changing the way i shop: my clothes buying ethos to prevent environmental racism
The fashion industry coupled with social media marketing is one of the top contributors to global pollution with quick-trends and fast fashion, fuelling consumption of disposable clothing. It uses capitalism to exploit poor people of colour in the Global South.
Fast fashion refers to products that are cheaply priced and quickly produced, copying the latest trends. Marketing budgets are being prioritized whereas manufacturing costs are kept low resulting in unsafe working conditions and cheap labour in oversea countries with low environmental regulations. This means dangerously long working hours and in some cases mental, physical and sexual abuse tolerated by poor women of color who make up majority of this workforce.
Responsibility should be placed on corporations and not consumers, however if we as consumers shift our spending by being conscientious of our shopping habits this will in turn force companies to take accountability. I have started to look more and more at my micro-impact on this world with the idea of making small, yet manageable changes in my life that will have a better impact on people and planet. As Annie-Marie Bonneau put it, “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”
Quality First
Have you ever been annoyed of how easily your leggings rip or frustrated with your sweater fabrics pilling? Fast fashion brands rely on inexpensive materials since clothes are designed to be replaced after a few wears and since they are so cheap, we as consumers feel less guilty about tossing them away. But the tossed clothing floods landfills of oversea countries contaminating fresh water and soil.
My first rule is quality first and this can be hard to spot because we all have some common myths about quality such as “higher the price, higher the quality” or we rely on certain go-to brands to assure quality, which isn’t always the case. The three things I now look for are natural fabrics, good construction and where they’re made. I was lucky to have been invited to visit Arctery’x manufacturing design centre, Arc’One in North Vancouver and was astounded by the level of care put into each item of clothing as well as the fair and equitable factory practises.
Mindful Purchasing
How many times have you made an impulsive spur-of-the-moment purchase? Now with the convenient of Apple Pay and quick checkout options, mindless shopping has become a habit, making up 68% of consumer purchases. And I’m even less mindful of what happens before this clothing gets to me (in how its manufactured) and the environment impact once I dispose it.
Sustainability
The best way to be sustainable is to limit shopping as much as I can. But when I do shop, I try to seek brands that are eco-conscientious. Patagonia is a brand I appreciate for their ethical, environmentally friendly approach to making gear out of recycled fabrics such as polyester (literally turning trash into fleece).Timeliness and versatile
Have you flipped through old magazines and seen how pieces are still wearable today, 20 years after? Having a timeless closet is powerful – you can endlessly re-wear your pieces and you can pass them on (to your future children, niblings etc). I seek styles and clothing that I can see myself wearing for years and that are versatile, no need for a different wardrobes for work, gym or dinners. I appreciate brands such as Lululemon, making every day technical clothing that are classic and durable.Shop local and love each piece
I try my best to shop local and do clothing swaps with my friends! And when picking up new items of clothing there is one question I ask myself each time I shop for something new: Do I truly love this item?
Progressively, piece by piece I am building my timeless, quality-driven closet. Whether or not you choose to do all or just one of the above is a great step to helping our environment! Besides, if we want to keep on exploring this amazing and beautiful world of ours, there first needs to be a world left to explore.
