Just over a year ago, I was still buying my clothes from H&M, Forever21 and Zara. I was a self-proclaimed fashionista–I still am–and would buy new clothes every two weeks to keep up with fashion trends. I’ll admit it, I rarely wore the same outfit twice. I was pretty much the perfect example of everything I am against today.
At that point in my life, I was still trying to fit in and unaware of the environmental, societal, and economic problems caused by the fast fashion industry. So, today I’ve put together five reasons that you should join me in the slow fashion movement.
Reduce Waste & Save Water
Most of your unwanted clothes, or clothing that does not sell ends up in landfills where it does NOT decay. According to Manuma Style, it takes over 2720 liters of water to make a SINGLE T-shirt! That’s enough water for you to drink for three years! With places like Flint Michigan not having access to clean water, this is a big deal. The water used to make one T-shirt could go to places like Flint who are in NEED of water.
Lower Your Carbon Footprint & Reduce the Amount of Toxic Chemicals
According to the same article from Manuma Style, a third of the world’s carbon footprint comes from the way we treat our clothes. In other words, a lot of clothing items say “dry-clean only” on the tags, but this is not always true. There are tons of ways to clean your clothes at home without taking them to the dry cleaners.
The amount of toxic chemicals that are in clothing items is crazy. When you dry clean your clothes, those toxic chemicals get into our water and can cause serious problems down the line. Not only this, but the people making the clothes are exposed to these chemicals every day.
Support Fair Wages & Working Conditions
Not only are these laborers–who are mostly women–exposed to these chemicals, they are also paid very little and work in horrible conditions. In my blog in early April, What Everyone Should Know About Fast Fashion, I mentioned some of the harassment that these women face, but there are so many more issues with the working conditions in these factories and your favorite brands are not being honest about it.
It’s our responsibility to start advocating for better working conditions for these women.
Support Small Businesses & Develop Your Own Sense of Style
Switching to slow fashion can be tricky, I still struggle with trying not buy from fast fashion brands, but finding small businesses that sell ethical, trendy clothing is important. Take time to research what businesses in your area do so and check out my blog Six Online Stores to Love and Six to Avoid to start shopping ethically.
Of course, you don’t have to buy NEW. Thrift stores are a great way to support slow fashion and there are a ton of online thrift stores you can shop right now. I even have my own. Personally, I think thrifting is a great way to develop your own sense of style. Check out my post from March, How Thrifting Gives Rise to Individualism to see why so many college and high school students prefer thrifting!
Save Time & Money
Obviously a big factor when it comes to buying clothes is the cost, which is why so many women choose to buy from fast fashion stores like H&M and Forever21. But, you can find even cheaper clothing through thrifting and even from local brands near you.
It’s time to make the switch today!
Friendly Fits 