Fashion is one of the only things I am truly passionate about. I take pride in what I wear and I like to be aware of current trends and apply these to my wardrobe in my own way.
I love most things about the industry, I love not only looking and wearing at clothes but I could just walk around shops for hours without buying anything, I love the atmosphere that shops have and how they inspire people in a way to express themselves.
I lived in my own little fashion bubble for years, only really taking in what I wanted to see and ignoring all the perhaps not so glamorous sides of fashion. I'm the biggest believer in disposable fashion. I think we'd all love to spend ridiculous amount of money on designer clothes but unfortunately my student loan doesn't quite allow that. As a result of that I swear by high street stores like Topshop and H&M like most of us I'm sure do to.
I think there are some things we should all stop to think about. Where are our clothes coming from? Who's making them? Are these conditions fair? Where have the materials been sourced from?
The main question being, Is it all really worth it?
The fashion industry works around greed, power, poverty and the environment.
Most people are aware of the fact that most of our clothes are made in poorer countries such as Bangladesh but sadly it's so commonly seen we just tend to ignore it and accept it because we know it means that we are getting cheaper products, but, what is behind that price tag?
Dhaka - Bangladesh is known for one of the biggest industry disasters. One factory, over 1,200 lives lost. All at the cost of trying to keep up with our forever changing trends. Why do we so easily ignore this? If this was to happen closer to home would we have different views? The question that is constantly being asked is why in 2016 is this still happening when we have been aware of the issue for so long? The answer to it seems pretty simple. For high street stores to be so affordable, the products we buy have to be manufactured as cheaply as possible. This is how we end up in places such as Bangladesh. Places where minimum wage is lower than ever and health and safety is almost non- existent. Corners are able to be cut meaning that disasters like this happen. The problem is constantly worsening as manufacturers are competing so greatly, they find out one is making for £4 so another corner will be cut to make it possible for their product to be made for £3. It seems all bad, but, another point of view is what if these workers didn't have these jobs? Supporting their families becomes impossible and the things we take for granted such as food are no longer able to be bought. There are more dangerous jobs out there such as working in cole mines. What's really that dangerous about making clothes?
The manufacturing process is not the only issue that is being faced on a day-to-day basis but also the materials that our clothes are made out of. Cotton is one of the most commonly used fibres, often used to make our clothes, most of the things hanging in my wardrobe will have a percentage of cotton. I like to think of cotton being grown naturally and safely in a field but more often than not it's not. In order for clothes to be made on the scale that they are, cotton needs to be readily available. Especially as the fast fashion market is growing and growing at an uncontrollable rate. The cotton that is in most of our clothes is genetically modified, this means that the cotton is covered in lots of harmful chemicals to encourage growth. Although this doesn't sound overly dangerous to humans. The effects are outstanding. In Punjab - India, villages are facing an unbelievable rise in cancer, children are being born with serious disablitlies both mentally and physically with them ending up not living out their childhood days. Parents are having to accept that they will probably out live their children. Research has shown that every 30 seconds a cotton farmer takes their own life, normally through drinking the deadly pesticides used to make OUR clothes.
I am by no means saying not to buy high street clothes, that would be wrong as I always do but I think it's something that perhaps is over looked by so many due to it not happening close to home so we just push it aside so I think raising awareness is more important than ever.
Realising the effects of the fashion industry has become even more important to me through doing a fashion degree. The effects that it has on us is something I was blind to for a very long time until starting to notice it in myself. I am constantly looking at the next thing to buy, things I feel I NEED in my wardrobe, so much so it actually gets me down a bit, I cannot keep up with the constant changes that are happening with trends however much I try. I am surrounded by new clothes all the time and advertising showing us how much better our life would be with certain products. I constantly laugh at adverts on TV at how cringey they are but unfortunately they work. They make our lives seem more average and never good enough, but of course if we bought these products we would just feel a little better. I get so much pride and happiness walking out of a shop with bags but then get home and I always find something else. I am never happy. Lots of research has been going on for years and since the rise in fast fashion and cheaper clothing, mental illness has also risen as a result of that. You never really feel good enough and satisfied. Especially with social media taking over. We see all these 'fashionable' outfits and this false idea of perfect every single day on things such as Instagram. But how perfect really is their life? It's more than likely that these clothes are just being sent back after a photo and we are led to believe that people are constantly spending and getting the next best things. Our self esteem is just getting lower and lower. Years ago, we used to have 2/3 seasons for fashion, we now have around 8 meaning clothes are needing to be churned out at an uncontrollable rate.
https://uk.pinterest.com/fashrevglobal/whomademyclothes-quotes-facts/
I love fashion, always have and always will but I really do find this whole issue interesting. The way we are brainwashed and in a very vicious cycle. Will it ever end? With us all stopping and thinking about what we are buying and whether we really need it things will slowly start to change. Brands such as H&M are trying to make a difference, promoting recycling of clothes within their stores and their Conscious Collection promoting sustainability.
Fashion Revolution have made the first big step I feel at making a lot of people aware of the current issues. I had to admit I didn't really know how bad it was until discovering Fashion Revolution, their approach has been the most interesting due to it really bringing the attention to social media. Creating hashtags including #30wears and #whomademyclothes. This has become a simple way of making people stop and think. If you're not going to wear something 30 times or more is it worth buying? The who made my clothes hashtag has made people look at clothes tags when perhaps they normally wouldn't. So next time you go shopping, will you wear what you've picked up 30 times? who made it? Is it worth while buying? Just by doing small things like this, we can slowly make a difference. Start making a beautiful industry beautiful again.
