Chloe Anderson, Los Angeles, CA
Sustainable fashion brands are on the rise. New brands pop up all over social media, whether it’s with all recycled fabrics or ethically sourced. As an aspiring fashion designer, sustainable fashion fulfills me. It shows that the fashion world is taking its first, and not last, step into solving environmental, but also social and economic, issues.
What’s the point of sustainable fashion? The answer comes with a new vocabulary word: fast fashion. Fast fashion is the term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to the stores to meet new trends. Although it sounds appealing, fast fashion has disastrous effects. The pressure for companies to produce cheaply means that they often don’t pay their factory workers fair or minimum wages. Garment workers are often forced to work extreme overtime hours and lack access to trade unions. Fast fashion is also harmful to the environment. The excessive textile production needed to keep up with the fast fashion results in overwhelming carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to polluting the air, fast fashion is also polluting the earth’s water. It takes 2,700 liters of water to make 1 cotton t-shirt!
Given all this information, it is vital to shop sustainably, especially for clothing. It may seem like a difficult switch at first, but it only gets easier and more rewarding as you keep going. To get started, here are some sustainable alternative brands.
If you like Forever 21, try Vetta.
If you like Lululemon, try Patagonia.
https://www.patagonia.com/home/
If you like Kohl’s, try the Pact.
Sometimes, sustainable fashion brands can be on the expensive side. But even then, there’s another option: thrifting!! Buying second hand clothes at your local thrift store can reduce the accumulation of clothing in landfills, resulting in less carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. The pink dress I'm wearing below is thrifted!
Sources:
https://mamoq.com/blogs/the-journal/what-is-fast-fashion-and-why-is-it-bad