Dress to Depress

For the people. For the planet. For the culture.

Tag: Fashion Sustainability

  • Alternatives to Fast Fashion: Affordable, Accessible, and Authentic

    Alternatives to Fast Fashion: Affordable, Accessible, and Authentic

    Dress to Depress Founder

    Yashvi Patel

    Fast fashion has become a prominent part of the fashion scene, offering affordable yet trendy clothing that is readily available to consumers worldwide. Although it seems like a win for our wallets, it comes with a hidden cost: exploitation of workers, environmental damage, and an abundance of waste.

    With that in mind, it’s important to remember the best thing about fast fashion: You don’t have to buy it! There are plenty of alternatives to fast fashion that have clothes you can feel cute and comfortable in, without having to support these big brands.

    This blog post will help guide you through those other ways, going over the affordable, accessible, and authentic options you can choose!

    What is Fast Fashion?

    To go over what fast fashion is, it is the mass production of cheap, trendy clothes that are supposed to mimic the essence of high-end clothing. These pieces, accessories, and even furniture are made by scarcely paid workers with low-quality materials to reduce excessive spending, leading to short lifespans of garments and lots of waste. The biggest perpetrators of this include brands such as SHEIN, Temu, ZARA, and H&M, but the sad truth is that almost all brands have participated in the vicious cycle of fast fashion, only to a lesser extent than others.

    The New York Times

    Learn more about the environmental damages and human cost deriving from fast fashion…

    Thrifting!!

    One of, if not the most sustainable, alternatives to fast fashion is thrifting! Although it’s often chalked up to rummaging through clothing racks (which can be considered a part of the thrifting experience), secondhand shopping is a gateway to finding unique pieces of clothing at an affordable price, all while actively reducing waste.

    Where to Look?

    • Local thrift stores and charity shops ($-$$)
    • Vintage boutiques ($-$$$)
    • Larger-known department stores such as Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Burlington (While not traditional thrift stores, they carry clothes that appeal to multiple styles, along with excess stock or unsold items, correctly reducing waste!) ($-$$$)

    Most thrift stores take donations, meaning individuals in search of donating clothes can help out local shops and possibly expand other customers’ catalogues, with the additional benefit of not thoughtlessly discarding clothes. Reach out to local shops to see if they take any donations!

    Online Shopping

    The charm of fast fashion often relates to how accessible it is, being online. Consumers see a cute top on their devices, and all it takes is a few taps to get it. No need to allocate a part of your day to go shopping when you can find the ‘perfect’ basic tee on the H&M app. That being said, there are some amazing online alternatives to SHEIN, TEMU, and H&M. 

    Online Stores

    • Pact: Selling garments that are composed of cotton, as well as reusing old clothes to create something new, Pact has been effectively and actively reducing textile waste. 
    • Kotn: Kotn, fast fashion adjacent through pricing, has proven that you can create quality clothes while maintaining safe working conditions. Sizes go from XS to 2X. 
    • Patagonia: If you’re shopping to replace a well-loved article of clothing, Patagonia can repair any piece with a small charge. They use renewable energy to power clothing production, and advocate for fair compensation and good labor standards for low-wage workers.
    • Depop: Depop, Poshmark, and even Facebook Marketplace – these are all shopping platforms tailored for people who need cute clothes or items quickly, but at a reasonable price. Just like thrift stores, these platforms allow consumers to buy clothes, while also being able to dispose of their old ones safely, and you can make money from it as well!!
    • Small businesses online: Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (now known as X) are all homes to unique and creative designers, who often work alone or with a small team. Although some businesses can be on the pricey side, these stores can be amazing alternatives when it comes to style. 

    DIY / Upcycling

    We as consumers actually have the resources to revamp our wardrobe, through upcycling! Upcycled and DIY clothes are fantastic ways to create something you will love with items already available to you and some creativity, and at little-to-no cost. 

    How to Get Started

    The following videos are your building blocks as beginners who are learning to DIY and upcycle.

    Check this website out too!

    No Sew Ideas

    Most of us don’t have access to sewing kits and all the stuff that comes with transforming clothes, but that doesn’t mean upcycling is out of the question for us. Here are my favorite no-sew DIYs!

    Truly, some of the best tutorials out there.

    The Gray Area

    Avoiding fast fashion is an impossible mission, especially in today’s world. Whether limited by budget, accessibility, or simply time, the fast fashion industry can cater well to consumers, but at the cost of the Earth and the workers behind those garments. Even brands that claim to be green are subtly taking part in the vicious cycle. 

    The goal of this post is not to bring shame or guilt to those who shop at places like Zara, SHEIN, or H&M. Different restraints lead to different circumstances, and that is completely valid.

    What this post is trying to do is to remind people to be mindful and make changes where we are able to. Even actions we deem as small can play a part in combating the epidemic that is fast fashion. Buying secondhand items instead of brand new clothes counts as much as learning to repair tattered shirts!

    Final Thoughts

    Fashion is something that we should all be able to enjoy, regardless of constraints that are in our way, and there are multiple avenues in which we can bring out the fun and expression fashion has to offer without supporting shops built on poor labor conditions and overproduction.

    Whether you’re thrifting, upcycling, or just want to be more mindful with your purchases, the effort you make matters.

    Top image is credited to Pinterest!

  • Fashion’s Dirty Secret: The Real Cost of Cheap Clothes

    Fashion’s Dirty Secret: The Real Cost of Cheap Clothes

    Dress to Depress Founder

    Yashvi Patel

    You’re scrolling through TikTok, and see this girl on your feed with the cutest cardigan that could fit any outfit you put together, so you ask where she got it from. It is only a couple of minutes until you get a notification saying, “Oh, it’s from SHEIN!”. 

