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A bonus video that does a really succinct and thorough job of defining the problem of fast fashion as well as framing a context for its solution!  

From TED: Do you know where your clothes come from? The apparel industry is one of the biggest violators of both the environment and human rights. In this compelling and information-packed talk, co-founder of Zady Maxine Bédat shows how you can take back the power of your wardrobe, and feel better in (and better about) your clothes. Maxine Bédat is the co-founder and CEO of Zady, a fashion brand and lifestyle destination creating a transparent and sustainable future for the $1.5 trillion apparel industry. Her background in international law and diplomacy, including serving as a legal clerk for the U.N., led her to found The Bootstrap Project, a non-profit organization that works with entrepreneurs in the developing world. For its work in sustainability, Zady was named one of the world’s “Most Innovative Companies” in retail by Fast Company and its creativity was recognized by Mashable, which called the company “the #1 business rocking content marketing.” Bédat serves on the Council of NationSwell, has spoken at some of the world’s leading conferences, including the WWD Apparel/Retail CEO Summit, and has been regularly featured as an expert by Bloomberg, Forbes, Business of Fashion, CNN and the Huffington Post. Bédat is a graduate of Columbia Law School.

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Below are some responses to interview questions emailed to us by Portland Fashion Week Executive Producer, Fiona Foulk. 

Can you tell us a little bit about PFW and your role in the organization? 

Portland Fashion Week is a 5 day event showcasing local, national, and international designers. I started out as an original designer in the Fashion Incubator. Almost 20 years later I've gradually worked my way up in the Portland fashion scene and become PFW's executive producer.

What does “fast fashion” mean to you? 

Instant gratification. Consumerism. "Keeping up with the Jones's", if you will. Altering a hemline or swapping out a seam and sending back through the production line just to be regurgitated the following year.

How would you define sustainability in the industry, and why is it important? 

That is such an educated question, I had to consult the opinions and perceptions of my fellow PFW producers. We all unanimously agree the future is green and have to do our part for future generations. We just happen to do so through fashion.

How is sustainability exemplified by Portland Fashion Week?

Portland Fashion Week exemplifies sustainability. We have a carbon mitigation project which has lead to planting a forest repaired a riparian zone stabilizing a stream bank which contributed to the coho salmon's return.

Can you offer ways in which “fast fashion” or unsustainable practices effect everyone in the industry, including the consumer?

"The clothing industry is the second largest industrial polluter in the world...second only to oil." -Leanne Luce We all know the saying "art imitates life". Big names and labels haven't seemed to care until recently showing by their lackadaisical attitude and continuation of fast fashion.

I’ve heard some cynics offer their opinion on sustainability in the fashion industry being an untenable aspiration. What do you think is the truth in that opinion?

That shortsightedness is what has lead to the extinction of hundreds of species since the industrial revolution. Cynic is a good term because realists across the board know that sustainability is the future.

Do any major fashion houses come to mind when you think of sustainability (or lack thereof)  in the industry?

Linda Loudermilk, Stella McCartney, and Bono's Edun all come to mind when I think of big names in sustainability. It's good to see just about every other label beginning to incorporate sustainability in some regard.

What puts Portland on the map in terms of fashion?

Our sustainable ethos and pioneering attitude.

What’s next for Portland Fashion Week by way of social and environmental responsibility?

Not only have we been cruelty free for the last several years, we have now banned all plastics including plastic water bottles, cutlery, and glitter. Unless it's been upcycled and will be walking down our runway, it is not allowed.

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#WhoMadeMyClothes 

     The hashtag that asks social media users to take a more critical look at how their clothing is made and by whom, #whomademyclothes belongs to a social movement within the industry now known as Fashion Revolution Week. Soon to be in its sixth year, the trigger event of this movement was the Bangladeshi factory collapse that killed 1,138 and injured thousands more in 2013. Consequently, the hashtag was conceived and employed to illuminate the injustices of the textile industry, and to ensure that 1,138 lives would not be lost in vain. This hashtag soon became a mere component of a much larger movement fronted by Orsola de Castro known as Fashion Revolution, dedicated to consumer awareness as well as the transparency and accountability of fashion houses. This hashtag wonderfully exemplifies change in fast fashion occurring in the context of social media, and the real world impact that can be reflected or even sparked by what is “trending” on Twitter or Facebook. Below are links to the #whomademyclothes hashtag on Instagram, a Vogue article detailing ways to participate in Fashion Revolution Week, and another Vogue article detailing the industrial tragedy in Bangladesh as well as the change it incited. 

