Fast fashion – an ethical dilemma.

It’s tough to appreciate a wardrobe and be content with what is possessed when retailers like Zara and H&M are launching new fashion products literally every single day. So, before you venture out to make the most of the sales, take a minute to reflect on the environmental and human consequences of fast fashion.

Fast fashion causes huge destruction to the environment due to the pressure exerted to cut down production cost and hasten the process of design to retailing. This leads to compromised environmental practices such as water pollution, use of harmful chemicals, child and slave labour and a lot of textile waste.

While catchy clothes are what all fashion enthusiasts want, those bright colors come with the use of toxic chemicals. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water in the world, next to agriculture.

Another major environmental problem is polyester. When polyester garments are washed in household machines, they shed microfibres that contribute to the increasing amount of plastic in our oceans. Cotton is also a problem. Cotton requires much water and pesticides to prevent crop failure. This is a challenge in developing countries that may not have the resources or may be prone to drought.

What to do?

The hard part is really choosing an eco-friendly fabric since all types of fibers have their advantages and disadvantages. However, materials made up of recycled content tend to be the most enriching. Wearing vintage is really greener. You get to wear one-of-a-kind designer pieces, plus you are actually helping the earth. Wearing vintage reduces the demand for new and helps to stop waste management issues.