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How to Avoid Fast Fashion and Eliminate it From Your Life Completely
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How to Avoid Fast Fashion and Eliminate it From Your Life Completely

Fast fashion has been on the rise for the past few decades. The latest trends are now more accessible than ever as we see catwalk looks and celebrity styles dominate the landscape of contemporary clothes shopping. At the click of a button, anyone can have the latest fashions for a sometimes unbelievably cheap price tag.

Sounds great right?

Not so much. The problems with fast fashion are numerous. The use of cheap materials and dyes is having a huge environmental impact on farming, land-pollution, and water pollution. What’s more, many fast fashion brands have been found to employ exploitative working practices and provide low wages for their workers.

So, what can be done to combat this? Below are some ideas on how to avoid fast fashion and eliminate it from your life.

Buy quality wardrobe staples

A great place to start when trying to give up fast fashion is the pillars that hold your wardrobe together. With the rise of fast fashion, it’s easy to value convenience and price over quality. Every wardrobe should contain a handful of items that are infinitely customisable, timeless classics. A quality white t-shirt from yuniont.com, a pair of well-made dark wash jeans and a correctly fitted blazer can go a long way.

There are a number of quality items everyone should have in their wardrobe. These pieces will form the basis of a timeless collection of garments that will last for years.

Purchase ethically

There are a number of ways to shop for ethical clothing without breaking the bank. There are plenty of options. There are a growing number of companies that are providing cost-effective, quality clothing that is also ethically produced. If you want to reduce your environmental footprint and promote better working practices, there is no better place to start than the clothing you purchase.

By finding out about where your clothes come from and the company has produced them, you can drastically improve your impact on the planet and enjoy high-quality garments.

Shop small

Shop small applies in two senses of the word. Firstly, you don’t need to buy half a shop to have a great look and you certainly don’t need to go shopping every single week. Instead, focus on buying a few items occasionally, items you love and know will last, to start building up your wardrobe. Find pieces that will always be in style and you might find you can actually do more with less.

Secondly, shop with small retailers and local producers of clothing. Knowing where your clothing comes from is an important part of ethical consumption. By shopping with small retailers and independent traders, you are contributing to the local economy and are more likely to be buying ethically.

The next steps…

Fast fashion can seem great, but is having the latest trends really worth the human and environmental impact of the industry? Instead of reaching for convenient and cheap items, try to start implementing some of the steps outlined here and you might find yourself surprised by the amount you can do with a handful of good-quality, ethical items. Not only will you look great, you’ll feel great too, knowing you made a difference by choosing to avoid fast fashion by shopping smarter.

 

Images: Unsplash