Guest blog by Ruth MacGilp
The dopamine hit created by following the little tracker of my order of new clothes being packed and shipped, to the package then arriving at my door is hard to shake. But over the past ten years, instead of pouring my cash into the pockets of fast fashion billionaires and funding overproduction, exploitation and waste, my shopping habits have shifted towards second-hand. Whether pouring through the rails at my local charity shop or hunting for hidden gems on second-hand shopping apps, fashion still brings me the same amount of joy – if not more – than it did when I was hooked on the high street.
I work in sustainable fashion, which means I’m inundated with information on a daily basis about the negative impacts of the fashion industry. I aim to tackle some of these serious systemic issues, from living wages to fossil fuels, through my work at labour and environmental non-profits and as an independent creator. But despite this, what helped me shift towards sustainable fashion in my personal life was not necessarily the ‘stick’ of learning the knock-on effects of my fast fashion addiction, but the ‘carrot’ of realising just how positive my new relationship with fashion could become.
Here are 3 positive reasons why I quit fast fashion:
1. Sustainable fashion is better for people
Many of us recognise that the people who make our clothes are not necessarily treated very well at work. Most garment and textile workers are not paid enough to meet their basic needs, and issues like gender-based violence, forced labour and factory accidents are endemic in the fashion industry. But despite this growing awareness of poor labour practices, fast fashion continues to grow as consumers seek cheap fixes of the latest trends. As a skint fashion student, I was guilty of clicking ‘add to basket’ even after I learned about some of the horrors of the fashion supply chain. So to tackle this cognitive dissonance, I started connecting with local designers, makers and menders who showed me that making clothing doesn’t have to be exploitative, and that supporting small sustainable brands and second-hand stores can help people to thrive in doing what they love and give back to their local communities. For me, seeing these positive impacts that my new shopping habits could make on people’s lives helped me flick the switch.
2. Sustainable fashion is better for the planet
The majority of what we wear is made from synthetic materials like polyester, which are plastics made from fossil fuels, dyed and treated with toxic chemicals that pollute the water and impact our health. Meanwhile, a lot of what we buy ends up being worn just a handful of times before being sent to landfill where this plastic clothing will not biodegrade. Yes, I know, the bad news for fashion lovers is piling up higher and higher, just like the textile waste clogging beaches in Ghana and deserts in Chile. But transitioning away from environmentally destructive brands and products doesn’t just reduce negative impacts – truly sustainable fashion can actually do good for the planet. Some examples of this positive feedback loop include: clothing made with fibres grown at regenerative farms which contribute to restore soil health, small-scale production systems that breathe new life into traditional textiles and support local biodiversity, innovative new technologies developing fabrics that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and upcyclers that reuse unwanted textiles in creative and circular ways to prevent waste from being wasted.
3. Sustainable fashion is better for our personal lives
It may seem selfish, but the factor that finally healed me from my addiction to ‘newness’ was the lightbulb moment of realising just how damaging my shopping habits were to my own wellbeing. From being constantly indebted to my overdraft, to feeling like I never had anything to wear despite my overstuffed wardrobe, my mental health and finances suffered. I feel proud to have finally disconnected from the fast fashion cycle, because it has allowed me to find my own style that is informed by how I feel rather than big corporations telling me what to buy. I now view the marketing messages of fast fashion brands as fundamentally manipulative, and my sustainable fashion journey has taught me to find fulfilment in experiences and relationships rather than products.
If any of this resonates with you, I urge you to join me. Beyond just buying less, one of the easiest ways you can make the shift to sustainable fashion is to opt for second-hand rather than new.
Here are three small actions you can take right away to get started on your own breakup with fast fashion.
- Do a wardrobe audit by pulling all your clothes, shoes and accessories out in the open and noting down everything you have, paying particular attention to duplicates. This will help you stay focused next time you go shopping, and it’s also a good opportunity to set aside unwanted items to donate to charity, sell online or get repaired or tailored.
- Next, it’s time for a digital audit. Start by scrolling through your inbox and unsubscribe from fashion brand email lists which are constantly trying to entice you to shop. The same principle applies on social media, where you will benefit from unfollowing or muting brands, magazines or influencers that could be fuelling your fast fashion addiction.
- Last, but certainly not least, it’s important to find community. This could be following sustainable fashion creators on Instagram or TikTok, attending events like swap shops, panel discussions and mending circles, or joining and volunteering with local activist groups. Bringing people along on your journey helps you learn new skills, share your experiences and most importantly, makes it fun and therefore so much easier to stick to!
Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign is the perfect opportunity to kickstart your sustainable fashion journey by pledging to only buy second-hand, and donate rather than chuck unwanted clothes, for 30 days. For me, taking part in challenges like this really shifted my relationship with fast fashion, and their impacts can last so much longer than just a month.
Sign up to Second Hand September here.