Two major interests of mine are the fashion industry and the environment. Not once did I ever think they were interrelated. Fashion was fun, filled with glossy images and enviable lifestyles. Environmental issues were heavy, with people risking their lives daily to protect nature from its biggest threat, us.
My eyes were opened to the very real effects of the fashion industry to its workers and environment after watching The True Cost. A documentary that details what this business does to the people that work in it and how it damages our environment carelessly.
We love our fashion. This industry brings in over 3 trillion dollars of revenue every year. This fast industry is all about money and how quickly it can be made. The businesses of this industry has made sure they can make lots of money annually with their specially crafted ‘fast fashion’. Instead of new styles coming in just for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, we are bombarded with advertisements and articles telling us what staple piece we need weekly.
The fashion industry is the second biggest pollutant in the world, after oil. It’s carbon footprint is humongous. Creating the textiles in the first place uses gallons of water and harmful chemicals are used in dying the material. When you factor in that most of our clothes are made in Asia, these garments are flying a long way to reach their destination. This all adds up, and fast fashion has created a need for more and more production of clothes.
To keep up with the supply and demand fast fashion causes, Western businesses have prayed on developing countries to outsource their clothing. These clothes are continually getting cheaper and cheaper to buy as retailers are in constant competition with one another. But as our clothes are getting cheaper, so is the money the factory owners earn and in turn what the factory workers receive.
In April of 2013 the Rana Plaza, an eight story building, collapsed. Killing 1,129 people. When I heard this, I felt very removed from it, I didn’t make the connection of the contents of my wardrobe with the people who had lost their lives. A fire in the Tarzeen Fashion Factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh in November 2012 killed 122. Then in September 2013 another fire struck a garment factory. Ali Enterprises in Karachi, Pakistan burnt down, killing 289 workers. Three of the worst garment accidents in history had happened in the 21st century. The need for fast, trendy and cheap clothing attributed to these horrific accidents.
We live in a consumerist society, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Treating yourself to your dream outfit shouldn’t make you feel guilty. But unfortunately we have removed ourselves from the source of where all these clothes from. The price range of ethical brands, such as People Tree and Everlane, are usually too expensive, especially when you can get the same garment for a fraction of the price in a high street brand. To integrate ethical fashion into our wardrobes will be a slow and difficult process. Ultimately the power is in the hands of the CEO’s of these multi-billion clothing companies to change how the fashion industry treats its workers and the environment.
