You don’t need to shop.

I know, I know. As a recovering shopaholic, the statement “You don't need to shop” also makes me shiver. But it's true that, as a society, we shop way too much. Not only that, but the implications of our consumerism are much higher costs than that new MIU MIU bag or a Shein haul.

This article isn't to shame you; it's to open your eyes and ensure we can talk about fast fashion and what we can do for our environment. It is also a part of a series in which i attempt to find out if fashion is ethical by researching the hows and whys of the industry.

Did you know that out of one hundred million textiles, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills? According to Earth.org “To put things in perspective, this means that the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second. If the trend continues, the amount of fast fashion waste is expected to soar to 134 million tonnes a year by the end of the decade." Mind you, this is just textiles. We are used to a linear fashion cycle, meaning raw materials are turned into textiles, then clothing, and no matter what, ending up in landfills.

Now, I could continue to throw numbers and facts at you, but can I be frank, reader? I don't think word-vomiting numbers are always the best way to get people to listen.

Imagine the balled-up teeshirts and dirty laundry in your laundry basket. It is an overflowing pile, and clothing is spilling from the sides and maybe even landing on the floor. That is likely only five lbs of clothing, give or take. But when you multiply that by even a million, it becomes what would seem like a river of clothing, and that isn’t even the extent of the waste produced by these companies yearly. I wanted to give you the visual of a clothing river.

Not only that, but as a society, we don’t even wear our clothing as much. As Americans (and if you are one of my non-American readers, I can update this if asked), we throw away about 81.5 lbs of clothes every year, yet we wear our garments about 36% less. We are consuming so much clothing and not even wearing it! And I am guilty of it, too; I have a brand new sweater sitting on my bed, staring at me, shouting,” Wear me! Wear me.” That goes for so many other clothing items, too, but after educating myself on the amount of waste the average person consumes, I have made new efforts to wear my clothing as much as possible. I have made new vows to invest in better quality clothing and wear my pieces, not throw them out when bored.

Listen, I love shopping, and I would never lie about that (never). The feeling of getting something new, feeling the richness of fabric between my fingers, wearing something for the first time. It feels good, but only for a moment. The implications for our environment are too significant to trade the earth for temporary moments of happiness, followed by trashing the very item.

Working Conditions

And if that isn’t enough, these companies aren’t treating their employees fairly. In addition to their overconsumption, they underpay their employees.

If you sat down and tried to sew a tee shirt, you would understand why a $7 shirt could not be ethical. People, quality checks, packaging, etc., operate sewing machines. Yet these people are being paid next to nothing. These employees are making less than a livable wage and are being exploited every day.

I understand that many people purchase fast fashion because it’s what they can afford. What I can’t understand is the morality surrounding it. After being an avid fast fashion shopper for years, I realized I didn’t want to support brands that wouldn’t support their workers. Fast fashion brands like Forever 21, Temu, Shein, and Urban Outfitters get their stock from unfair factory conditions. There are sustainable or better-made brands that are affordable; they just aren’t mainstream, and while I will be going into more detail on the brand list, I’d suggest you check out the site Ethos

Ethos is a search engine created by the talented Nabihah Ahmad, a Columbia student who created the site to allow users to search brands for environmental sustainability and highlight the causes the brand supports.

According to earthday.com,” The industry employs approximately 75 million factory workers worldwide, yet less than 2% earn a living wage. Garment workers endure unsafe conditions, wage theft, exhausting hours, minimal pay, and gender-based harassment.”

You know how teachers and parents always say,” Treat people how you want to be treated?” Personally, I wouldn’t wish to work for what are practically pennies. Nor would I like to support a brand that doesn’t respect its employees enough to pay a basic living wage.

I want a living wage, and so do they.

Where we are finding solutions?

Photo found on the sustainable fashion forum

The damage done to the environment is reversible, and there is still an immense amount of research on how we can stop the cycle of overproduction and surrounding environmental issues. In the next few weeks, I’ll be in a personal journal about curbing my consumerism and sharing my findings on the site.

For example, there is an exploration into circular fashion or a circular economy. This means that the raw materials used go into making textiles that are being used, which would be made into quality garments for consumers. Making things last and wearing them is something I strongly believe in when it comes to fashion and shifting to a circular economy. Repairs are also a huge part of the process. With more quality repairs, the longevity of high-quality products will last.

Renting and reselling are vital parts of this, with brands like Real Real and Vinted becoming popular.

There is so much work to do in the environment. It won't happen overnight, and fast fashion is not the only problem. We can deep-dive into more extensive issues soon enough, but for now, I suggest taking the initiative to have these conversations. Not only that, but I suggest boycotting the brands that profit from the pain of others and those who donate to corrupt causes. Wear the clothes you already have, invest in quality, not quantity, and be conscious.

If you’d like a list of ethical brands, dm me @Khaurafab or add a suggestion below!