How We REALLY Stop Fast Fashion
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- Fashion is killing us. Support OCC by signing up for Nebula and get 20+ bonus, ad-free videos: go.nebula.tv/occ/
Go to brilliant.org/occ to get started for free! The first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription.
In this Our Changing Climate climate change video essay, I look at why fast fashion must end. Specifically, I look at the horrors of both worker and planetary exploitation of the fashion industry. The history of fashion parallels that of industrial capitalism. The pollution and worker exploitation of 18th and 19th-century textile mills and factories have just been upgraded and exported to the 21st century. Today with brands like ASOS, Shein, and H&M fashion has turned fast fashion into ultra-fast fashion with extremely quick turnarounds and daily style releases crushing workers in the imperial periphery and pumping emissions into the atmosphere. The current state of the fashion industry is destroying our planet and our very lives.
Help me make more videos like this via Patreon: / ourchangingclimate
Email List: ourchangingclimateocc.substac...
Twitter: / ourclimatenow
Facebook: / occvideos
Instagram: / occ.climate
Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/OurChangingClimate/
Check out other Climate RUclipsrs:
Climate in Colour: / @climateincolour1273
zentouro: / zentouro
Climate Adam: / climateadam
Kurtis Baute: / @scopeofscience
Levi Hildebrand: / the100lh
Simon Clark: / simonoxfphys
Sarah Karver: / @sarahkarver
Climate Town: / @climatetown
Jack Harries: / jacksgap
Beckisphere: / @beckisphere
All About Climate: / @allaboutclimate
Aime Maggie: / @aimemaggie
Just Have a Think: / @justhaveathink
Ankur Shah: / ankurshah
Planet Proof: / @planetproofofficial
Future Proof: / futureprooftv
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - A People's History of Fashion
4:24 - From Clothes to Fast Fashion
6:25 - Fast Fashion's Reign
10:41 - The Planetary Cost of Fast Fashion
13:13 - How We End Fast Fashion
15:14 - Future Fashion
17:16 - Brilliant Sponsorship
18:47 - Outro
I use Epidemic Sound for some of my music: epidemicsound.com/creator
Certain images and footage courtesy of Getty Images
_______________________
Further Reading and Resources: ourchangingclimate.notion.sit...
#fastfashion #fashion #climatechange
Where do you normally get your clothes?
Also if you want to support this channel, you can do so on Patreon: www.patreon.com/OurChangingClimate
I rarely buy clothes now, if I do it's second hand or occasionally a good quality item that I plan to use for a long time. All of my clothes are not trendy and will be used for years. I don't see a point of buying lots of new clothes. There's nothing wrong with what I already have.
I can’t remember at this point I wear them till they break
Hey, love your content and appreciate all the work that you do, but I would love if you would start citing your sources clearly. I see the resources page in the description, but it wasn't clear which one's you used for the video. Citing sources is great for transparency and reproducibility so please consider. Thank you!
@@Chickadee2202 Lots can be done.
Painting Roffs White is really just the Simpliest Thing
of simple Simplicity.
One thing I feel you should have touched on in this great video as an example of textile workers exersizing thier power is the massive protests after the triangle fire.
Fast fashion is such an important topic to me. I love clothes. I have been sewing since I was 8 years old. I love creating costumes and clothing. When I was a kid it was still cheaper to make your own clothes. That is no longer the case. It is more expensive to buy the fabric that it costs to buy a finished garment. That is nonsensical. The art of sewing is no longer seen as important. The skills that I and others have is not worth any real value today. So yeah, garment workers, GO ON STRIKE!!!! No one will be able to so much as replace a zipper let alone create a comfortable, well fitting, nice looking garment. Your work has far more value that the owners of the companies let on.
SAY IT LOUDER!!
There's one issue.
How do they feed themselves on strike? Were it so simple with our privileged detached views of the very large problem here, they'd have already gone on strike. What needs to happen is real communication between us and them, and then them being sponsored BY us to stay alive. To afford essentials, while without work.
No strike can happen if no one can eat without their exploitative sweatshop job.
