Sections

History of Fast Fashion

Environmental Impacts

The Human Cost

The environmental damage being done through the fashion infustry is only half the story. The reason fast fashion companies are ale to sell clothes so cheaply is because they outsource their labor to countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh where government work regulations are much less srict. This allows for companies to take advantage of workes, often payingt he criminal wages to work long hours in terrible conditions The fashion industry has doubles its protection in the last two decaseds and the average cosnumner now buys 60% more clothing than they did 17 yeas ago. Most of the workers being exploated are women and only 2% of them actually make a living wage. Whether consumers are conscious of it or not, we as buyers are directly contributiting to this exploation.

Psychology of Fast Fashion

If fast fashion is so harmful is so harmful then why do we choose to keep participating in it? It is useful to think about the psycology behind this issue. Companies like Shein and H&M price their clothing so low that buying it feels almost risk-free, encouring people to buy more and more. Social media just piles on to the problem by influencers and advertisements constantly promitiong hauls and new trends. Overconsumption feels normal fun to most people which means that shopping has become a form of entertainment. The cheap prices trigger a release of dopamine in the brain, a feel-good chemical, that makes the cycle feel addictive. Fast fashion profit companies are aware of this effect. They profti from it and use it constnatly to try to keep people hooked on the next trend, forever stuck in this destructive cycle.

Greenwashing

Some companies throw the words "eco-friendly" and "green" to make it seem like their products are sustainable. These tactics are particularly harmful because it allows companies to lie to their consumers and for polluters to be let off the hook. Additionally, it undermines real progress companies make to become more sustainable. When greenwashing occurs, those companies benefit from simply better marketing as opposed to the companies who are making true efforts to become more sustainable. Some examples of greenwashing are:

• Nature based imagery-->Have you ever been in the water aisle and seen an assortment of green themed advertisments or walked into a "healthy" store like Whoe Foods and noticed every brand was suddenly eco-friendly? Oftentimes those labels dpn't actually mean anything. Compantes throw leaves and earthy colors onto their packaging to make customers feel good about buying their products without actually changing hwo they produce their products to make them better for the environment. 

• Vague buzzwords-->Companies also throw around words like sustainable, conscious, or green, which have zero regulated meaning, and because of this, any company can use them freely. These words are often extremely misleading and common marketing tactits because unles a brand is specific about how they're being sustaianable, like what certifications they have or what materials they use,

• Token collections-->Some brands release a special eco line to make it apper as if their whole brand is sustainable even though their production is the same as all the other companies. it's improtant to not let a small collection fool you iinto thinking a brand has changed its way. Make sure to look for concrete proof they are thinking sustainably.

Linear vs. Circular Economy

A linear economy is a business model that revoles around taking, making, and disposing, as opposed to a circular economy which is centered around helping extend the life cyucle of an item. The circular economy takes items and gives them a new life by reusing, repairing, or recycling them which helps lead to reduced waste. Our country is stuck in a linear economy. Items end up in landfils and our society focuses on product overconsumption and waste.

Fast fashion is one of the biggest examples of a linear economy in action. Companies make cheap clothing, people buy them, wear them a few times, and then throw them out, just to repeat the cycle all over again. A circular economy would completely fix this problem. The most ideal and sustainable way to get clothes would be to buy secondhand, reapiar what you already own, or upcycle old pieces into something new (which is what I'm doing for my project!). These habits help to keep clothing out of landfills and reduce the need to produce more in the first place. Transitioning to a circular economy is good for the environment, saves you money, and foreces companies to make things that actually are good quality and last.

IKEA Effect and Solutions

So what can we do?

One of the best thigns that can be done about this issue is to change the way you think about the things you own. Resesrch from Harvard shows that there is something called the IKEA effect which is the idea that people value the things they make themselves or put effort into far more than the things that they just buy. When you create something yourself, you form a connection to it which makes you way less likely to throw it away. This is why my capstone centers around sewing and turning old items into something new. Learning to make and repair clothing allows for people to see garmets as something worth keeping as opposed to something that is disposable. Essentialy I'm trying to put into practice a circular economy by taking what I already have and giving it a new life rather thann buying, using, and throwing away.