The devastating effect of fast fashion on the environment is no longer a matter of debate. There is plenty of evidence to show that, globally, fashion is amongst the most polluting industries, ranking right after the oil trade. In the frenzied world of fast fashion, high street brands like Zara and H&M launch anywhere between 15 to 24 collections in a year. The styles and prices, are alluring enough to make customers, fuelled by a manufactured fad of keeping up with the latest trends, keep coming back for more new clothes, while discarding the old. According to McKinsey, at least three out of five outfits end up in landfills, creating mounds of toxic waste.
And to keep the prices for customers competitive, there is pressure to drive down costs at the manufacturing end, which means poor wages and exploitative conditions for the factory workers in poor countries.
“Garment workers will typically earn 1–3 per cent of the retail price of an item of clothing, meaning that if a T-shirt costs £8, the worker who made it would receive 24p at most. To double the worker’s wage would only cost us, the consumers, another 24p. That’s pocket change most of us would surely be happy to cough up if the high street gave us the option.”
― Lauren Bravo, How To Break Up With Fast Fashion
“Garment workers will typically earn 1–3 per cent of the retail price of an item of clothing, meaning that if a T-shirt costs £8, the worker who made it would receive 24p at most. To double the worker’s wage would only cost us, the consumers, another 24p. That’s pocket change most of us would surely be happy to cough up if the high street gave us the option.”
― Lauren Bravo, How To Break Up With Fast Fashion
To get an overview of the adverse impact of fast fashion, read 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Fast Fashion.
To understand the consequences of the fashion industry on a deeper level, there are several excellent books that elucidate with examples and research. We’ve short-listed some of the best books to get you started on exploring the subject.
5 Must-Read Books to Understand the Reality of Fast Fashion:
1.Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan: Greta Eagan is the founder of Beauty Scripts and Fashion Me Green and has worked with reputed publications such as Refinery 29, Glamour, Lucky Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Her approach to Wear No Evil is more like that of a guidebook where she sheds light on fast fashion disasters, but also offers alternatives in the form of slow fashion and brand recommendations. You should consider picking up this book because while it talks about why you should ditch fast fashion, it also emphasises the Integrity Index. The Integrity Index is a straightforward process to understand the ethics behind any garment or brand. Using this, you can shop in any country — the rules are the same. Besides, Greta’s writing is simple yet hard-hitting, so it makes for an immersive read.
Source: Amazon
Source: Amazon
2. Slave to Fashion by Safia Minney: Safia Minney is the CEO of Fair Trade and has founded People Tree, a sustainable fashion label. As the author of three other books, Slow Fashion: Aesthetics Meets Ethics, Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution, and By Hand: The Fair Trade Fashion Agenda — Safia’s writing is thought-provoking and informative. Slave to Fashion offers interviews, excerpts from micro-documentaries, and plenty of graphics to acquaint the reader with the unfortunate side of fast fashion. Safia has interviewed those who work at clothing factories and mass-produced brand outlets to understand their working conditions, wages, healthcare plans, and focuses on the exploitative nature of the industry.
3. How To Break Up With Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo: How to Break Up with Fast Fashion is perhaps one of the most highly recommended books on fast fashion. Lauren Bravo is a renowned lifestyle journalist and she refers to the inclination towards fast fashion as an ultimate toxic relationship. What makes this book special and relatable is that Lauren, a former shopaholic, is brutally honest and talks about her former shopping habits and how she transformed into a slow and sustainable shopper. How to Break Up with Fast Fashion is realistic and suggests that if Lauren can do it, we can do it too. You can learn tips on viewing your wardrobe with a new pair of eyes and how to swap your clothes or recycle your garments.
Source: Amazon
Source: Amazon
4. Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas: Dana Thomas is a lifestyle journalist and published author with a profound interest in fashion, human rights, and economics. Fashionopolis examines the devastating reality of fast fashion from a first-person perspective as she has travelled across the world and explored it herself. Apart from talking about the dark side of fashion, Dana also writes about several fantastic designers who are working towards a better planet — and how they are using their vision, skill, and design to foster a positive and more sustainable fashion industry. This is a must-read book as it talks about various aspects of the industry, and ends on a courageous note — there’s hope yet!
5. The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth L. Cline: Elizabeth L. Cline is a journalist and one of the foremost experts in the world on fashion, sustainability, consumer culture, and labour rights. The Conscious Closet is a perfect read for those willing to embrace change and make wiser closet decisions. This means, reusing your existing outfits and looking chic without making any sacrifices. Cline talks about her shopping habits and how she has changed herself. Filled with resourceful tips and advice on sustainable shopping, this book is a good place to start your sustainable fashion journey. Besides, she also talks about styling and relooking at your existing closet.
Source: Amazon
Whether you’re keen on bringing a change in the fashion industry either as a part of it or as a consumer or if you are interested in educating yourself, you would find these books insightful and inspiring. With the conversation on the environmental ills of fast fashion now becoming mainstream, being informed and aware is the first step towards bringing about change.
