#truecost

After watching the document True cost it hurt me knowing all the things other people go through just so we can get a new pair of clothes do to fast fashion.

In response to my own blog post, “So you want to know where your clothes really come from?” I have decided to put together some suggestions of how you can help those affected by fast fashion, and encourage you to do whatever you can to protect both the people and our environment!

 ·      In the words of activist fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” Stop buying so many clothes because they’re ‘trendy’ but consider your choices, and ask yourself how many times you will really wear the garment. Choose to wear good quality fabrics, because you will find yourself wearing those garments for many years, instead of weeks.

·      Support ethical fashion brands and brands who are doing something about fast fashion themselves. This might include the H&M Conscious collection, ASOS’s Recycled Denim collection, the White T Shirt Co. (based in the North East), Patagonia and New Balance. The list, of course, doesn’t stop there – go out and discover brands that promote sustainability and that you are passionate about.

·      Buy clothing from vintage shops, where you can pick up old pairs of Levi 501’s, American sweatshirts, and some very cool sunglasses. Vintage shops are popping up all over the place, and for good reason – they promote, even if they aren’t aware of it, sustainable fashion!

·      Instead of chucking out your old clothes, either keep them stored away for your future kids to enjoy rifling through, or transform them into something you WOULD wear. Have some fun and get creative; turn your old pair of jeans into a distressed denim skirt, alter the length of the dress to make it more wearable, or simply remove the old buttons and replace them with ones to suit your style.

I am someone who wears clothes from predominantly high street stores such as Zara, H&M, Topshop and Primark, and I’ll tell you why:

 A). I’m a student, with a student’s budget, and buying a Victoria Beckham suit would leave me with no food for the next 6 months.

 B). I am also a fashion student, I live and breathe fashion, I’m around it all constantly, and I just can’t help myself.

 C). By wearing cheaper high street clothes, I can sometimes afford to splurge on designer accessories.

 However, after watching ‘The True Cost’, a movie which delves deep into the hidden truths of the manufacturing industry, I feel guilty, ashamed, but most of all motivated to spread awareness about the horror that powers the fashion industry. Whether you’re into fashion or you’re not, this conversation is so important – we all wear clothes, right?

 This movie, which I urge you to watch (it’s on Netflix), documents the life of factory workers and farmers in LEDC’s such as Bangladesh, where a huge portion of fashion brands outsource their manufacturing business to. It is a real eye-opener and a truthful insight into the workings of the fashion world, an interesting, engaging documentation of the not so glamourous background of where our clothes come from.

 I would say that at least 90%, if not more, of my wardrobe is made up of “fast fashion” garments. Those pieces designed in shiny, brand-spanking-new HQ’s in the thriving countries of the world, then manufactured in some of the poorest countries, where women work for just $2 per day. We wander into each high street store and are gobsmacked by “how cheap that dress is,” and “look at those shoes for £5!!” But does anyone ever question why they’re so cheap?

 On the 24th April 2013, 1,134 people died in the Rana Plaza collapse, with approximately 2,500 people injured, making it the deadliest garment factory disaster in history.

 These are not just numbers. These are families, friends. These are human beings, just like us. This was an accident that could have been prevented, if only the owners of the building had cared enough about the cracks in the building which were discovered just 24 hours prior to the collapse.

 We want things faster, cheaper, and we want them now. We want the quality, but we don’t want to pay for it. Yes, I love fashion. I love clothes, shoes, bags, sunglasses, you name it. But when my wardrobe is costing people their life, I have to take a step back, I have to be compassionate.

 I feel so strongly about this issue and right now can only encourage you to read my post and let it grasp your attention. We as the future consumers, business owners, and fashion lovers of the world, have to notice these people, and value them as humans with just as many rights as us. They deserve so much more than what they have, and yet they manage to give their children a better life, they understand that what they must partake in is unhealthy.

 Can’t we just do something? How can we stand up to this horrific truth and turn it around?

 I am so much more aware of where my clothes are really coming from, and am urging you to do the same! Even just by understanding this truth and acknowledging your own wardrobe will be beneficial in the long run.

Fashion Should Feel Good

Much of the global fashion industry is opaque, exploitative and environmentally damaging and desperately needs revolutionary change. We love fashion, but we don’t want our clothes to come at the cost of people or our planet. (fashionrevolution.org)