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/whomademyclothes/?hl=en

https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/fashion-revolution-week-shopping-conscious-mindful

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/rana-plaza-fifth-anniversary-how-has-fashion-industry-changed

#whomademyclothes

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Blog#8: Part 2 Seven C’s (Collaboration)

PAQ is a youtube series covering fashion, it is presented by four friends. In each of their 15 minute episodes, they take on a fashion challenge. In this particular episode they collaborate with Lynx and Ditch the Label who are on a mission to remove the labels and stereotypes that hold people back from expressing themselves. The four friends gather plain clothes to sell in a store, in order to raise money for anti-bullying. I believe Youtube is a great medium for Collaboration. Youtube allows creators, such as PAQ, to create powerful and compelling experiences. The PAQ series does a great job of depicting four friends (through their Youtube channel) share responsibility, authority, and accountability; and the show has the benefit of showcasing four different perspectives and talents.

#fastfashion paqofficial paq youtube socialchange

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Blog Deliverable #8, Part 1

Paris has made a proposal to become the Sustainable Capital Of Fashion by 2024 by establishing a plan that will assist to go greener. This plan will involve the industry known as Paris Good Fashion. It relates to controversy with civility because it is not just open to a group, it is also open to the community.

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Blog Deliverable #7

Patrick Woodyard begins his presentation with a glimpse at the apparel industry today compared to the past. He goes into further detail based on where clothes are made, how they are made, from what materials they are made, and what happens to them after a certain amount of time.

#environment #fastfashion #ethical fashion

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Innovation in plastics engineering could make big waves in the fashion industry.

     Countless fashion houses have been incorporating recycled materials into their textiles for quite a while now, perhaps none more efficiently than Rothy’s stylish flats weaved from a fabric of repurposed plastic water bottles, but not even they have perfected the biodegradability to dovetail their ephemeral art. For more information regarding Rothy’s shoes, this author recommends episode 206 of the the American Fashion Podcast. However, this summary’s focus is on a brief article coming from SPE: Inspiring Plastics Professionals. 

The non-profit reports on a company called BioLogiQ, and their most recent development they refer to as “NuPlastiQ MB BioPolymer”. It is a new type of bioplastic that has been proven by testing at Eden Research Laboratory to show 97% biodegradation over the period of a year. As a company whose purpose is bioplastic resin manufacturing, BioLogiQ specializes in sustainability. Their plastic products are made from renewable sources, and this latest innovation is no exception. It is born of a natural, renewably resourced, plant based resin. This could mean a lot for the textile and fashion industries that account for millions of pounds of microplastics each year that are polluting our oceans.

     This latest advancement in bioplastics is in consequence of further development of previous, marine biodegradable compounds. In fact, the compound from which this new bioplastic was born was certified by TUV Austria to fully marine biodegrade in twenty-eight days. This development has myriad social and environmental implications, the applications of which will hopefully not be lost in translation between the scientific community and the sustainable fashion community. 

     Foremost, fewer plastics in textiles means fewer rough polyester blends and more naturally sourced clothing for the consumer. However its advantages go far beyond the scope of consumer satisfaction. 

The average American can throw away up to eighty-five pounds of clothing in a year. This clothing is either put in landfills, incinerated, or finds its way into the ocean. Even if consumer habits go unchecked, new textiles incorporating biodegradable bioplastics would mean fewer microplastics will find their way into the food chain via fish consuming ocean debris, and fewer carcinogens polluting the air. 

This article is a wonderful example of how interdisciplinary social change can be, as it exemplifies how discoveries in the scientific community are making ripples that could effect the fashion community, and in turn, every single person who is an active consumer or producer in the fashion market, fast or sustainable. 

