I have recently stopped buying clothes entirely! It honestly wasn’t as much of a big deal as I thought it was going to be. I realized I didn’t want to be one of those people that had too many clothes and needed to get rid of a lot of it before I even thought of buying anything new. Don’t get me wrong, I love fashion. I think it’s a great way to express yourself and show people who you really are, but I just don’t love it the way I did a couple of years ago.
I feel like most of us don’t really think about our relationship with clothes and it’s the reason why fast fashion exists; well that and many other reasons such as it’s cheaper than ever. Cheap clothing means cheap labor; meaning you will keep buying more and more because of the cheap quality of your clothes.
It kind of makes me sick to think that fast fashion is on the rise more than ever right now. Everyone wants to become a fashion influencer and I’m not sure a lot of people are doing it for the right reasons. I love their hustle and “#GirlBoss” attitude, but when will they stop promoting brands that aren’t only harmful to the environment, but also for the people making their garments?
I’m not perfect by any means. I have supported fast fashion brands in the past, but I’m learning and trying to be better and I challenge everyone reading this to do this as well. These big fashion brands won’t stop making these cheap garments until we stop buying them. So here I am challenging you to stop buying from Forever21, H&M, Old Navy, Cotton On, Topshop, Asos, Fashion Nova, Zara, and any other fast-fashion brand you can think of. I would also like to mention that H&M has been pushing their “H&M Conscious” collection a lot as of late. Not too sure how conscious the line is, but I definitely know they do quite a bit of greenwashing considering the majority of their clothing isn’t a part of their “conscious” line. Hopefully one day they can be entirely conscious. Here’s to hoping!
And I’m not saying for you to give up buying clothes as well. I’m just saying maybe don’t buy the cheap shorts from Forever21 knowing they are shit quality and made by someone who probably isn’t being paid a living wage. I’ve compiled an entire list of ethical fashion brands, which can be found here. Feel free to check it out! I’ll be adding to it as I find more; hopefully many many more.
Happy belated #EarthDay (even though it should be everyday)! Let’s do this world a favor and take care of it one step at a time!