( by making your own clothes you get exactly something that fits you and fits your style and hopefully will last longer than the thin materials in store bought ones these days so there definitely is value in making your own. )
This applies to any industry, try to make a computer case or a hammer from plain materials and tell me how much more it would cost and how much longer it would take.
@@CCMASS Unions typically save up strike funds to sustain their workers during a strike. But "just go on strike" is easier said than done, absolutely. Coal miners' strikes in my part of the world involved the community pulling together to support each other through the strike and to pool scarce resources, as well as donations from workers in other industries. They also organised demonstrations, in order to stoke fears among the corporate-political class of wider unrest if their demands were not met. This is why it is important to stay connected locally and why communities where everyone knows everyone are less vulnerable.
While visiting Iceland, I bought a wool sweater in a small shop, in a tiny town. From inside the shop, through a big window, you could see a few middle-aged ladies, happily knitting (by hand, and with machines also) the clothes that were sold in the shop. The wool comes from local sheep. I thought it would be great if more clothes shop were more like that.
Yeah, but wool is cruel. 😢
how is wool cruel? @@milliethebunnyrabbit
The issue is that this is very costly and most people don't want to pay for what it costs to employ people locally.
FWIW at my kids' school, the trend these days is for vintage clothing, which means they spend quite a bit of time hunting down old clothes in second hand stores. The stores also take old garments and rework them into new clothes and make a good margin on them.
I hope this culture of reuse really takes root. It would be so much more healthy for our society's values for people to understand that throwing stuff away is a BAD thing.
That is something that seems to have been forgotten since I was a kid, and we need to relearn it.
Tbf it also doesn’t help that a lot of goods are not made to be particularly durable
It’s been really cool to see the trend head this way. Hopefully it keeps up. We could help push society in this direction by implementing something like a Carbon Tax on industries which are big polluters.
Make it cheaper for the normal person to thrift an outfit instead of buying it from their local mall!
Carbon Tax let’s goooo! 👏👏👏
One big downside to this is that Fast Fashion doesn't tend to be fit for reuse. When the fabric itself starts to fall apart due to poor quality there's not much to be done to save the garment. This means that eventually, the pool of reusable clothing will diminish to unworkable lows.
haha vintage clothing aka buy from shein something old looking and pretend its from moms basement. :D
Fashion as self-expression has taken on such an important place in our culture, including among oppressed subcultures, that it is difficult to critique the overall harm of the industry without people getting defensive. The illusion of choice capitalism provides is powerfully seductive.
Does anyone really express themselves by choosing which mass produced item to wear? I know they think they do, but really?
I mean if you think about it, localised production where the workers are designers and vice versa, you could just commission the outfit you want.
So you could argue under the socialist model it's more open to real self expression.
@@ernststravoblofeld I know what you mean and agree, but feelings aren't rational you know and people haven't had opportunities to see the alternatives to industrial production and imagine how their self-expression might even expand.
@@LectionARICCLARK We'll find out when the oil runs out.
@@jonathandenton6160 You can do that now, if you don't mind paying more. There's people all over with sewing machines.
Watching from Bangladesh 🇧🇩, Thanks for covering our situation 💙 Keep up the good work
Lol they literally want Bangladesh's economy to end 🤣
@@TheSoulja99boy So! What are you trying to say?
@@TheSoulja99boy if we don't diversify our export basket, our economy is going to collapse anyways. It's just a matter of when.
@@farhan3296 We've started the process of diversification in the last 2 years. It doesn't happen overnight FYI. Companies like WALTON are now focused on exporting electronics worldwide, along with our Pharmaceutical industry expanding as well. Also RMG isn't going anywhere for a good amount of time regardless of woke folks complaining about "sIave" labor.
Jill Sandwich, joined twelve years ago, 2 comments, 84 subscribers, 1 upload. Very fishy stuff going on.
I’m trying to buy only three or four items a year, and always go for quality instead of quantity. The Capsule Wardrobe concept is a good start.
Ever thought of asking your next-nearest School to show the Childfriendly
Climate-Change-Coverage of UpisnotJup to the Kids?
I love it! Reducing is the number one sustainability tip❤️❤️
I've never understood needing to buy more than that. I've heard the stat before about the average person buying clothes every 5 days and it boggles my mind, I have never needed that many clothes in my entire life.