Beckworth, C., & Schepis, C. (2019, February 10). Rothy's Weaves Shoes From Recycled Plastic Water Bottles. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://americanfashionpodcast.com/

Plastics Engineering, p. 58. Business Collection(2018, September). BioLogiQ Creates Biodegradable Plastic Using Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate. Retrieved February 19, 2019. http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A557433829/ITBC

Harrabin, R. (2018, October 05). Fast fashion is harming the planet, MPs say. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45745242

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Environmental Impacts in the Fashion Industry

     “The fashion industry has been increasingly under the spotlight as a significant contributor to global environmental and social issues.” Begins this journal by Anika Kozlowski (designer and MASc candidate at Ryerson), Dr. Michal Bardecki (Director of graduate programs in Environmental Applied Science and Management at Ryerson), and Cory Searcy (Associate Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Ryerson). While the authors aren’t introducing any problems of which this blog and its readers are unaware, they do go on to identify the context in which the problem can be addressed. They define the Life Cycle Assessment as a standard tool used to investigate the environmental impacts of all stages of a product’s life, and Stakeholder Analysis as a systematic process of identifying individuals and groups whose interests should be taken into account when developing a policy or a program. In this journal, the authors employ the Life Cycle Assessment in congruence with Stakeholder Analysis to lay foundation for their soapbox to the fashion industry, albeit one solely reliant on facts. This journal represents a distinctive shift in this blog’s source paradigm in that this journal offers self sustaining empirical evidence purely from an academic perspective.

     And from that perspective, we are not only better informed in regard to the persistence of the problem, but to its possible solutions as well. The problem, of course, being the bewildering global environmental detriments and social injustices for which the fashion industry is largely responsible. Moreover, the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of apparel throughout its lifespan include wastewater emissions, solid waste production and significant depletion of resources from consumption of water, minerals, fossil fuels and energy. Delocalized production in developing nations has become a prevalent choice because of the low-cost labor and less stringent standards and regulations surrounding social and environmental issues, while there is still no industry standard on the use of terms such as 'ethical', 'green' or ‘eco-friendly’ at the expense of the well intentioned consumer. The solution, while perhaps more nuanced than this journal permits, can be sifted through identifying stakeholders in the industry and their understanding and involvement in the Life Cycle Assessment. 

     This journal provides a context for the fashion industry in which a global economy hinges on obsolescence. A thriving market in the fashion industry is defined by seasons and weeks, where what is vogue today is out tomorrow, and where a piece of clothing from retailers such as Zara or H&M can go from concept to international store floor in as few as two weeks. This competitive, speed-to-market production style has incredible environmental implications as well as deplorable marks in regard to the Life Cycle Assessment. And in that assessment, which evaluates the various environmental aspects and impacts of a given product throughout its life from raw material production to disposal, it becomes clear that the largest impact a garment has isn’t just in its production stage, but during the consumer use phase and disposal. 

     That is the basis for why this journal asserts the grave importance of understanding and engaging stakeholder groups at the consumer use phase and beyond.  Today's consumer is not only attuned to the social ramifications of fast fashion, but is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts of textile and apparel products, so identifying the consumer use and disposal phase as integral points in the Life Cycle Assessment seems like a logical place to start in generating innovative solutions that satisfy both the company and the customer. “Innovation”, the journal proclaims, “is vital for businesses to achieve sustainable development”. 

     However, there seems to be a disconnect between this information and the fashion industry, where a common perception is that once the product has moved into the hands of the consumer, it is no longer the responsibility of the fashion house. That is a divide that must be bridged. Environmental or social issues are at best a peripheral concern to designer who is responsible for creating a sellable product, generally within a set price point, all while meeting market expectations and constraints with manufacturing. That too must change. Here, too, we see another disconnect where more than textile factory workers or even the consumer, fashion houses generally have the most direct influence over the apparel manufacturing, distribution, and retail phases of the life-cycle. Even so, fashion houses are still responsible for all stages of the life cycle of their products. This journal relays that if a designer were to begin the process of conceptualizing a pair of jeans, the disposal, consumer use and apparel construction phases of the life-cycle may be an optimal place to start.

