Tatiana von Bothmer ‘23
After desperately searching through the hoard of clothes before me, I land on a pair of black pants buried at the bottom. I stealthily reach out my hand to snatch this newest treasure, and beam at the valuable sweats I had just salvaged. Not only had I discovered comfortable pants, but ones long enough for my 5’9” self. With the swap only hosting one-of-a-kind items, each piece of clothing could only go once, adding to my satisfaction of finding this rare gem. Content with my new “purchase,” I weave my way through the swarm of students to browse the other items. By the end of the afternoon, I find myself and others lugging reusable grocery bags full of each other’s former clothes. Cate’s clothing swap had been a success.
Girls (and two boys) from all over Cate’s campus came to the Environmental Club’s clothing swap, held at the amphitheater on Saturday, April 24th. This exchange gave students the opportunity to clean out their clothes (and books!), remove what is too small or seldom worn, and bring these washed items for others to get. At the end of the day, the extra clothes were donated to the residents of Cornerstone House. Not only was there school-wide spring cleaning and on-campus thrift shopping, but students were able to give back to the wonderful Carpinteria community. Most importantly, this swap furnished the fight against Fast Fashion.
Fast Fashion is a worldwide problem woven into present-day society’s desire for the next best thing. The Good Trade’s “What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway?” by Audrey Stanton defines this issue as “rapidly producing high volumes of clothing” and “trend replication and low-quality materials to bring inexpensive styles to the public.” As this production continues, customers get easily bored with old clothes and crave the excitement of something new. While the Fast Fashion industry exploits their workers (who are mostly poor women with no other choice of work) with bare minimum wages and horrid conditions, buyers are able to purchase what they want when they want. By creating short-lasting clothes in minute periods and selling them to the public for a low cost, corporations are able to satisfy their clients’ obsession with consumerism.
This rapid production comes with its heap of environmental and social damages. First off, the carbon footprint from Fast Fashion makes the industry the second biggest contributor to global warming, compared to that of oil and air travel industries. This means that the fossil fuels from their production emit an incredible amount of carbon dioxide, extremely dangerous for animals’ and humans’ respiratory systems. In addition, Fast Fashion mass production emits chemicals that are exceedingly harmful to the industry’s workers and nearby residents and animals. Not only do these toxins have an immediate impact, but they also have horrifying and disgusting long-term damages. In The Good Trade’s “What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway?”Audrey Stanton explains that “Brands like Boohoo, for example, use toxic chemicals, dangerous dyes, and synthetic fabrics that seep into water supplies, and, each year, 11 million tons of clothing is thrown out in the US alone. These garments—full of lead, pesticides, and countless other chemicals—rarely break down. Instead, they sit in landfills, releasing toxins into the air.” The millions of clothing thrown out are left to decompose, yet, because these products don’t break down, they remain in landfills emitting toxins. This is immensely harmful to the atmosphere and the people and animals breathing the fumes. Because the materials cannot break down, they often end up in the ocean, glaciers, or other habitats. These clothes are then left to destroy our planet. The fashion industry’s toxin and carbon dioxide emissions demolish the place we call home.
In addition to their environmental impacts, Fast Fashion industries abuse their workers with extremely long hours, horrifically low wages, and lack of resources, the world-wide sweatshops violating basic human rights. Some of the biggest ones are even right next to us in L.A. Tatiana Schlossberg states that “There are immigrant workers in Los Angeles today who are victims of wage theft and exploitation” (How Fast Fashion Is Destroying The Planet, The New York Times, 2019). A place just 84 miles from Cate’s campus, there are laborers ruthlessly forced into making our clothing. This puts the responsibility on individuals in California to make a change. Relying on underpaid workers to rapidly manufacture the latest trends is horrific, and these appalling working conditions of the Fast Fashion industry once again prove that their production is careless.
These corporations will continue to grow and abuse their workers and the earth. Audrey Stanton’s “What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway” states that “Apparel companies make 53 million tons of clothes into the world annually. If the industry keeps up its exponential pace of growth, it is expected to reach 160 million tons by 2050.” The industry is expected to grow exponentially, meaning that their damage will more than triple in less than 30 years. The only way to stop Fast Fashion’s growth is to take action now. There are many changes an individual can make to slow the industry down. For example, “slow fashion” is locally grown products and domestic manufacture of clothing, providing better quality clothing while being mindful to laborers and the earth. Shopping from local businesses allows one to lift members of their community while still getting the excitement of acquiring a new item. Each purchase from one of these brands takes away from Fast Fashion because of helping their competitor. Finally, going to second-hand shops and thrift stores provides another alternative that offers unique items, contrasted to the “basic” clothes that Fast Fashion brands provide. In addition to shopping sustainably and environmentally, one should know and avoid certain corporations that heavily contribute to Fast Fashion. “Remake.world” lists many popular brands and “approves” the company if they are sustainable. These shops negatively impact the environment and their workers, but by boycotting these brands, consumption of Fast Fashion can be slowed. Additionally, because so many people now contribute to the purchasing of Fast Fashion, the industry now produces a new “season” each week -- 52 micro seasons per year, 13 times the amount of seasons in a calendar year! This means that the industry’s impacts are now 13 times as damaging; the need for change is therefore 13 times greater. If each individual makes easy adjustments, the greater issue can be tackled. Through buying from sustainable brands, small businesses, and thrift stores, while avoiding larger enterprises, each person can make a difference. Shopping less, rewearing clothing, learning about the issue, and supporting organizations will also all help the fight.
Cate’s on-campus thrift store did its part to squash Fast Fashion. The swap was sustainable, reused clothing, and offered unique items. We hope an exchange like this can happen at least every couple of months, and with the more students involved, the less items are bought from big companies, and the less need there is for rapid production of new clothes. This event, yet seemingly small, does its part in fighting Fast Fashion. We are all part of the problem, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all be part of the solution.
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