If you want to get more information on the issue I'd recommend watching 'True Cost' on Netflix, also visit the Fashion Revolution and Ecoage websites to find out how you can get involved!
http://fashionrevolution.org
-
http://eco-age.com/home-3/
Thank you for taking your time to read this,
Lots of Love, Becky xox
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/322288917059785891/
The fashion industry works around greed, power, poverty and the environment.
Most people are aware of the fact that most of our clothes are made in poorer countries such as Bangladesh but sadly it's so commonly seen we just tend to ignore it and accept it because we know it means that we are getting cheaper products, but, what is behind that price tag?
Dhaka - Bangladesh is known for one of the biggest industry disasters. One factory, over 1,200 lives lost. All at the cost of trying to keep up with our forever changing trends. Why do we so easily ignore this? If this was to happen closer to home would we have different views? The question that is constantly being asked is why in 2016 is this still happening when we have been aware of the issue for so long? The answer to it seems pretty simple. For high street stores to be so affordable, the products we buy have to be manufactured as cheaply as possible. This is how we end up in places such as Bangladesh. Places where minimum wage is lower than ever and health and safety is almost non- existent. Corners are able to be cut meaning that disasters like this happen. The problem is constantly worsening as manufacturers are competing so greatly, they find out one is making for £4 so another corner will be cut to make it possible for their product to be made for £3. It seems all bad, but, another point of view is what if these workers didn't have these jobs? Supporting their families becomes impossible and the things we take for granted such as food are no longer able to be bought. There are more dangerous jobs out there such as working in cole mines. What's really that dangerous about making clothes?
The manufacturing process is not the only issue that is being faced on a day-to-day basis but also the materials that our clothes are made out of. Cotton is one of the most commonly used fibres, often used to make our clothes, most of the things hanging in my wardrobe will have a percentage of cotton. I like to think of cotton being grown naturally and safely in a field but more often than not it's not. In order for clothes to be made on the scale that they are, cotton needs to be readily available. Especially as the fast fashion market is growing and growing at an uncontrollable rate. The cotton that is in most of our clothes is genetically modified, this means that the cotton is covered in lots of harmful chemicals to encourage growth. Although this doesn't sound overly dangerous to humans. The effects are outstanding. In Punjab - India, villages are facing an unbelievable rise in cancer, children are being born with serious disablitlies both mentally and physically with them ending up not living out their childhood days. Parents are having to accept that they will probably out live their children. Research has shown that every 30 seconds a cotton farmer takes their own life, normally through drinking the deadly pesticides used to make OUR clothes.
I am by no means saying not to buy high street clothes, that would be wrong as I always do but I think it's something that perhaps is over looked by so many due to it not happening close to home so we just push it aside so I think raising awareness is more important than ever.
Realising the effects of the fashion industry has become even more important to me through doing a fashion degree. The effects that it has on us is something I was blind to for a very long time until starting to notice it in myself. I am constantly looking at the next thing to buy, things I feel I NEED in my wardrobe, so much so it actually gets me down a bit, I cannot keep up with the constant changes that are happening with trends however much I try. I am surrounded by new clothes all the time and advertising showing us how much better our life would be with certain products. I constantly laugh at adverts on TV at how cringey they are but unfortunately they work. They make our lives seem more average and never good enough, but of course if we bought these products we would just feel a little better. I get so much pride and happiness walking out of a shop with bags but then get home and I always find something else. I am never happy. Lots of research has been going on for years and since the rise in fast fashion and cheaper clothing, mental illness has also risen as a result of that. You never really feel good enough and satisfied. Especially with social media taking over. We see all these 'fashionable' outfits and this false idea of perfect every single day on things such as Instagram. But how perfect really is their life? It's more than likely that these clothes are just being sent back after a photo and we are led to believe that people are constantly spending and getting the next best things. Our self esteem is just getting lower and lower. Years ago, we used to have 2/3 seasons for fashion, we now have around 8 meaning clothes are needing to be churned out at an uncontrollable rate.
I love fashion, always have and always will but I really do find this whole issue interesting. The way we are brainwashed and in a very vicious cycle. Will it ever end? With us all stopping and thinking about what we are buying and whether we really need it things will slowly start to change. Brands such as H&M are trying to make a difference, promoting recycling of clothes within their stores and their Conscious Collection promoting sustainability.
Fashion Revolution have made the first big step I feel at making a lot of people aware of the current issues. I had to admit I didn't really know how bad it was until discovering Fashion Revolution, their approach has been the most interesting due to it really bringing the attention to social media. Creating hashtags including #30wears and #whomademyclothes. This has become a simple way of making people stop and think. If you're not going to wear something 30 times or more is it worth buying? The who made my clothes hashtag has made people look at clothes tags when perhaps they normally wouldn't. So next time you go shopping, will you wear what you've picked up 30 times? who made it? Is it worth while buying? Just by doing small things like this, we can slowly make a difference. Start making a beautiful industry beautiful again.
If you want to get more information on the issue I'd recommend watching 'True Cost' on Netflix, also visit the Fashion Revolution and Ecoage websites to find out how you can get involved!
http://fashionrevolution.org
-
http://eco-age.com/home-3/
Thank you for taking your time to read this,
Lots of Love, Becky xox
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