I’ve stopped… Shopping as much at fast fashion stores

This topic is a big one so it will span a few days of a post…

Fast fashion is cheap, trendy clothing items sold by stores or brands with thousands of styles that turn over quickly and plays a large negative part on the environmental burden. Stores like Forever 21, H&M, Topshop, Zara, Fashion Nova etc are all considered fast fashion.

The first solution to dealing with fast fashion is to try to buy second hand first and when you’re done with your clothing, try to give it away to someone who will wear it or re-sell it on a marketplace or app before deciding to send it to landfill (according to CBC, there is a bit of controversy on some of these donation bins so take a look at this article if you’re interested in also getting rid of your clothes ethically and sustainably). Hopefully, overtime, you will have turned your closet into a timeless capsule where if you’re tired of wearing the same items, that they will still be fashionable years later for someone else to want to buy.

For example, this sweater was bought off of a Facebook Marketplace page for $40, compared to the $100+ if I bought it new. House of Vintage on Queen West is also a great vintage store to buy curated second hand items, especially Levi jeans. Some phone apps such as Bunz, Depop, LetGo or VarageSale are all also great for looking for second hand items.

My last suggestion is to look at the labels of the items you’re buying to see if they are made of organic or natural fibres, non-toxic dyes etc.

Why

Ethical considerations are certainly of concern but here, we’re just going to focus on the environmental impacts of fast fashion.

About a dump truck’s worth of textiles are thrown away every second, contributing largely to the world’s landfill problem.

The fashion industry is also the second-biggest consumer of water, producing 20 percent of wastewater while also generating more greenhouse gas emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. - UNEnvironment.org

This is just one staggering fact to get you started on the dark world of fast fashion, but try your best to be a more mindful consumer when it comes to fast fashion.