Sustainable Fashion Company, Remake, Talks Turning Fashion Into a Force for Good
The habit of consuming clothing at an inexpensive price, getting little use out of it, and then discarding the clothing, is a concept referred to as “fast fashion.” Many of us can admit to purchasing low quality, temporary pieces instead of high-quality staples to keep up with ever-evolving fashion trends. While this concept of fast fashion may seem harmless, it is negatively impacting our environment in many ways.
Harmful effects of the fast fashion industry begin in the factory. Manufacturing processes can determine whether clothing is considered “fast fashion.” Fast fashion is notorious for the mass production of low-quality garments produced by overworked and underpaid employees. Producing excessive amounts of product while reaching an almost impossible deadline creates an unavoidable waste of materials and resources. “The High Price of Fast Fashion” in The Wall Street Journal informs us: “The fashion industry releases 10% of the carbon emissions in our air, according to McKinsey, and uses a fourth of all chemicals produced worldwide.” Mass production of fast fashion must be accounted for in contributing to the rising numbers of pollution, waste materials, and chemical production. In order to reach the goals of mass production at lower costs, environmental consequences are created.
Image Courtesy: Remake
However, producers are only responding to the demands of consumers. This is where we come in. As consumers, we are what shapes producers’ manufacturing processes: “the consumer leads production…[consumers] reward the cheaper option” (“I Saw the Reality…”). What consumers do not know is what must occur in order to create the numbers on the price tag. When we, as shoppers, make choices, those choices create a domino effect. We need to hold ourselves accountable for where we are investing our money, the way we treat our clothing, and where our clothing ends up once we no longer have a desire for it.
While machinery emissions and factory wastes contribute to pollution, we must also look at the material of our clothing. Tatianna Schlossberg’s, “How Fast Fashion is Destroying the Planet” in The New York Times explains: “More than 60 percent of fabric fibers are now synthetics, derived from fossil fuels, so if and when our clothing ends up in a landfill… it will not decay.” When we are shopping for outfits at affordable prices, we need to make sure we are not investing in materials that, once disposed of, will sit in our planet’s landfills for years to come, or possibly forever. Materials to stay away from include anything synthetic, for example Polyester, Nylon, Spandex, and Acrylic.
Once our clothes are no longer of use to us, we need to dispose of them properly. While it is too late to salvage the clothing already in our landfills, we can choose to make better choices with the unwanted clothes in our closets. Every year in New York alone, “residents and businesses throw away almost 1.4 billion pounds of usable and recyclable textiles, including clothing, footwear, belts, hats, handbags, throw rugs, drapes, towels, sheets and other linens” (Kuenneke, 2020). Repurposing or recycling our clothing could prevent “usable and recyclable textiles” from sitting in landfills. Many of us may not be aware of the fact that about 85 percent of textile waste in the United States goes to landfills or is incarcerated. Only 15 percent of clothing is properly disposed of. Thankfully, many stores are working to change that. Primark is an example of a store that has implemented a process of bringing your unwanted clothes back into the store for recycling. Additionally, those colorful bins we are starting to see in parking lots of shopping plazas are recycling bins for clothes. By making better shopping decisions and recycling our unwanted clothes, our planet will thank us.
Remake is a movement dedicated to spreading awareness and starting a trend to “break up with fast fashion” as they call it on their website. I was lucky enough to be able to get in contact with someone behind this incredible movement, Katrina Caspelich, who pointed me in the right direction towards amazing tips to share.
While the planet cannot ask us to spend more money on clothing than our budget allows, we can make smarter shopping choices with our pockets and environment in mind. When questioned how we are able to avoid promoting fast fashion while shopping on a budget, Remake offered these answers:
“If you’re balling on a budget, we salute you! We bet you are still styling while stretching that dollar around the block- and making it look easy to boot. We have a few recommendations to help you build your sustainable fashion with zero to low- cost methods.”
Re-style or re-purpose them
Repair it – instead of throwing things away because of slight damage
Update the item – add new buttons to an old jacket
Give it a new life - shorten the length of an old skirt
Host a clothing swap
Shop less, but choose well – Can you imagine yourself wearing the item at least 30 times?
Image Courtesy: Remake
Fast fashion takes an incredible toll on our planet, but it is unimaginable what workers must go through to provide this kind of mass production. While details on the mistreatment of the labor force of fast fashion are unfortunately lengthy, “I Saw the Reality of a Modern-Day Factory'' was written by a Remake contributor who was able to present some key information as to what factory work can be like. Given the opportunity to visit a modern-day factory in Sir Lanka and interview factory workers, the contributor explained: “When interviewing Ashila she said that many of the women will skip lunch and avoid bathroom breaks to make enough money during their shifts by hitting production incentives. Many voluntarily take on over-time, their pay not even coming close to a livable wage.” Women employed by the fast fashion industry are working tirelessly to meet the demands of consumers and making short of a livable pay rate. The demand for fast fashion is so high, it leaves no excuse for little pay rates as the industry is clearly generating an income.
Remake’s “The Impact of Fast Fashion on Women’s Reproductive Health” explains to us that “Around the globe, women dominate the workforce of the garment factory industry, representing approximately 85% of the population. Unfortunately, the working environment for many of these women includes low wages, long hours, and hazardous health conditions.” Women who work in the factory industry are exposed to long hours of chemicals and fumes which then affect their bodies and health. The consideration of the health of employees and safety precautions of the chemicals used is neglected when trying to keep up with fast fashion. Remake emphasizes the idea that: “Fast fashion is not only an economic and environmental concern – it is also a health concern”.
Lastly, Remake tells us how to make sure we are not contributing to the textile waste in our landfills:
“Three ways that every fashionista can be sustainable, no matter her budget: Reduce, reuse, and recycle”.
Reduce: Remake offered us the idea of clothing swaps. A clothing swap is: “A way to sustainably shop someone else’s closet and put a dent in fast fashion”.
Reuse: “Subscription boxes offer a rotating model of new looks to wear once and return”. Subscription boxes and renting clothes is a great way to still enjoy“fast fashion” without the negative effects. By renting clothes and sending them back when we have accomplished the trend, we are alleviating the contribution of waste in landfills.
Recycle: “Recycling textiles saves Nordic countries 425 million pounds of CO2 annually”. Instead of letting our unwanted clothes go to waste, we can pass them onto others by donating to our local Goodwill or consignment shop.
For those who were unaware of the harmful effects of fast fashion before, including myself, but are ready to make a change, now is the time. We have learned that where we invest our money speaks for what we promote. By shopping smarter and disposing of our clothing correctly, our planet will thank us.
Strike Out,
Writer: Jackie Elliott
Boca Raton