NEWS
NEWS
of S U STA I N A B I L I TY V S . FA ST FA S H I O N TEXT & DESIGN BY NERISSA CHEE
n sunny California, where avocado toasts and vegan options reign, Mother Nature has given us a large wake up call in the past couple of months. From the forest fires to the flooding of beach towns, signs of Earth’s global warming have led a wave of awareness of the affect people have on the environment. The fashion industry is no small contributor to climate change. Growing technology, online shopping, and the world of social media creates a fast paced environment that allows clothes to become more affordable to the general public and thus more profitable, resulting
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PHOTOGRAPH BY NERISSA CHEE 7 | LOGOS | FALL 2020
PHOTOGRAPH BY NERISSA CHEE
in the name fast fashion. In conducting a recent Instagram poll targeted at Citrus College students, 42% of respondents said they have not heard the term “fast fashion,” while 58% said they had heard the term. While it’s clear that the concepts of “sustainability” and “fast fashion” have increasingly become more known, many are still unfamiliar with what they actually mean. Fast fashion is clothing that is made up of cheap materials at warp speed and sold at very low prices to make room for the next trends (retailers like Forever 21, SHEIN, Fashion Nova, and PrettyLittleThing). However, it all comes at the cost of the environment. These brands constantly try to keep space in their inventory for the rapidly evolving consumer tastes. As a result, old products that don’t sell will end up in the trash as the cycle of trends shift with the times. Fast fashion will typically make clothing
out of cheaper and toxic synthetic materials such as polyester. This practice makes the fashion industry the second largest polluter of clean water after agriculture. When looking at the fashion industry as a whole, the United Nations Environment Programme says that the $2.5 trillion fashion industry is responsible for 20% of all global wastewater and 10% of all global carbon emissions. Fast fashion creates a culture that tells consumers they need to stay on trend by buying the latest pieces. The constant speed and demand of this industry creates a cycle of fast purchases and fast disposal due to the low quality material used to make these pieces, most of which will be thrown in the trash. On average one garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second. That’s enough to fill one and a half Empire State Buildings every day. In 2019, it was enough to fill the Sydney Harbor every year. The environment has been showing clear signs of the damage being CONTINUED >> FALL 2020 | LOGOS | 8
