Rebecca Thomas
Maria College
Assistant Director of Admissions

During the Season of Creation, we are meant to reflect on how we treat the earth and the ways we can improve to benefit ourselves, animals, and future generations. One way I try to be conscious of my carbon footprint is through my clothing consumption. In the era of social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the ever-changing microtrends we’re seeing on TikTok and Instagram, but the clothes bought from fast fashion giants will still be negatively impacting the world long after they’re forgotten by us.

If you’re unfamiliar with fast fashion retailers, they sell cheap, on-trend clothing often designed to copy runway and celebrity styles. They typically add thousands of new styles to be sold each week with insanely quick turnaround times. Designs can go from drawings to being sold in stores in as little as two weeks.

Fast fashion’s lasting impact:

On the environment
- Toxic textile dyes make the fashion industry the second largest global polluter of clean water.
- Commonly used materials like polyester are non-biodegradable and can stay in landfills for up to 200 years.
- Natural fibers require water copious amounts of water – it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans.
On garment workers
- Fast fashion companies often have garment factories set up in low-income countries, where they overwork employees for extremely low wages.
- A report from 2019 found 0% and 1% of Bangledeshi and Vietnamese garment workers, respectively, made a living wage.
- Poor wages lead to young girls joining their mothers at work to help make ends meet, making it difficult to get an education and secure a higher-paying job.
On consumers
- Fast fashion contributes to the culture of overconsumption – buyers purchase things they don’t need.
- Trend cycles turn over so quickly – making it impossible to keep up. With this model, the consumer is never satisfied.
- Consumers think they’re saving money because the clothes are inexpensive, but they are generally poorly made and go out of style quickly, leading to very few wears.

Alternatives to fast fashion:

Shop ethically
- Research for yourself which clothing brands use ethical practices in the creation of their products. Check out the app Good On You – Ethical Fashion.
Thrift
- Local thrift stores stimulate your local economy & often benefit charitable organizations.
- Online thrift stores offer a variety of options.
Upcycle, rent, borrow, trade
- Use Youtube/TikTok for tutorials on how to update old clothing to fit current trends.
- Borrow outfits from friends for specific events or rent rather than buying.
- Trade clothes you no longer wear with friends.

It can be intimidating to decide to make a change in the way you shop, but these are all great ways to start small! To quote Sr. Joan Chittister, “I don’t know a single seed that has grown strong in one season. Keep showing up.” It doesn’t need to be all or nothing, it’s a good start to just be conscious of your consumption.

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/article/what-happens-used-clothing-donations/
https://www.almostzerowaste.com/fast-fashion-disadvantages/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fast-fashion-copycats_n_5b8967f9e4b0511db3d7def6
https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/
https://goodonyou.eco/impact-fast-fashion-garment-workers/