“As someone who still owns and actively wears a majority of the same items from like 2014. Wow! I think I’m ready to give up fast fashion.” That’s what I posted on my Instagram story just three weeks ago. If you’ve been following my Instagram, you already know this, but I think it’s worth sitting down and explaining why.
First, let me tell you my story.
My affair from fast fashion began before I can even remember.
My parents raised me to reduce food waste and buy less. Believe it or not. During my high school days, I never own an item of single clothing that I bought with my penny. I grew up wearing clothes that are mostly passed down on us from our aunties and occasionally I would be getting clothes from local markets (Philippines) bought by our aunts. So, I grew up with the mindset that clothes, along with most other consumer goods, are not an investment.
In college, we only wore uniforms but whenever my classmates ask me where I bought my new clothes, I always tell them I never bought those for myself as I only got it from my aunties. I love my second-hand clothes that I own up until now and so proud to tell you that there’s no shame about it!
As much as I wanted to bring my clothes here where I live now (Canada), I was not fully aware where I can buy cheap ones as I was so confident in my own bubble that someone would just pass down their clothes to me. My Mom used to always tell me that I don’t need that many clothes because I already had enough on my wardrobe that I can use.
Then, I started buying clothes that were on sale, and later on, buying too much, following every trend, ads, friends and people who wear it on or off social media. That’s when I stop, reflect, and told myself that I’ll only buy one when I’ll be really happy to wear it 30 times or more.
I have been 7 months sober from Fast Fashion. Seven months that I pledged to myself that I won’t be needing new clothes up to Christmas of 2020. One month since I wrote on my half-year review that I wanted to focus and direct my energy to the environment, to be more sustainable and be more of a conscious consumer so that I can give back love to our planet.
Not until now that I’m realizing all the negative causes of fast fashion not only to our planet but also to those who work on the garment industry. The fashion industry is named as the second largest pollution of freshwater in the world. It is one of the major polluting industries, responsible for the different forms of environmental pollution that have contributed to the climate crisis.
I noticed that I was questioning where my food came from, but not so much where my clothes came from. So that’s when I learned that there are also a lot of overlooked issues on garment workers (feminist issue) ‒ each person is not being paid a fair wage when the prices are so low.
“It is women in the garment sector that are in the lowest-paid, most vulnerable jobs. We can’t address poverty without addressing gender equality.” ‒ Nilufar Verjee (Director of Women’s Economic Empowerment, CARE)
And that’s the dehumanizing part of all this ‒ we are so distanced from the individuals who made our garments, we neglect to try and consider them as people who also deserve respect and the same rights that we demand for ourselves.
For quite a while, the temptation is still there. But the longer I went without buying fast fashion, and in general without shopping as much as I did before, the more I understood that the thought of buying fast fashion no longer sparked any joy for me. That buying clothes will never fill my soul the way I’m contributing my energy to our planet.
Fast fashion, I don’t miss you. Our relationship was toxic, not only for me but for the earth and the human beings you exploit.
Bye forever,
Jerleena Christelle