I've tried to buy more often than that, but due to my proportions and tastes, I end up buying clothing about that often.
I as well
Started a capsule wardrobe with quality over quantity..
Another way to help, would be to pass LAWS in the US and other wealthy countries, that do not allow imports from companies that have factories in countries that don't meet certain workers rights and environmental conditions.
That would be in violation of various international trade agreements.
@@vylbird8014 those trade agreements stand to show that even the democracies in the various countries are now weaker than the multinational corporations pushing for such international legislations. This makes me feel so sad, and most of all powerless.
@@vylbird8014 Agreements are not laws. Laws superseded any prior agreements. The US has a history of breaking treaties, pact, promises, and agreements. We broke 374 just with the natives alone.
@@klubstompers Sure, countries can violate agreements. Happens all the time. But there are consequences, so they don't do it lightly. They mostly only violate agreements made with those who have no economic or political power (like the natives) to respond to the violation.
@@vylbird8014 The US has changed or left agreements with every country we have ever had an agreement with. Needs change, laws are re-written, and different parties have different agendas. You dont stick to an agreement that has an undesired unforeseen negative effect, damaging the citizens, environment, and economy, just so some corporations can get wealthier. You make positive changes to fix the errors of the past.
Plus these exact concerns we have right now, are all due to other countries breaking rules in the treaties, like taking advantage of their workers, not import a certain percentage of US made good, lowering the value of their dollar, unsafe work conditions, importing material from countries we gave sanctions against, i could go on for weeks. We wouldn't be breaking the treaty, that was already since it's inception.
Here in South East Asia, the middle class & lower income families will use a single piece of cloth until its last strand of fiber begs for a peaceful death. Like take an example of a T-Shirt bought for a person, which when short in size would be passed on to younger gen, then it will be used for making covers for various things like pillows, then it will be used as a cleaning cloth for house, then a cleaning cloth for vehicles and then as a mop.
Indonesian here! So trueeee
We gotta make due with what we have
same in poor easter european countries.... a piece of cloth goes throw the same exact process and i used to grow up like that too
Thanks for this video. Just a few notes from someone eho teaches sustainability at the university:
- Haute couture or expensive clothing is still often made in bad conditions in developing/Global South areas...
- Emphasizing the companies' responsibility and the need to fix production issues is great!
- But: reducing consumption is paramount too! Developed/Global North waste goes back to the same countries that produced the goods. We can't just keep on buying as usual... (enter company+consumer responsibility alike)
- As others said, please cite sources, to increase transparency and credibility and help us with sharing your videos.
- Lastly, both repairing clothes and redesigning for long-lasting product are perfect complementary solutions!
(4) OCC always cites his sources at the very end of the description of his videos. Click the link provided for "Further Reading and Resources".
Actual Haute Couture is made to order with several in person fittings, usually in France and is a protected term (much like champagne) and is made by very skilled and valued workers in good conditions, BUT a lot of the Haute Couture houses use their clout to make luxury ready to wear lines which are produced in the global south. Studying Haute Couture is actually a good way to see how clothes used to be made / bought (except now it is only for "occasion" clothes instead of everyday and occasion clothes).
please, no economy want to reduce consumption. Which political leader would announce that GDP of nation is lower thanks to goverment intervention.
it's weird bc both my sisters like thrifting/buying secondhand, but they go shopping like every week and buy outfits every time.... i feel like it's still wasteful, even though they're not technically buying new clothes
It is. Do they at least wear the clothes more than a few times? I hope people won’t start throwing away the clothes they’ve thrifted once it stops being trendy. I think consumers need to also be mindful. We don’t really need that much clothes. Plus, it’ll be better for our pockets if we buy less
It might be wasteful from a budget perspective, but they are wearing clothes that someone else didn't want. What is being wasted? They aren't creating a market for new clothes that would require more resources
@@supernova622 good point. I'm also thinking about how maybe the thrifting industry could be economically tied to clothing production: more clothes being produced means more clothes for thrift shops. Just a thought
@@supernova622 its taking away posibility for others not find anything worth to buy in thrift store and go to shop in shops selling new clothes?
