Thrift shop find

With the current COVID-19 situation happening, online shopping is absolutely booming and whilst many (including myself) are very grateful for the opportunity to buy whatever we want from our couch (or bed), it does encourage fast fashion which is terrible for the environment.

(image from australianstyleinstitute.com.au)

Fast fashion dominates the fashion industry with majority of larger brands such as Cotton On, H&M, Zara and online boutiques such as Princess Polly, Fashion Nova and Missguided playing a big part. Basically, these brands pump out as much clothing that they can so as to meet the current trends of each season to make more money. Mass manufacturing so many clothes enables brands to lower the prices and make even more pieces. These pieces, however are often made of very poor quality meaning that they don’t last long and are often thrown out as soon as the next trend comes along. 

Not only does this contribute to landfill (due to the synthetic, non-biodegradable materials they are made from), but the factories that are usually in developing countries that produce fast fashion pump out so much pollution. The workers in those factories that are also known as sweatshops often work in terrible conditions and are paid very little for their work. You can learn more about sweatshops here. 

Luckily, high-end designer brands are focusing on creating more environmentally friendly pieces for the runway. This helps to encourage smaller and fast fashion brands to think about changing the way they operate as consumers become more conscious about where their clothes are coming from. 

As a consumer, you actually have the most power to help slow fast fashion by consciously choosing to invest in environmentally sustainable brands and their pieces. But what if you can’t afford luxury high-end pieces? That’s where thrift shopping or as we like to call it in Australia, op (opportunity) shopping comes in. Op shopping is an amazing way to find one of kind, low price pieces without hurting the environment. I’ll go into more detail about op shops in another blog post because they are so accessible and provide affordable options for everyone! 

Hopefully this post has shared a bit of an insight into fast fashion and the dangers of the industry, just remember that you have the power to make conscious shopping decisions! 

Lots of fashion love, Sophie x