Unsustainable Sins and Contrition for Clothing

Written by Hunnah Weller.

Surprisingly, ‘fast fashion’ doesn’t just refer to the clothes I wear during Ramadan. ‘Earth . Org’ states that the industry not only “pollutes rivers and streams”, “dries up water sources” and contributes 10% of global carbon emissions but also has an extremely damaging impact on the economy and quality of life of those they exploit. You would think that this would stop people from buying from them, so why does it not?

The excuse that haunts conversations, is that it is cheap and affordable. However, with tops being sold in Zara - the biggest fast fashion company in the world - for £20, dresses for £30, and jeans for £40, it seems that this excuse is no longer viable. Last year, the same company received record annual sales, whilst simultaneously sourcing clothes from both forced labour camps in China, and factories in Brazil that have been accused of engaging in modern slavery conditions.

Fast fashion is inherently unsustainable, but with a lack of restrictions on them and their brand, it is easy for companies to slap a ‘sustainable’ label on their garments and call it a day. These acts of greenwashing prove that the companies know the environmental implications of their actions and seek only to hide behind empty words. In the UK, these companies are restricted only regarding the working conditions of their employees, but with the production and exploitation happening overseas, this makes little to no difference to their operation. 

The problem is evident, and the reasoning is clear. People have become almost completely disconnected from the effects of their actions. After all, these sweatshops are not in our country, and it is not our family being exploited. Not only this, but it is easy to scroll away from an article on ‘Exploitation in the Global South’ than it is to stop buying and buying and buying. When discussing solutions to this global crisis – and it is a global crisis – sustainable fashion is proposed, charity shops also. But the root cause of this entire issue is the demand in the first place. We are societally pressured and groomed into believing that our appearance gives us identity, power, beauty, worth, thus, many of us are addicted to the process of owning ‘beautiful’ things and ‘cool’ things that then make us beautiful and cool. Addicted also to the gamble of the purchase, of the feeling of guilt when money leaves the bank account, but the excitement of owning something new. Ultimately, fast fashion will continue to thrive until people liberate themselves from the consumerist trap, when the demand is stripped away. 

Many people have already repented of their fast fashion indulgence and keep feeding into the industry regardless. The next step, however, is to truly break free from this cycle of guilt, and obsession with appearance.