Depends how much good to wear thrifted stuff there is. If there's a mountain of it and they barely dig through it, it's not imo unless they throw the clothes away before they're worn out. If the clothes wouldn't be bought they'd be chucked to trash after some time. On the other hand if people buying a lot second hand makes it so that other people can't find anything and must go buy first hand, it does.
As a Bangladeshi, it irritates me every time the government wants us to be proud of the fantastic "Achievements" of the ready-made garments sector.
I steam clean, I use small amounts of detergent, I pretreat stains, I hang dry, I use every trick I know and I can get a "fast fashion" garment to last for five years. I have even learned to sew.
The pair of shorts I'm wearing is turning 12 years old next year, so yeah I we take care of clothes even cheap ones can last surprisingly long time.
Physical durability isn't the only problem with fast fashion, ie bad quality clothes. Thermic properties, pollution both at production and disposal stages, microplastics, and the usefulness/relevance of the design itself (how often and for how long you're gonna want to wear the item) are other big concerns.
@@AliciaB. Hey, a lot of these things are outside of our control. Some of us intend to make lemonade no matter what we have in hand.
Have any tips for shoes? I try to keep them alive for as long as possible, but the soles either snap for the non-rubber ones, or get holes at the heel for the rubber kind.
@@jequirity1 I would use a steam cleaner to spot clean the shoe, clean the outsole, and remove odor. A damaged outsole takes a cobbler to repair once those are done the shoes are usually totaled. The insole can be replaced by anyone and athletic insoles can extend the life of your shoes and be more comfortable for your feet. If they are a nice pair of non-sneakers then try to get them repaired if you can find a nearby cobbler.
Loved the video but have a question. Do you know any organizations or labor unions in these industries that people like me could support? It's easy for us to say to these workers that they should go on strike but if going on strike means their kids won't get food they're not going to do it.
Solution proposed in the video is naive and dumb, even if the strike is successful all it would do is SLIGHTLY cut into brands profit margin (instead making 100$ they would make 99.50) or in worst case scenario they would move the factory somewhere else.
Real solution is to buy longer lasting clothes, and wear them longer. It's not only green in the long term, but more importantly it saves money. Less customers = lower production.
@@Mic_Glow why not both?
@@kat5000 What do you mean by both? Both the strike and buying less garbage? Sure, why not.
@@Mic_Glow exactly so. With buying less, some of us may have the extra money to support the workers additionally.
That's true. This does not work in countries with high poor-er population people willing to work in there comparatively more comfortable environments. These are technically "unskilled" jobs, easy to train workers to do a single step in the production process. If unhappy workers speak up, they can be fired, and easily be replaced by the thousands of other workers who are looking.
I wish convincing everyone how fast fashion is so wrong was easier than I thought :( sadly everyone just wants to buy from shein and zara because they sell cute clothes
bc it's the only thing they can afford. even if a lot of ppl know how harmful fast fashion is, what other choices do they have?
@@jolp9799 yes but sometimes isn't thrifting almost the same prices as those brands. I agree that new brands that create only sustainable fashion are a bit pricey but I feel like thrifted clothes are a lot cheaper
@@jolp9799 I agree with Archa here. Local secondhand shops including Goodwill and Savers give as cheap deals as their fast fashion counterparts.
Even if they didn't have as cheap deals, I'm suspicious that the people who "can't afford" fashion are either buying into trends or they're overspending. In which case, we need to promote a social climate where being "trendy" doesn't matter (perhaps even considered hurtful, given it hurts the planet). Or, such people need to invest better or do things like borrow a family/friend's wardrobe, or reach out to a humanities shelter.
It is unfathomable to me that people can't find access to clothes one way or another, given that even third world countries are dealing with the overproduction of clothes.
@@jolp9799 Yep that’s why they’re having $1000 hauls. I know some ppl really can’t afford it but most ppl struggling with money seem to buy thrifted or secondhand clothes anyway so I don’t think they’re the problem. The problem is the ppl who can afford to buy durable, less wasteful clothes and choose not to. People will have 300+ pieces in their closet and buy new clothes regularly. Not only that, a lot of ppl throw out their clothes after only a few wears cause of trends or boredom or whatever the reason instead of donating
we need tiktok "hauls" of stuff people sewed themselves.
