In the final part of this series, we take a look at what consumers can do to improve upon the conditions described in the previous parts. After all, what’s the point of reading a bunch of depressing information if you don’t know what to do with it?
Fortunately for us, consumers hold the most power with changing fashion’s destructive and unsustainable nature. While capitalism has indeed gotten the industry into this hole, it can also get it out. The fashion economy is dependent on goods being consumed, and often by increasing measurements of consumption. By making informed choices about the things we buy, and how many things we buy, we can force companies to change their unsustainable habits.To make it easy, I’ve narrowed it down to three ways that we can demand changes of the fashion industry.
1. We have to start purchasing our clothes from the right places, rather than just the easiest.
When purchasing a garment, its super important that we don’t feed the beast of fast-fashion. Stores like H&M and Forever 21 only serve the purpose of trying out trends before investing in the luxury original. While that in itself holds certain problems (like why trends, or artistic designs can only be accessible to those with money; or the weighty debate of knocking off clothes), we can let them carry this sole purpose while we figure out the larger problem of money’s role in fashion. This means consumers first need to understand that their wardrobes are not meant to change with each season, but rather be an extension of the self. Clothes, and our style, are meant to be a way of communicating who we are as people. Whether it’s an artist who lives in long, floral dresses, or a sharp New Yorker who knows the power of a well-fitted suit. Clothes are not a way of validating ourselves in society, but rather a way of being truer versions of ourselves. It sounds super cheesy, I know. But our modern culture of sharing makes it easy to feel like you’re left out of something, and we try to make up for it in buying things (can you say FOMO?). Don’t do this. Remember, you’re only feeding the beast.
When buying your clothes, purchase them from eco-friendly and fair trade options. This can be from thrift stores (hello, saving money!), to local artisans, to brands that have largely incorporated sustainable business practices. Your purchase will benefit companies that are doing some good, and your clothes will probably last longer. You won’t be buying as much, and you’ll be saving money. Which leads to point number two.
2. We need to stop buying so much, period.
If we start looking at our wardrobes as extensions of ourselves, we’ll begin treasuring the things we buy and be less likely to throw it out. We’ll stop settling for crappy clothes that we don’t love, or don’t fit. Fast-fashion stores will be forced to decrease the amount of clothes they produce. Which means both ends of the unsustainability track (the ruined sources of water, and lands of cotton crops from Part 1, and the overstuffed landfills in Part 3) get reduced. It’s a win-win really. We get both: clothes that are truer to what we want and who we are, and a more sustainable fashion industry. And the quicker everyone makes this realization, the faster this pattern of consuming will solve the industry’s problems. Which leads to point number three.
3. We need to take advantage of social media and get the word out about sustainable consuming.
We all know how much time we spend on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, etc. We also know how huge of a role these play in corporate advertising. By tweeting, posting, snapping what we’re purchasing/not purchasing, we are making our peers and companies aware of our consuming habits. In regards, to our peers, hopefully they’ll either feel inspired, or fear once again being left out, and follow in our footsteps. With companies, they’re so terrified of losing our business that if enough of people speak out, they will make changes.
Use hashtags like #fairtradefashion, #sustainablefashion, #sustainabledesign, #ecofashion, #madeintheusa, #zerowaste, #consciousfashion, #buywisely, #reuse, #buyused, and more to get your point across. #NYFW is coming up, so use this moment to call out for more #sustainable designers.
We can all incorporate these ideas into our lives, and it’s easier than you think. It might be hard at first to deny that $9 skirt on Forever 21’s new fall mannequins; but do it just once, and every time after that becomes incredibly easy. Start today too, because if not now, when?
A recap of the brands, associations, and statistics in this series:
30 Brands That Are Betting Against Fast Fashion
NRDC's Initiative "Clean by Design"
NRDC Report On Brands That Are Cleaning Up Their Act
WATCH: "The True Cost" also available on Netflix
Donate: International Labor Rights Forum
