Fast fashion vs classics: Does your dressing style impact the environment?

 

If you ask me, I think almost 90% Indian - especially middle class families are the followers of classics and timeless fashion trends. Not because they truly care about the environment, but because of the economical crisis and overburdened responsibility of dependent families. But it’s totally unacceptable if I say they don’t crave for fast fashion. It’s like a status symbol, revolving around everyone’s mind to obsess about up-to-the-minute style.

I am a core believer of the comfort zone. I love pajamas, and will love to die in pajamas. I love all the oldest clothes, which makes me nostalgic to the events wherever I have worn them. My family sometimes criticizes me for being constant in my choices, as they expect me to change according to the surroundings. I too love timeless fashionable clothes, and can repeat n-number of times as much as I want. But there are so many conceptions people refer to in everyday lives, that leads to so many questions of sustainability. For example - 

- If sustainability is the dire need of the environment, why is the fashion trend abruptly evolving everyday?

- The fast fashion industry is known for its rapid production cycles, contributing to massive resource consumption. A single cotton T-shirt can take up to 2,700 liters of water to produce, showcasing the strain on water resources. Isn’t it our job to highlight this severe issue to every citizen?

- Fast fashion's "throwaway culture" leads to staggering amounts of textile waste. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is discarded every second, often ending up in landfills or incinerators.

I am sure, everyone knows this cognitive content, but they don’t know about behind-the-scenes, how local communities are disregarded, how in the name of fast-forward-look companies are manipulating the mind of young generations, how fusion of different cultures are increasing the demand and thus the victims?

I remember those days, when younger children used to wear used-clothes of their elder siblings. I clearly remember my childhood days, when we used to give our old attires to our maid’s families. Those were not cultures, those were unintentional steps for maintaining sustainability. But now, every child wants brand new or at least desire to have first-hand materials for themselves. I think it’s our responsibility to make them aware, what is coming next because of these naïve desires. Though there are many donation camps/organizations who make this mission of reusability successful for poor people, it is still not enough. Change should be initiated from home, then only we can be able to see the actual difference. 

I am not against fast-fashion, but the evolutionary drift should slow down . It is not meant for anyone to make them conscious about the choices. It must focus on the art, rather than switching on the trend button. 

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023