Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothes that are made in mass production, and follow the current trend. Fast fashion is normally what you see at stores like Walmart, H&M, and GAP, but you can also buy fast fashion at more expensive stores such as Lululemon and American Eagle. As fast fashion is made quickly, it is also the quickest to go to landfills. Instead of 2 fashion seasons, there are now 52 seasons! The faster fashion comes in, the faster it goes out.
One source I found suggests that in the USA, 80 billion pieces of new clothing are bought each year, an increase of 400% from 20 years ago. Each American will throw out 37 KG of fabric each year and will sit in landfills for 200 years! A second source mentions that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter of our global water sources after agriculture (a reason to be vegetarian but that is another discussion).
Fast fashion isn’t just bad for the ecosystem, it is bad economically as well, because if you are buying so much, just to throw it out, you are losing a lot of money. And do you really want to spend so much money? Fast fashion is bad for so many things, you can save your bank account, and the ecosystem just by buying second hand.
So what do you do instead? Shop thrift, consign, borrow, swap, or even rent your clothes. There are so many options instead of going out and impulse shopping to satisfy your quest for fashion and personal style.
Please go to the following link to learn more about fast fashion and its harmful impacts, and what you can do to change this fast fashion trend. https://www.bwss.org/fastfashion/
This is Megan, she was born in New Zealand, and moved to Canada twenty years ago when she met and worked with a fellow teacher. Now they have three children. When I asked her about style, she said you should always pick comfort over style, but also that she thinks about style every morning. Her outfit is stylish, but not trending. She does not need to wear expensive, trending pants to make her outfit stylish. Megan accepted the Wardrobe Challenge. She had to pick out an outfit from my collection of carefully chosen vintage and thrift store treasures.
I was born in New Zealand, and I moved to Canada about 17 years ago.
Why?
My partner is Canadian. We have three children, and I work.
Cool. What’s your job?
I do various jobs, and I supply.
Oh, you’re a supply teacher? Cool. How would you describe your style?
I would say ‘eclectic.’
What does eclectic mean?
It means it’s a mix of things, not specific. I’m open to things, but I like casual and comfortable. That’s important to me.
Who do you remember as a style influencer?
I can’t really think of one specific person, but when I was a teenager and a young adult grunge was a fairly popular trend, and that was about thrift store shopping for a specific look. It’s kind of familiar to me.
What comes to mind when I say the word ‘fashion?’
I think of models and runways and magazine pictures probably first, but then if I was thinking about what fashion is to me, it’s clothing that is a trend, but also, again for me, what I’m looking for is comfortable, not high end.
Are there any looks that you have worn that you regret?
Vinyl.
What’s that?
You can look that up later.
Mom: She also said that she didn’t like the 80s very much. A lot of regrets there.
I didn’t! I don’t really regret the 80s, it wasn’t my choice, it’s just not a style that I go for. But I know that it’s quite popular for some people. The 80s are making a comeback, and that’s fine, but I don’t see myself investing in shoulder pads and a big weave.
What advice would you give people looking to enhance their style?
I think, get one or two really good quality items in your wardrobe that you can use in multiple ways, and have good, comfortable shoes. They should be stylish – I’m not saying you’re not allowed to wear flip-flops, but you can have stylish shoes that are nice – but I would not sacrifice style over comfort, ever. Always be comfortable in your clothes. It will help you to be more relaxed, and enjoy your life more. If you’re in pinchy shoes, or ill-fitting clothes, it’s not a good feeling, and it doesn’t matter how nice or expensive that clothing is, it’s not going to look or feel good on you if it’s not comfortable and it’s not the right fashion choice, in my opinion.
Did you like the Wardrobe Challenge?
I loved the challenge. I love thrift store finds. I think, again, you can find some really great quality items.
The textile industry has got a little bit out of control because there are a lot of cheap, nasty items, and you can get higher quality and better choices. I think it’s a really good way to go. Reduce, reuse, recycle and reinvent mentality. I just picked up a skirt that I’m going to alter because it’s a little bit too big for me, but it’s going to be awesome.
One day my friends and I were talking about clothes and one of them asked, “Where did you get your pants?” They all agreed that expensive brand names were better. I didn’t blame them, they were just chasing trends. It was this question on that day that got me thinking about style. So many people are worried about wearing brand name clothes like Lululemon, or Roots, but is that really style? No, they are trends. Trends are short term and normally very expensive. So then if those are trends, what is style?
Your Dictionary defines style as “to form or arrange something in a particular way.” Style to me is the way you express yourself through clothing. People will always follow trends, but you can have style and not dress like everyone else.
So, where did you get your pants? Were they a thrift find, a family hand me down, or did you buy them new? Maybe you don’t even remember. Are they trendy, are they new? Have you asked yourself whether your new pants were worth the money? Should you be spending that much? Would it be better to get your clothes at a thrift shop? It’s your pick, but next time you think you’re going to buy 80 dollar pants, think about this article.
Style Profiles 