After watching the True Cost and Clothes to Die For, I've opened my eyes to the harsh realities of the fashion industry. Everything seems amazing and getting a whole new wardrobe is exhilarating, but it comes at a cost. In the documentaries they describe the injustices that occur at the hands of consumers who no longer care where there clothes come from. The workers who are ignored, the environment that's being polluted, and the cheap clothes that get thrown away the next season.
On April 23, 2014 a factory, Rana Plaza, collapsed and killed 1,133 garment workers. It became the fourth largest industrial disaster in history. Although preventable, one man chose profits over safety and caused the deaths of these workers. Clothes from many companies were produced here and some were suspected like the fast-fashion giant H&M, but others included trusted companies such as Nike. These companies knew where there clothes were coming from and yet they chose to outsource production to lower labor costs and maintain profits. All of this for us, the consumer, to buy a $5 tank top or even Nike's $40 leggings.
However, the fashion industry doesn't just impact workers, it affects the environment too. In the True Cost they describe how Chromium 6 is being dumped in rivers causing jaundice in nearby residents. Rivers in China have turned red due to dye pollution from nearby factories. And to top it all off after our clothes have been produced and we choose to throw them out, they produce CO2. These emissions are also known as greenhouse gases and help accelerate global warming. Fashion has the second worst impact on the environment only behind oil. As consumers, we need to think about this and maybe stop shopping for a second.
The pressure put on us as consumers to buy buy buy is overwhelming, and it creates an unneeded stress in our lives. We don't really need a new wardrobe every season, or the perfect shirt to post or one Instagram. Not everyone needs to become a minimalist, but if we all thrift more and try to reuse our clothes we can make a real difference. The average human throws out about 72 pounds of clothes each year. 72 pounds! This earth is worth more than fast fashion and it's time we make a change.
Fashion revolution day, April 24, is about asking brands #whomademyclothes. The goal is that if enough people ask, brands will recognize that consumers want to be informed and they want change. Besides this, we can all change in little ways to help start a movements. Shopping thrift, up-cycling old clothes, or buying fair trade. If we thrift or up-cycle we save the environment from one more thrown out t-shirt and if we buy fair trad we help employ people and offer them a fair wage. Either way you are spending your dollar as you would a vote, so act responsibly and be an informed consumer. Nike, H&M, Zara, Forever21, etc. don't need to be making millions while the garment workers they contract are starving, the earth doesn't need to be harmed by this vicious fast-fashion cycle, and we need to stop consuming. The time for change is with our generation, so let's start making it happen.
-Thora
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