Fast Fashion. What is it? What is it doing to our natural resources? How do we fix the problem?
Fast fashion is basically cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed.
The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means that environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast Fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes – which is making the fashion industry the second largest polluter of clean water globally after agriculture. To learn more about how fast fashion is hurting our planet read our blog article here: https://blogshopthevogue.com/2022/01/03/fast-fashion-is-hurting-all-of-us/
But wait there’s more! Keep reading and stay tuned to this whole sh-peal I am about to have about how we are destroying our world clothing piece by clothing piece and how each one of us can make the difference by changing one little shopping habit.
Reasons why Thrifting and Recycling Clothes is the way to go, no IF’s, AND’s or BUT’s:
– Helps those in need and creates a sustainable market that is chic and cheap-
When you sell gently used clothing at a great price, you are helping individuals and their families dress themselves with unique style and sass without breaking the bank! This can help increase self esteem and even help them save their pennies by not demanding a ridiculous price for clothing. Because if we are being completely honest, thrift store finds are not only good for the environment, humanity, and your wallet, but they are actually very fashionable! If that isn’t convincing enough, I don’t know what is!
– It does good to the environment-
Fun fact: the production of clothing is a large contributor to the destruction of the environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which “considers many domestic textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators: and in developing countries, where the majority of textiles are produced, untold amounts of pollution are being deposited into local soils and waterways in regions that can hardly stand further environmental insult.” Not only does this waste impact the environment, but it could also potentially affect the general population through the emissions of these textile manufacturing facilities that produce and destroy clothing like there is no tomorrow!
In plain english, landfills are becoming overly packed by clothing that does not disintegrate and requires natural resources to completely dissolve, and that in turn, has a domino effect on us humans that breath in the nasty gunk in the air! You get the point right?
– Helps promote the minimalist lifestyle and reduces waste-
Listen to what many scientists and smart nerdy people that go to school their whole life, have to say about living simple, “an uncluttered and minimalist lifestyle is the way to happiness.”
Let’s think about that for a split second.. The opposite of an uncluttered and minimalist lifestyle is what? Materialism. Now, materialism does not make us happy. How do we know? So many rich and famous folks have it all but, feel empty inside, no purpose in life. The things they have and own aren’t sufficient enough to help them feel a sense of happiness! What really makes us happy is focusing on the essential parts of life that do make us happy, such as personal relationships and positive experiences! To add to that, another domino effect goes on when we focus on the important things, because then that prevents us from engaging in costly consumerism and waste.. Sounds pretty reasonable to me, right?
Now that I have gone all Oprah Winfrey on you, the point is: less is more in this case. The less clutter you have, the more merrier you will be because you will be focused on bigger, better things and not on the clothing you want to purchase from big name brands and huge department stores!
– Allows you to create your own unique style and even empower others-
Sue me if I’m wrong, but we all live in our clothing and it affects us through its color, the way it holds or floats over our skin, the conversations it’s sparked, the story of its discovery (“I know girl! $15 at Vintage Vogue!), the places it’s seen, the tears it’s soaked in, kisses it’s felt, you get the point right? Each piece we own has its story. By supporting an initiative such as clothing recycling, you are contributing to your own personal empowerment! You didn’t see that one coming, did you?
Another thing friends, I guarantee there is fewer greater joys than digging through a rack of gently used clothing and finding the perfect piece, and knowing that by buying used, you are reducing your impact on the world. If I was your mother and could tell you what to do, I would say; go check out all your local thrift and consignment stores right now to see what they have to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised to find hidden gems in these stores. And next time you are cleaning out your closet, consider consigning your fashion pieces instead of trashing them.
For tips on how to shop thrift & consignment, read our blog post here: https://blogshopthevogue.com/2011/02/21/dont-just-shop-shop-resaleconsignment/
After all, isn’t our world and environment worth it?
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I hope you found this “word vomit” blog to be informative and somewhat entertaining as well. This is a big issue affecting our world and it’s crazy to think it can all be fixed by just shopping at thrifts stores and consigning your clothing!
As always, stay golden! Until the next blog, Voguers!
Mimi 🙂