Why I Buy Fast Fashion

@zara

Looking in my closet the other day, I would say that 50% of it’s from Zara. I scroll through Zara’s new collection at least once a week, even if it’s not to buy anything, I just want to see the new trends. Zara is everything... really. It’s inexpensive, lasts a while, looks European, and not #basic which is hard to find because boutiques don’t always give me what I’m looking for in that aspect. I have a lot of emotions tied into the clothing that I wear, and I can point out where I was and how I felt when I look at different pieces hanging up in my closet, and my clothes from Zara play a big part in that. 

When I was researching about fast fashion, I knew that Zara was a leading player in the industry, but I didn’t realize how terrible fast fashion actually is for both people and the environment. Now knowing, why do I still consider purchasing from them? I have been thinking a lot over the last week about changing the way I shop. I guess it is kind of like this 3 week elimination diet I’m currently on: you have to be willing to do it, which is the biggest step, but then actually changing what you eat is really hard. If I made the decision to stop buying fast fashion would I be tempted to go back?

What is fast fashion?

For those who don’t know, fast fashion is a current movement in the fashion industry that involves creating, producing, and distributing clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories at an extremely fast rate. This satisfies our want for new trends, while making everything inexpensive enough to keep buying. Fast fashion is the second largest water pollutant on the planet! The chemicals and dyes that are used for the textiles create wastewater that gets washed into rivers and other water sources. I had no idea about this! Water pollution leaves billions of people with no access to clean drinking water plus contamination of the seafood we eat. Fast fashion is contributing to the slow but steady downfall of our planet. To produce this fashion quickly and cheaply, employees make well below minimum wage in factory conditions that are unsafe. 

The ethics  

I didn’t realize this but did you know that some of Zara’s employees are 14-year-old’s who work in factories for 16 hours a day and make about $200/month? It’s really sad to think about someone so young being in a situation like this. It never occurred to me to think about this when walking into a fast fashion store. I’m aware of child labor but I think sometimes we can a bit out of touch with reality if it is not directly affecting us, do you know what I mean? Child and adolescent labor results in MANY psychological issues that affect social development, behavioral development, and lead to substance abuse. Not to mention physical illnesses that stem from the unsanitary factory conditions.

What can be done?

On a personal level we all could stop purchasing from fast fashion companies, but would we? For me the issue is that there aren’t really companies that are in-between cheap and expensive for contemporary clothing. It’s kind of like we can shop at Zara or we can shop at Neiman Marcus, and Neiman’s can be too pricey in general but especially for a trendy outfit. 

On a larger scale it seems great that Zara uses recyclable clothing and plans to be 100% recyclable by 2025, but unless EVERY fast fashion company does this, the difference in how it helps the environment is next to nothing. We need full cooperative action from all the players. Unfortunately, our personal actions will not do enough to help the magnitude of this problem.

Alternatives to fast fashion

What happened to investing in good quality garments and wearing them for more than a hot minute? Our society has become obsessed with putting on a new outfit every time we go out, never wearing the same thing twice, and not posting photos in whenever it is that we might wear again. This is crazy! Both because why should it matter if we wear something more than once and also do you realize what your new OOTD is doing to our planet and those who work in the industry? I guess I didn’t either.

My Instagram poll for this week showed that less people buy fast fashion than do, which is awesome for ethics, the environment, and spending more wisely. I asked some of my friends about their votes, and those who choose not to buy fast fashion said that they rewear their quality clothing pieces with different accessories, like jackets, shoes, heels, and jewelry to give it a different look and change things up. This is v smart! Others who do buy fast fashion said that they do it for the inexpensive trends, which is exactly what I do. I think it is difficult to love fashion and not want to wear the latest trends. The only option is to stop these new trends from releasing every week. We can’t keep up!

My plan

The pandemic gives me the perfect opportunity to change the way I shop. I have no where to wear these up and coming trends right now anyway. After researching and writing this, I think I‘m going to start slowly investing in some outfits rather than trying to keep up with trends so often. Going through photos yesterday, I looked back at this dress I wore last year to a party, and I thought “what was I thinking?” I would’ve really liked a lot more if I had worn something more classic to that party… I’ve been wanting to do that for a few months now- have quality pieces that I can keep and wear for a long time. You know, something I can pull out my closet in 5 years and still love. What do you plan to do about the fast fashion issue? It feels pretty helpless to not be able to do much on a personal level, but doing anything at all is a step in the right direction because it creates awareness of the issues involved. 

Pictured: wastewater from textile dye draining into a river