Shopping bags they weigh down her arms.. a little bit about fast fashion
May 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I get a daily newsletter in my Gmail called the Business of Fashion. I usually read at least one or more of the articles to make myself feel smart and to give me a greater understanding of this industry. I wish that fashion was more about individuals creating lovely, emotional pieces to put on people’s bodies, but it’s really just about making money. I mean, isn’t it?
I suppose right now, I’m feeling depressed by this article that I’ve read through several times by Lucy Siegle for the Guardian. In it, she delves deep into our consumer habits and breaks down the amount we spend on cheap, disposable clothing every year. In her article, she states:
“You now demand roughly four times the number of clothes you would have in 1980. You will spend at least £625 a year on clothes – but remember that’s just the average. And you are getting a lot of bang for your buck. In one year you’ll accumulate in the region of 28kg of clothing – adding up to an estimated 1.72m tonnes of brand-new fashion being consumed on an annual basis in the UK. But the really arresting thing is that almost the same quantity of fashion that you buy will end up being dumped prematurely in the rubbish bin.”
I understand that there is a need for trends and that fashion and personal style do have a place and meaning in our culture, BUT and it’s a big BUT, the corporate suits making the big decisions are what has driven this industry away from two seasons a year to 34,578 seasons a year. And, all in the name of profit (how much money does somebody need?!) and sending Tina Tween into a tizzy because she must spend her allowance on a sparkly, shredded romper. That will end up in the trashcan.
“The old way of buying clothes, in harmony with one’s income and the seasons, the way people wore, washed carefully and darned, has nothing in common with the way we now consume.”
There really doesn’t seem to be an easy, short-term answer unless profit becomes less important and fashion is made more exclusive and given back to Tom Ford. That isn’t really the answer either, but perhaps he was on to something when he discussed wanting to take away fashion from journalists and the internet and make the customer wait for it. Clothes are no longer precious things but rather something to wear once, a quick emotion fix and then to toss away.
I guess that’s why I don’t feel so guilty about spending my modest income on well-made vintage finds. I know that I’ll have them forever and they weren’t made by the tiny hands of some poor Tunisian woman.
The article is quite long, but you can read it here.
