Fast Fashion — Cheap Clothes are Only Cheap for Us First World People
What’s behind the allure of fast fashion and why we contribute to poverty
Shopping therapy: it is a kind of therapy. You get something new and if all the threads align — you look like new, feel like new — the coolness factor shines. I hate to burst the bubble — and trust me, I love buying clothes and have been a huge contributor to despair — but we the buyers aren’t doing anyone except the landfills any good. Quite the contrary. The clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact of the industry on our economy and environment is something we have to consider now more than ever.
Although we’ve been hearing more and more, there still is a largely ignored story of what lies underneath that bargain for $4.99, 2 for the price of one, and one pair of jeans for under $10. Why? Because we love to shop. That’s why. Yet another pleasure they want to ruin. But you know what? They are us. We are they.
We’re all in this together and we all have to do something about it.
The real cost of Fast Fashion is way higher than you can imagine.
The upside of cheap, cute clothes: everybody can afford it. You don’t have to be the Duchess of Famous Family to look good. Back in the day, for example, during the reign of Louis XIV, even if you could afford it, only certain people were allowed to wear certain clothes, colors and materials. (Hence the stanza in Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” — What fashion strictly divided; All people become brothers which pertains to the division fashion had in society. It still does today but fast fashion has to an extent broken down the barrier. But at a cost.)
Of course that’s all changed: you can afford it you can wear anything and everything. And cheap clothing makes it possible for everyone to enjoy the thrill of buying something new, to be trendy and all that. One even praised/praises current Royalty and Celebs (showing they’re down with the commoner) for choosing cheap pieces from Zara or H&M, TopShop et al)
Where there’s an upside, there’s always a downside. And the downside of cheap affordable clothing is despair for people and destruction for the environment. It sucks. I know.
“Let’s share the wealth” that’s yet to happen. Will it ever happen?
Remember this when you buy your next pair of jeans or T-shirt. The life of the factory seamstress, the cost to the environment (cotton production has made huge lakes disappear and that’s no exaggeration — see the Aral Sea which supplies water to huge cotton plantations. The before and after after a mere 40 years is gobsmacking. )
Ask yourself this question? Do I really need another whatever it is you’ve got in your hand?
The only way things will change is this: people work and get paid like humans where the working conditions are safe and the workers can actually afford decent housing and food for their families, the cost of production must rise to make that possible, and the consumers are willing to pay more.
What would change if clothes got more expensive? Well, the instant gratification factor loses out. One would actually have to save a couple of months before buying something. The upside: maybe you realize you don’t need it. And voilà. You’ve saved money. That’s not a bad thing btw. Having a few bucks saved for the proverbial rainy day (as my granny loved to say) really is a good idea. I definitely should have heeded her advice more often.
So, maybe you’ll have five nice T-shirt’s instead of thirty but you’ll know the person who actually made it isn’t living in abject poverty, fears for her life (85% of the workers in these sweatshops are women) working in dangerous conditions, and the environment can regenerate, toxins can drain or be removed and water can slowly replenish parched land. Sounds like a fair trade to me.
Exploitation for a quick instant gratification kick at the expense of other humans must stop. It’s up to us all. We as consumers have the power to demand change.
There’s a great documentary on the topic I’d like to recommend The True Cost. You can watch it on YouTube (on the Endevr channel which is excellent BTW) The team traveled the world, covering all aspects of fashion from the runway to the slum way with interviews of the few influential people in fashion and fame trying to make a difference. Their website truecostmovie.com
Chains are making an effort for conscious, organic — the hype words we like to see to ease our conscience. And don’t let the upscale designers fool you either: they’re just as guilty; they produce their more expensive products in Bangladesh etc too. The only branch that pays everyone involved well — from seamstress to cloth makers — that’s couture. And except for billionaires, the elusive 1%, we cannot afford a dress that costs $20,000 and beyond.
Awareness is a first step, leading us to cut down on consumerism and bring up the moral code! A comment A.R. Savvy made, whom I’d like to credit for such an excellent remark.
Let’s try second hand and/or mending or repurposing clothes. I did. I do. It works.
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