Friday July 25th, 2008
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Fashion Faux Pas
Posted by Su Avasthi on January 25, 2007 - 7:15pm.
Well, I am officially part of the problem.
I regularly scour the clothing racks at The Gap, Old Navy, even Target for inexpensive (usually very, very inexpensive) versions of the latest fashions. In other words, I'm a sucker for "fast fashion" -- or clothes that are cheap, trendy, and destined to live in my closet for about six months.
Once I spy some cute (and totally unnecessary) bit of "fast" clothing, rarely do I hesitate before plunking down the $12.99 or thereabouts for it. In fact, I'll buy something mostly because it's "disposable." I'll wear it a few times. Then I'll donate it, and go out to buy more clothes.
For me, these sprees are fun and cost very little. But it turns out that they cost the environment a great deal.
According to a new report, clothes -- particularly fast clothes -- are a major source of the carbon emissions responsible for global warming. The report emphasizes that the global textile industry has to become eco-conscious and take steps to establish “sustainable clothing.”
One of the biggest problems is that fast fashion damages the environment in two ways -- producing the clothes, and then maintaining them. Making the clothes involves pesticides and pollutants, not to mention the fuel it takes to pack and ship the required materials and finished products to destinations around the world.
Caring for our garments is also taxing the environment. Machine washers and dryers account for 60 percent of the carbon emissions from during the life of one cotton T-shirt.
Now that I have a better understanding of the situation, I'll try to be less frivolous when I shop. And who knows? Maybe I'll save enough to splurge on some organically-grown eco-fashion.
Topics:
- Planet
- clothes
- clothing
- eco-friendly
- eco-friendly clothes
- eco-friendly materials
- Fabric
- fast fashion
- Natural Beauty & Fashion
- organic cotton
- organic fashion
Okay, admittedly, I'm susceptible to the occasional cheap clothing purchase, but H&M, my local fix, actually does a fair bit toward working with fabric suppliers who use fewer chemicals in the dying process and creating clothing that will retain its shape. They also support the UN's Global Compact, which defines corporate responsibility in areas too frequently overlooked by big business--human rights, labor laws, environmental responsibility, etc. Now if I could just stay away from trends that are bound to fail for me, like skinny jeans. (Sigh).
Hopefully this will make it fashionable to be unfashionable. Then I would suddenly be the coolest guy on earth!
I also am guilty of buying cheap tees at Old Navy. I do tend to hang on to these things for years though. Since I normally wear them under something else, they don't need to look perfectly new. However, I would prefer to buy quality that holds up longer, especially pants, sweaters, shoes, etc. Where do I find eco-friendly clothing besides on-line? I would rather walk into a store and try things on instead of ship back and forth trying to find the right size. I live in the Seattle area.
I have also thought of the labor problems I have read about. Is it better that these people overseas have jobs that pay a little more than they could make elsewhere in their country (although way way way below poverty level by our standards) or should these clothing companies we buy from NOT have plants in these countries? Is it a total disservice to these people or does it provide them an opportunity that they would not otherwise have? (I've also read about the pollution in China caused by clothing companies - especially those making cheap cashmire sold at Costco and other companies). Comments??