     In this writer’s opinion, in the end, this scholarly journal could not offer a solution viable in its practicality, but did offer a framework integrating a more systematic and holistic approach in developing strategies to respond to the environmental and social aspects of sustainable development in the fashion industry. Further, this journal incorporated these strategies with financial considerations which, with further attention, could spell real change for the industry. 

Kozlowski, A., Bardecki, M., & Searcy, C. (2012). Environmental Impacts in the Fashion Industry. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2012(45), 16-36. doi:10.9774/gleaf.4700.2012.sp.00004

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“Brackets by J. Cole is about social change in various ways as it discusses about the community, taxes, education, gun violence, and the economy.”

Full Text:

Brackets by J. Cole is about social change in various ways as it discusses the community, taxes, education, gun violence, and the economy. In the 2nd verse, Cole points out that as he pays taxes each year despite not being a fan of the American system, he is finding himself paying a lot of taxes with very little results in return ("J. Cole – BRACKETS", 2018). Cole is not persuaded that his money is going to causes in which the government guarantees. Cole conveys a great point when comes it to building roads and school in a larger community takes a lot longer to renovate these modifications or improvements compared to smaller communities. Cole also addresses the issue where there are more white teachers than there are teachers of color ("J. Cole – BRACKETS", 2018). The problem with this is that students of color can immediately sense inequality within the school environment. The result of this has led him to believe that the school system within his community isn’t delivering the proper support that these lower-income students need. Cole not only wants to know where his tax money is going, more importantly, he also wants to know how it is being spent. Cole is concerned about how the government uses his money that can either be used to benefit the economy or create additional problems. To be specific, he is mostly concerned that his money may end up in desperate companies that will create gun violence not just within the country but also within his community due to past history and experiences with gun violence.

#socialchange brackets jcole

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The Bottom Line is a business discussion programme in the United Kingdom (BBC Radio 4) which generally invites business leaders or entrepreneurs to talk about pressing business issues. In this particular episode the topic of fast fashion is discussed. As the BBC’s former economics editor, presenter Evan Davis and guests discuss defining fast fashion, recent patterns in consumer behavior, manufacturing/sourcing, and the supply chain.

Co-founder and Joint CEO of Boohoo, Carol Kane discusses the life cycle of their products as a fast fashion online brand. Karol notes that because their consumer base is relatively young they must cater to changing trends quickly. The planning/design/sourcing is all done in twelve weeks. She emphasizes her companies ability to take designs from the design table straight to the market.

Sustainability manager of H & M, Catarina Midby distinguishes between fast fashion and fast response. Midby advocates that H & M does indeed have an element of agility but would not define the company as a fast fashion company. Instead she depicts the company as one that, “buys a small quantity of items to test the market, once a particular item is selling, then it is a matter of responding to the demand.” Midby goes on to mention Ortega’s (Zara creator) vertical integration model as an example of agility that should be adopted by companies if they wish to respond to what consumers actually want.  

Lastly Kim Winser, Founder and CEO of Winser London, talks about how the industry is unsustainable and that we should be worried about fast fashion. Winser suggest that using waste as a resource could be a reliable solution to fast fashion.  

#sustainability #fastfashion #clothing podcastBBC podcast

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Exclusive though it may sound, The American Fashion Podcast is a delightfully accessible resource for anyone interested in the industry. While hosts Charles Beckwith and Cathy Schepis describe the podcast as “a fashion show for fashion people”, they also emphasize ethical fashion and sustainability. A great place to start in relation to social and environmental change is episode 193, in which sustainable fashion is discussed with experts. If you’re searching for something a little more glamorous, we recommend episode 201, in which Donna Karan gives an interview. Yet, the episode that truly stood out in relevance to us was episode 184, in which the hosts discuss ethical fashion and sustainability in the industry with the heads of two small brands and one social impact consultant. One of the fashion brands, AGAATI, focuses on training in their artisans to minimize waste and work sustainably with biodegradable materials. The other brand, Cienne, sources only natural and sustainable fibers, and reduces waste through small batch production. The social impact consultant from SalterBaxter weighed in on these company’s practices and how to navigate them from a business standpoint, and the recycling program FABSCRAP was discussed as it related to fast fashion and the terrifying amount of non biodegradable textile waste in the industry. 

