and sales of these clothing lines will also decrease.
Let’s face it, women can get judged by going to vintage shops. We get mocked if we wear outdated clothes that aren’t following the trends.?
There’s so much problem in this world. It all boils down that we should just all aim for simplicity instead of trying to come up with ways to “improve life” when we’re actually trying to poison our bodies slowly but surely.
Another thing that you can do is to not dispose of your clothes but instead, donate them to charities or sell it. Not only that you will earn money from your old clothes, you’re also helping the environment. We can’t really do much as consumers in terms of helping clothing factories have a better waste disposal on their part, but it’s the least that we can do from our side. I really can’t think of any other things to suggest… But I really hope that other users can also share their tips on how they recycle their clothing.
I usually use old clothes as rags. If a shirt is too big I’d cut them out into a decent size.
Name a clothing brand that doesn’t use polyester. Even the biggest brands do! How do we even deal with this? There’s probably a very small ratio of brands that don’t use harmful chemicals for their clothing.
Almost anything that has color has lead. Toys, clothing, makeup, etc.
Clothes are clothes. If I have to research about every material a certain cloth was made before I could even figure out if it’s safe or not, it’s already sold out and I’ve lost my chance in purchasing a good deal. I haven’t even seen anyone get allergies with clothing, why are we all so paranoid?! It’s just clothes and nobody will die from purchasing it. If it’s ruining the environment, then authorities of the government should do something about making sure that the factories are regulated.
I agree. We can only do so much to help the environment and the biggest problem isn’t even the consumers.
This is why I don’t like keeping up with trends just for the sake of it.