Sustainability

Cheap Fashion: Not-So-Cheap

September 25, 2018

What is fast fashion? Eco-friendly Shopping (1 of 3): The true price of cheap fashion.

WHAT IS FAST FASHION?

Cheap fashion is referred to as “fast fashion” and was created to be exactly that-Fast. The purpose of the clothing is to be in your closet for a few wears and then out. It is not meant to last and therefore uses the cheapest material with the cheapest means of labor which is then sold to you at the cheapest price.

LET’S TOUCH ON 1 FACET:  CHEAP LABOR

Having designed for different companies and brands comes with the weight of knowing the true cost of a garment. You wouldn’t believe how much (or more accurately, how little) companies pay for labor! You guessed it-cheap labor is a result of using sweatshops. Although manufacturers don’t use the words “sweatshops” to refer to their factories, I can testify that IT IS A REAL THING. And it breaks my heart. It also breaks my heart that most employees aren’t even aware that they are contributing to it – and even if they did, what would they do? Most of them would probably stay because it’s how they put food on their table.

What most consumers don’t know is that cheap labor doesn’t just stop at fast fashion. I’ll dive deeper into that in another post.

THE NOT-SO-CHEAP PRICE

Forever 21 changed the world of fashion, blazing the trail in this sector. The idea was great in that it allowed for mainstream consumers (aka: me and you) to afford the latest trends and have an ever-revolving wardrobe to match the ever-revolving trends. However, this new life cycle of clothing came with great costs to our environment: Discarded clothing overflows our landfills.

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE!

Although you may be tempted to feel a little discouraged about ever buying clothes again, take heart! Here-in lies a beautiful loophole: Second hand shopping.

In addition to being bank account friendly, second hand shopping is environmentally friendly. It helps reduce landfill waste, does not contribute to outsourced labor and all that comes with it, and usually supports small/local businesses! Can we get a hip-hip-hooray?!

Consignment Shopping is a fantastic alternative to Fast Fashion

Head on over this way for more detail on why it’s exciting to second hand shop and the difference between thrift and consignment shopping.

+ show Comments

- Hide Comments

add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

so hot right now

I'm Grace Kim,

a fashion designer-turned-career strategist, [mis]adventurer and your biggest believer.

I'm a girl who dropped out of college, was told I would fail in fashion, then went on to create my 6-figure design career before the age of 30.

Now, with my 11+ years of experience in the corporate world, I'm here to guide, support, and connect other designers so they can build a flourishing career despite all odds set against their success, and experience more freedom in & outside of work while getting paid what they deserve.

hey there!

When my boss told me I wouldn't succeed

4 Ways to Stand Out as a Designer in Corporate

4 Ways to Stand Out as a Designer in Corporate

Tell me how

Blog Post

How to Make Progress,
Even while Working from Home.

download it

Free guide

 Top Resources

Steal my 3 Secrets to Career Growth

What's inside?
     The ONE secret that no one else is doing.
     How to overcome communication barriers
     3 ways to set yourself up for success
     Pro tips to help you get started and past any roadblocks



What's inside?
The ONE secret that no one else is doing.
How to overcome communication barriers
3 ways to set yourself up for success
Pro tips to help you get started and past any roadblocks



Take me to it!

Free guide

3 Secrets to Career Growth

|  get in touch

© grace kim portland 2024  

Not enough hours in the day?
Not anymore

How to Create
More Time

FREE GUIDE!

A step-by-step guide to walk you through how to set yourself up to get back hours of your life using a
Not-To-Do List.