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News

Pollution

Based on the article “Fashion Brands Create Programs to Recycle, Repurpose Clothing” by Seattle Times, they argue that shopping for clothes has become a weekly habit which can later on end up in landfills.  The demand for this fashion-trend has increased the amount of resources needed such as water and energy. The chemical within the fabric can potentially pollute rivers due to the fabric dye from the clothing material. What many people don’t realize is the type of solutions out there to prevent or reduce the negative impact that fast fashion has had on our environment. Some examples that would be considered as solutions were recycling textiles so they can be used for other purposes such as turning the material into hangers, pillows, and jackets. What is done with the textile waste is that it is gathered and turned into other goods such as wiping cloths and carpet padding. Overall, the best solution for these fast fashion company and the consumers is to create clothing that is more durable and a ban on dumping clothes in landfill.

Exploitation or Empowerment?

When you work as a garment worker in the supply chain of the fashion industry, your task is clear. It is to produce or harvest raw materials, or spin yarn, or even perform different phases of constructing a garment together. As a garment worker, you will endure working for poverty wages, in dreadful conditions, and undertake working long hours. Achieve this and your company will be happy and you will become more financially independent. But is all of this worthwhile? Not worthwhile, according to Victoria Stafford, writing in a recent article Factory Exploitation and the Fast Fashion Machine. Stafford argues that, because of the hierarchical power structure in supply factories, often the result is gender-based violence and abuse. The problem stems from the fact that women make up the majority of garment workers in fast fashion factories and the management workforce of these factories are in the hands of a male-majority workforce.

Yet, some argue that this exploitation can also lead to female empowerment. According to a recent article Exploitation or Emancipation by Emilie Schultze, Liberal writers such as Leslie T. Chang and social economist Naila Kabeer hope to influence the debate. Kabeer emphasizes how, “work in the garment industry has allowed women in Bangladesh to gain recognition for their economic contribution for the family, and that garment workers tend to be more conscious about their rights and have a more critical mindset than other women”. To date most discussion has centred on exploitation and mistreatment of garment workers, but understanding how this industry has integrated women into paid work has had a empowering effect on women from developing countries. 

Link to articles about Pollution:

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/fashion-brands-create-programs-to-recycle-repurpose-clothing/

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45745242

Citations:

Engel, A., & Engel, M. (2018, September 08). Fashion brands create programs to recycle, repurpose clothing. Retrieved February 5, 2019, from https://www.seattletimes.com/business/fashion-brands-create-programs-to-recycle-repurpose-clothing/ Harrabin, R. (2018, October 05). Fast fashion is harming the planet, MPs say. Retrieved February 5, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45745242

Link to articles about Exploitation/Empowerment:

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/exploitation-or-emancipation-women-workers-in-the-garment-industry/

https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/factory-exploitation-and-fast-fashion-machine (Paris)

Citations:

 (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fashionrevolution.org/exploitation-or-emancipation-women-workers-in-the-garment-industry/

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/factory-exploitation-and-fast-fashion-machine

#fastfashion socialchange clothing garmentindustry

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Environment and Context

A Brief History. 

When he saw controlling and cutting costs in the production process of creating clothing would be profitable, Amancio Ortega Gaona’s first thought was that it was a path to “democratize clothing”. The son of a railway worker began his first company Confecciones Goa, which brought his vertical integration business model to life. The vertical integration model is the basis of the fast fashion phenomenon. Vertical integration allows a company to have full control over one or more steps in the production or distribution of a product. It was shrewd tactics on the part of Mr. Ortega, that won him effective ways to reduce costs and optimize his production processes. In 1975, the first Zara store was opened in La Coruna, Spain. Soon after, Ortega went on to open Inditex, a holding company for his network of subsidiaries. According to Fashion History Lesson: The Origins of Fast Fashion by Sara Idacavage, the term “fast fashion” was first coined, “When Zara came to New York in the beginning of the 1990, the New York Times used the term to describe the stores mission, declaring that it would only take 15 days for a garment to go from a designers brain to being sold on the racks”. In Forbes 2018 list of the world's billionaires, Amancio Ortega ranked number 6 with an estimated net worth of $70 billion. As for his motives, he may initially have just been a smart businessman, but over time his model for democratizing clothing turned into more of a cycle of consequences that has lasting effects.

