There has been a recent shift of attention in the fashion industry towards the concept of sustainable fashion. With efforts being put in already by existing companies, or start-ups dedicated to producing only sustainable clothing, the choices being made by the producers of clothing are slowly starting to shift their manufacturing methods. Although there is still a lot more room for improvement, growth is slowly coming step by step.
As a consumer, one would want to purchase from a brand that has proper regulations concerning production, materials, etc., but that comes with a cost…a very high cost, that is. If one wants to purchase from a brand that isn’t fast fashion, that means that they need to splurge some extra money. This is not always ideal because not everyone has money like that to spend, especially if you are a student in college. As a university student, it is likely that if you have two options for purchasing the same item, and one is cheaper, you are most likely going to choose the cheaper one. But what if you knew that one of them was fast fashion and the other was not? What if the cheaper one was fast fashion and the most expensive one was sustainable fashion? Luckily, there are some better options and routes that can be taken to not spend too much while also supporting the Earth.
A large contributor to the impacts of fast fashion is the ease of producing the clothing and how the article will not last with high quality, so it will be quickly disposed of. A way to combat this is thrifting. By purchasing your clothes second-hand from a thrift store, there is a decrease in the quantity of fast fashion clothes being bought as you are purchasing clothes to reuse them. This cancels out the concept of purchasing cheap materials and clothing that has a short lifetime and will eventually be tossed out in a landfill. And they will stay in that landfill for a long period of time as they can be tricky to disintegrate. Although it doesn’t get rid of the whole problem, it still slows down the process of purchasing unsustainable clothing.
It is also helpful to donate your clothing to thrift stores. By doing so, you yourself are providing a source for people to purchase clothing from in a healthier manner, not only when it comes to the climate but financially as well. Thrift stores tend to be places where clothing is sold for cheaper since it is second-hand, so it will also help save money for a college student who is shopping there. It’s essentially two for the price of one, helping the environment and not having to spend too much money.
Also, it is beneficial to check if certain stores that have more affordable prices partake in fast fashion. Some stores have started to change their manufacturing process by being more mindful of the resources they use and how they go upon producing the items. Sometimes companies will keep their values when it comes to environmental consciousness online, which will inform customers that they are okay to purchase from to ensure sustainability. Some brands will also have the option to recycle clothing by donating it to the store. This can be seen at H&M as they will either turn the clothing into other clothing or find other ways to make some money out of it, and usually tend to have affordable prices at the store.
It is important to remember that it is possible to purchase clothing that is better for our planet. Although, getting on board with sustainability does not mean that you have to automatically change your entire wardrobe, but rather that you should take it one step at a time as any efforts count.