    The fast fashion industry has taken the world by storm, offering trendy clothes at incredibly low prices, with just a click away. The convenience of it has revolutionized the way we consume clothes. Major fast fashion brands, such as Zara, H&M, and Shein, churn out new collections at breakneck speed to keep up with rapidly changing trends, making it easy to stay on top of them without breaking bank. Yet, as the industry allows consumers to buy without worrying about draining their wallets, it comes at the expense of our planet and our people.

    What is fast fashion?

    Fast fashion refers to the rapid production of inexpensive, trendy clothes. The term was first coined in the early 1990s, with one of the most prominent fast fashion brands, Zara, making waves globally by aiming to get articles of clothing from the initial stages of development to their customers’ hands in just a few days.

    That’s the mission of fast fashion retailers: to get consumers the trendiest clothes as quickly and as cheaply as possible, even at the expense of sustainability, quality, and, to a greater extent, morality. This priority of speed and affordability only promotes overconsumption, allowing for more clothes to be wasted, and for more damage to be done to our environment through that waste and pollution. 

    Mountains of Waste

    Impakter, 2023

    A key issue with fast fashion is how disposable it has become. With brands rapidly producing clothes for consumers, it encourages them to buy more, wear less, and discard quickly.

    Out of all the clothes produced, 92 million tonnes of textiles are wasted (Copenhagen Fashion Summit). In the United States alone, the average person discards 81.5 pounds of clothing. 

    On top of that, the David Suzuki Foundation found that 25% of new clothes remain unsold in factories. These discarded garments often end up in landfills, overflowing them and releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during decomposition. And only a small fraction of the clothes decomposes quickly. The majority of non-biodegradable garments decompose over long periods, releasing microplastics into our oceans and air.  

    Many articles don’t get recycled or donated, either. Furthermore, the very few that do get donated end up being shipped to developing countries, overflowing their local markets and causing economic issues within.

    Water and Air Pollution

    During the years it takes fast fashion textiles to biodegrade, pieces of non-biodegradable textiles – coming from the garments in landfills – end up in our oceans, harming aquatic wildlife. In fact, 35% of microplastics in the oceans come from such clothes (International Union for Conservation of Nature). But this is only one of the ways the fast fashion industry pollutes our waterways. 

    The most damage derives from inside the factories, where chemical and textile dyes are present. According to The George Washington University, the second-largest polluter of water is textile dyes, as factory workers often dispose of leftover remains into bodies of water. This method of disposal can be attributed to the fact that many fast fashion factories are built in developing countries, where strict environmental regulations are not present. 

    The fashion industry is the second biggest consumer of water after agriculture, followed by the energy, meat, beverage, construction, mining, and car industries. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it is also responsible for producing 20% of wastewater worldwide.

    What’s even more shocking is that when combining the annual carbon emissions coming from international flights and commercial shipping, the fast fashion industry manages to exceed that number. This can be attributed to the fact that many articles of clothing end up in landfills, where they are then incinerated, releasing countless poisonous gases into the atmosphere. The University of Pennsylvania even states in an article that the fast fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. 

    The Human Cost

    The New York Times, 2013

    The ethics of fast fashion are also controversial. As stated, factories are usually built in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, and many others. This is because larger corporations would be more likely to exploit factory workers in third-world countries, allowing them to underpay and overwork them. 

    In 2013, around 1,134 workers were killed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, when an 8-story factory building, the Rana Plaza, came crashing down. The day before the devastating collapse, cracks were found in the Rana Plaza building, but when expressing their concerns, the factory workers were ordered to return to work, highlighting the clear disregard for human lives.

    How Can I Make a Difference?

    Studies have predicted that in the upcoming years, the fast fashion industry is going to face a decline in revenue. While a comforting prediction, it does not diminish the harm our environment is currently facing.

    Chances are that if you speak to someone on the street and ask them where they got their accessories from, they will most likely say TEMU. Online, when you see others asking influencers where they got their clothes from, another commenter will be saying how they found something similar on SHEIN.

    Fast fashion is revolutionary, and it is difficult to erase a revolution. However, as individuals, we have the power to make a difference. Here’s how:

    • Shop Second-Hand: Go to your local boutique, thrift store, or even a neighborhood garage sale! There are hidden gems everywhere, and this is a way to find those gems without spending too much.

    • Buy Less, Choose Well: Next time you buy something, ask yourself questions on WHY you want that item or HOW OFTEN you would use it.

    • Care for Your Clothes: Accidents happen, but even basic steps, such as properly washing and storing your clothes, can significantly increase the lifespan of your garments.

    • Educate Yourself and Others: By reading this post, you’re already making a difference. Awareness is a huge step to meaningful change, and educating yourself and others, even if they may not listen, spreads the word and allows you to feel better.

    Learn more about finding alternatives to fast fashion here…

    Final Thoughts

    The short-term satisfaction brought by fast fashion is overshadowed by the long-term damage caused by the practice. It is time that we, the consumers, start thinking about the quality of our clothes over the quantity, as well as the true cost of them. Our choices may seem small, but collectively, they can steer the fashion industry in a new direction: one where people and the planet come before profit.

    As stated by Vivienne Westwood, one of the most prominent fashion designers of the century, and a true environmentalist: Buy less. Choose Well. Make it last.

    Top image is credited to Pinterest!