Fashion faux pas, fashion ‘crimes’ or the self-appointed ‘fashion police’ have long been dictating what is or is not in vogue. With the recent surge of social media platforms and a celebrity culture now accessible at our fingertips, an excessive obsession on clothing choices is very much the norm. Typical ‘fashion crimes’ can cover anything from socks with sandals, wearing the same outfit in separate Instagram posts, double denim to cringeworthy T-shirt slogans. Yet the shallow conversations which lifestyle magazines, blogs, people and social media are propagating, overlook the deeper and more insidious violations of the fashion world. During the recent black Friday sales, 99%-off sales by the clothing retailer Pretty Little Thing stirred up a hornet’s nest. Selling dresses and heels for 8p and 25p respectively[1], many shoppers were thrilled by such unmatched bargains, while others commented on how this was laying bare an uglier truth underpinning the fast fashion industry.

‘Fast fashion’ denotes an unsustainable culture of consumption; it has recently catapulted the success of high-street fashion. On-trend clothes mimicking catwalk styles or celebrity outfits are now reproduced by high-street brands, such as Zara or New Look, in lightning speed to meet consumer desires in a hyper-connected fashion world. Consumers are, as a result, able to snap up the latest styles in their local shops which only a couple of days prior were being sported by high-profile celebrities. They can enjoy the satisfaction of wearing these items at the peak of their popularity. Big fashion corporations have consciously fed and exploited this desire to be stylish, and have thus driven us to move beyond four to 52 fashion seasons in a year[2]. When it comes to fast fashion, the priority is on speed, affordability and being on-trend. On the face of it, these priorities seem harmless, until we see the ethical implications that this speed of turnover requires.

The production of fashion is putting an unimaginable strain on the earth’s precious and depleting resources. Clothing items already constitute 20 to 35% of microplastic in the ocean, and three out of five fast fashion clothing pieces end up in landfill sites. Here, in the UK, they are either incinerated to release noxious fumes, or left to “decompose”. While “decomposing” deceptively sounds like a natural process, for polyester, this takes more than 200 years[3]. Another bitter truth is that this fibre, alongside all other synthetic fibres, comes from the resource causing enough anxiety as it is: oil. The annual carbon footprint of the textiles industry is also 1.2 billion tonnes of CO² – more than the combined emissions of international flights and shipping.

What’s more, compared to 20 years ago, we are keeping the garments we buy for half as long, reinforcing a “disposable culture” that our planet cannot take. Many powerful fashion companies are afraid of the consumer’s increasing awareness of the environmental repercussions of fast fashion – as it endangers their profit margins. As such, many brands are tapping into this concern by plastering words such as ‘organic’, ‘responsibly-made’ and ‘ethical’ all over their marketing campaigns. This all typifies the phenomenon of “greenwashing”; marketing products to make them look far more green and sustainable than actually is the case. Although ‘organically-grown’ cotton may have a lower carbon footprint than a synthetic fabric, 1 kg of cotton clothing still requires a staggering 10,000-20,000 litres of water to be made. This, of course, is exerting huge pressures in countries already confronting water scarcities due to climate change[4].

The fashion industry’s environmental impact is worrying, and as consumers it is not enough to merely be aware of this. We must proactively work against the false ideas and trends that multinational fashion brands have stealthily fabricated. They are capitalising off the toxic culture which claims it is a “crime” notto own the styles that are à la mode. Instead, it is worth considering more ethical marketplaces such as the likes of Depop selling “pre-loved” clothing, or by going to charity shops and flea markets, upcycling or repairing old clothes or simply changing our mindsets before buying a piece of clothing. We should think about differentiating between need and want, as well as investing in items for the long-run, not just for two or three wears. Without scrutinising our own purchasing patterns, we cannot influence the market demands that are ultimately shaped by us. The cheap prices we pay now may end up costing our planet.

[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/pretty-little-thing-black-friday-sale-b1763255.html

[2] The True Cost (2015)

[3] https://goodonyou.eco/fast-fashion-facts/

[4] https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2019/09/12/fast-facts-about-fast-fashion/