Context. 

The context in which the social and environmental implications of fast fashion takes place is as personal as it is omnipresent. One’s initial connotations of the fashion industry might already be laden with images of some upper echelon’s ostentatious and superfluous waste, but fast fashion is even more nuanced for the average consumer than the billionaires behind the industry with an undeniably catastrophic environmental impact. It is the average consumer that is responsible for perpetuating the demand of newer, cheaper clothing. By purchasing more and more items at a lower cost, we are assuring the only way an apparel company can make a profit is through volume. That volume accounts for global change from damage to our oceans and air to our own food supply. The context of fast fashion also occurs in the piles of non biodegradable clothing in our own closets, and in the millions of pounds of garments added to landfills or burned into the atmosphere each year. It occurs in entire countries where immorally low minimum wages are enforced to keep disadvantaged laborers dependent on unscrupulous textile factories. It occurs in the micro plastics we consume via the fish who eat the factory runoff and consumer waste polluting our oceans and rivers. The contexts in which fast fashion can be observed are global, international, and local. And whatever the context, everyone is affected by the social and environmental implications of fast fashion.

Change. 

The first step in major changes were occurring at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in May 2017. During that year, the 2020 Circular Fashion System Commitment was adopted by dozens of trademarks. Adidas has committed to only using recycling plastic in their shoes by 2024 (Cooper, 2018). H&M says they hope to only use sustainable materials in its production by 2030 (Cooper, 2018). The convention was organized by a group known as the Global Fashion Agenda. Their purpose is for brands to implement proposals for changes when it comes to using monofiber instead of synthetic and mixed-fiber fabrics. The reasoning for this is that it has been discovered that synesthetic and mixed-fiber fabrics are too complex to break down in the recycling process. As it turns out, only 1% of our clothing is recycled into new garments due to the complexity of the material that was used (Cooper, 2018). As a result, most of the products may just end up in the landfills if no purpose or use has been found for it.

Local Organizations. 

There is a local organization that was founded by Ashoka Fellow Nicole Rycroft that is known as Canopy. Their purpose is to protect the planet's forest, species, and climate by collaborating with over 700 businesses to create sustainable supply chains and innovative solutions to environmental challenges (Ashoka Contributor, 2014). Canopy first started out with a belief which is that business can use their power as a force for environmental change. Another local organization that exists in Portland is EcoVibe which was founded by Leonard and Andrea Allen. This company was established in 2010 and their goal is to be considerate of both the planet and people in mind in all of the work that they do. They tend to focus on soft fabrics and products that are fairly produced, jewelry and accessories that are locally made from recycled and natural materials. They also donate 1% of all of their sales to 1% For The Planet to ensure that we are always giving back to environmental causes. (Our Mission, n.d.)

 Works Cited.

 Ashoka Contributor. (2014, April 11). Revolutionizing The Fashion Industry's Impact: Four Insights From A Top Social Entrepreneur. Retrieved January 2019, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/04/11/revolutionizing-the-fashion-industrys-impact-on-the-planet-four-insights-from-a-top-social-entrepreneur/#2e7aeb6e7372

 Bédat, M. (2016, May 21). The High Cost of Our Cheap Fashion | Maxine Bédat | TEDxPiscataquaRiver. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r8V4QWwxf0

 Cooper, K.-L. (2018, July 31). Fast fashion: Inside the fight to end the silence on waste. Retrieved January 2019, from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44968561

Our Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved January 2019, from Ecovibe: https://ecovibeapparel.com/pages/our-mission

 Crofton, S. O., & Dopico, L. G. (2007). ZARA-INDITEX AND THE GROWTH OF FAST FASHION. The Economic and Business History Society, 25.

