HISTORICAL
Why i change my habits
I started changing my shopping habits because of my education in fashion and business. And how much pollution fashion is releasing. Why it is difficult to get rid of fast-fashion.
It is important to know why fashion brands structure their production today as they do, to know how it can be changed and how you as a consumer should act in response.
This post will in relation to the order post be about sustainability but in the sense of slow fashion vs. fast-fashion.
Historical background
After the second world war, people were used to having only the bare minimum of clothing. Everything was going to the warfare, even the women’s stockings. If something broke, you knew how to sew it back together or patch it. But after the war, the economy had to get running again and it became possible to produce the same piece of clothing in a large amount. From the 1960 to 1970 fashion change from art couture to what we today call fast-fashion. In the 1950 and up fast-fashion was a sign of wealth for society. It was a benefit for the middle class, because of the lower prices on cloths because it was made in large scales, they had the opportunity to be fashionable. This became the new normal and a habit for most consumers, just as we know it today.
FAST
FASHION
For most brands, profit is the main goal. Therefore, they have produced in countries where the worker is low paid. This is not ethical. Theis countries are often on the Asian continent. Therefore, the fashion brands must order a half year in advance, without knowing what will be trending by the time the clothing will arrive. This results in a large quantity from factories in example Bangladesh. The low-quality witch gives the clothing a short life-circle.
In fast-fashion, the collection is changing more than the four seasons for a larger profit.
Because of the fast changing collection and low-quality in the cloths, we as consumers change pieces in our Wardrobes often.
SLOW FASHION
Slow fashion is ethical made clothes which have a longer production time. It is a choice for the brands. Because of the longer production time, slow-fashion brands have fewer collections. The materials is usually of better quality, so it lasts longer. Brands like cuynna have few items and help their customers every time the season change. Then they will show how you can make your cloth match the trend so they will be in style if I fit. This show that slow fashion is also how we as consumers use our wardrobe.
WHAT TO DO NOW
We live in the consequences of fast-fashion culture from the 50s, but we are also aware of global warming and educated in fashions role in pollution. There is a lot of people that don’t have the economy to be sustainable, and that is why fast-fashion is very popular still. We simply just cant boycott all fast-fashion brands. But we as consumers can demand ethical made cloths. We can change our habits, so the fast-fashion brands need to change the way the produce.
We as consumers should be critical to the fast-fashion brands and demand they change their ways of producing, but also to brands that say they are sustainable.
You now know why we have fast-fashion and maybe why it is going to be difficult to stop it. But together maybe in small steps we can change society’s way of seeing and shopping fashion.
Sustainability can be many things. It can be organic fabrics, less water use, Fairtrade, or minimalism. I think we need to focus on slow fashion brands and sustainable options. How do we know if a brand is sustainable? How do we change our habits?
Here are a few tips on how you can change your shopping habits. Do it in small steps so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Choose 3-4 things you want brands to follow when you shop. Mabey Fairtrade, good quality and reused plastic.
By mostly basic colors, and a few patterns and bright colors, so you have most basic that never goes out of style.
Find sustainable brands you like and keep supporting them.
Try to make more thoughtful purchases.
Bibliography:
Cuyana. (2011). Hentet November 2021 fra https://www.cuyana.com/
Sierra, B. (19/Oktober-2021). Crash Course Fashion; The sustainable fashion forum [Podcast]. Purpose vs. Profit: Cuyana co-founder Shilpa Shah on why sustainability has to make business sense.
The Good Trade. (2014). Hentet November 2021 fra https://www.thegoodtrade.com/.
Verdensmaalene. (u.d.). Hentet November 2021 fra https://www.verdensmaalene.dk/fakta/verdensmaalene