 Harrabin, R. (2018, October 05). Fast fashion is harming the planet, MPs say. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45745242

 Oliver, J. (2015, April 26). Fashion: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdLf4fihP78

 Singer, O. (2018, April 25). The Young Designers Pioneering A Sustainable Fashion Revolution. Retrieved January 2019, from Vogue: https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/the-young-designers-pioneering-sustainable-fashion

 (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/

#fastfashion socialchange hype clothing zara environment

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Fast Fashion.

What it is. According to the Merriam Webster website, fast fashion is often defined as a tactic to a design or invention that is involved in the marketing of clothing fashions that highlights the making of fashion trends in a quickly and economically manner that consumers have access to. Hubris Apparel based in Portland advocates for being committed to creating a positive impact on the planet. The problem with fast fashion is that it is designed to be temporarily effective for a short period of time but then those products will go to waste which can cause major issues to both the economy and environment. Sustainable fashion, however, is completely different from fast fashion. The focus of sustainable fashion is to manufacture the same products such as accessories, clothing, and shoes but in the most sustainable manner possible. In this situation, they take both aspects of the environment and socio-economic into consideration to be efficient. Ethical fashion, on the other hand, is known for its design, production, retail, and purchasing. This type of fashion has been known to resolve a variety of problems such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the environment, and animal welfare.

Why we care. Since the early 1990s, the average consumption of clothing has increased by five hundred percent. Consumers assume that they are saving money on bargain items when in reality they just end up spending more and accumulating non biodegradable articles that either end up in a landfill, incinerator, or the ocean. In fact, we tend to throw away three in five new items we buy a year, accounting for nearly 85 pounds of waste per consumer a year. This waste implicates a myriad of reasons why we need to make more conscious decisions when it comes to purchasing clothing, the foremost being personal interest. On its most basal level, fast fashion means more time and money spent on clutter. It also means that we are physically consuming microplastics, as they have been found in the food chain in direct result of the fast fashion industry being the second greatest polluter of freshwater. Clearly, there are broader environmental factors of concern beyond our direct personal interests as well, stemming from the industry’s responsibility for ten percent of the world’s total carbon output. Even further beyond personal and environmental interest, fast fashion is a global purveyor of systemic oppression. It is an industry rife with child and forced labor, and a contributor to unlivable minimum wages in countries where factory workers are locked in channels of poverty and die by the thousands in consequence of untenable working conditions.

The Social Implications.

Fashion corporations are not doing anything illegal by producing and marketing fast fashion trends. But the industry has a harmful history for its collusion in promoting over-consumption.

Currently, unchecked consumption due to fast-changing trends and low prices have led people to consume more. Accordingly, it draws stern conclusions about the need for more resources in the future. If these trends toward buying cheaper clothing and discarding them faster continues, there will be a need for more natural resources to meet the needs of increased demand. However, a lack of available resources isn’t the only problem. Developing countries are increasingly applying a cost strategy that keeps minimum wage low. In doing so, it is a strong attraction for foreign investments from major apparel companies around the world. The goal of policy makers ought to be harm reduction. Too often, however, the focus is not reduction but profits. Beyond environmental and supply chain concerns, personal choices have a role as well. On Youtube a quick search of “haul videos” shows the growing desire for large amounts of cheap clothing. The attraction to fast fashion is undeniable, but when the apparel industry is expected to grow and with it so is the devastating environmental and social consequences on its consumers and the world.

Works Cited.

Bédat, M. (2016, May 21). The High Cost of Our Cheap Fashion | Maxine Bédat | TEDxPiscataquaRiver. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r8V4QWwxf0

Fast Fashion. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast fashion

Harrabin, R. (2018, October 05). Fast fashion is harming the planet, MPs say. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45745242

Luce, L. (2016, September 01). The Elephant in the Room: Sustainability and Garment Manufacturing. Retrieved January 25, 2019, from https://medium.com/@leanne_luce/waste-in-garment-manufacturing-explained-three-ways-fd5eb3bdd3d8

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