I would point out that describing that "fashion" only emerged with fast fashion is not true. Royals across ages showed their status with rare fabrics, dyes, and intricate and fabric demanding fits. Fashion style also was present, only it shifted much more slowly, organically. There's 15th clothing styles, there's 1890 clothing styles, etc. They weren't just undescript piles of fabric whose only purpose was to be practical. Humans have a pull towards what they find pretty, if they can afford it, they will make prettier things.
Seriously- this video has some good information but in other respects it presents an inaccurate and ahistorical view of "fashion" for the sake of argument. Some of the biggest designers today existed far before modern fast fashion. Think of Dior's "New Look" in the 1940s and Chanel's boldness in introducing more practical and comfortable styles for women in the early 1900s. Fashion can tell us a lot about a culture in the same way that film and music can (and the latter two are also commodified into consumer products under capitalism.)
@@arthoeinc.3469 I agree. The correct way of describing it would be talking about modern fashion or fast fashion itself, instead of fashion overall and throughout the ages.
Things like sewing and cloth repair classes should be a mandatory subject taught in school, this ensures that people know how to upcycle and repair their own clothes which discourages consumerism.
How about you force yourself to make it while I go to Shein and buy it from them.
The cloth is so flimsy it's unrepairable.
Tailor/Fashion designer here.
Fast fashion is such an important topic and I could talk about it hours on end. I wrote an essay about it and the pages where limited, had to put everything together in only 7 pages, it really was a challenge. There is so much to say about fast fashion the most people don't know about or never think about, its not only the seamstress who suffer from it, beginning from the plantation and the workers or the suffering from villages near viskose factories. And the brand try to label their product as "green". Set alone on under the condition they have to live because of the factory, lifespan is much shorter. Fashion designers who work for fast fashion brands are under pressure, they have to follow the latest tends and even copy and paste designs with the rule that there has to be 7 differences in the design, for them not to get sued. All three week there has to be something new on the marked and this leads to so much waste. The clothing is designed to be so cheap with the lowest durability that the consumer has to buy new things, plus the trends are constantly changing and people feel pressured because they want to be on the latest trend. Companies are moving their advertisements to influencer and manipulate specially young people with it.
Coming back to the waste.
There are third parties who buy donated/thrown away clothing just for them to sell it to the third-world again in packs. The people then buy these packs of clothing in hopes that there are reusable clothing among them and they have to be lucky for it, to resell it again. A big part of donated clothing ends up dumped anyway and the people have live with a every year growing dump of clothing, mountains of clothing just lying around.
So true! And talking about the Pacas industry (which is what we call in the DR to the last bit you explained), even though it can help in some ways to people who just can{t afford buying new clothes, or people who prefer to buy sed clothing instead of purchasing new ones, it still ends up the same, as some of the clothes just finishing in landfills due to their short durability, or just because they were simply not purchased at the end. There are people who even gather the amount of money needed to buy one of those boxes or packages after saving a lot, since they are not as cheap (here one can cost up to Rd $ 15000, or USD 200 something, which is a bit more than the official minimum wage) in order to purchase one, and they are not guaranteed that they will get good clothing or bedding that will be able to make them profit.
I myself have found in houses of people that sell them, or flea markets and so on, clothing from the same exact fast fashion brands that only last a couple of years if taken cared off. Half of my wardrobe are stuff found in paca sellers because at least I feel a bit better by giving my money to those people that sell them for sustaining their families, instead of one of the official stores (knowing full well that it won't change much at the end). And the way it is so intricated within our society will make it hard to go away, since a lot of people who are reliant on getting their clothes not only on those fast fashion stores, but also on the many small shops and distributors that sell them across the country (and I assume on other in 3rd and 2nd world countries as well) will always receive the short end of the stick, thus making it incredibly difficult to just stop it without another option that can sustain and help those who are reliant of the industry.
I only have 4 pantagonia t-shirts and pants for 6 years until now. I donated and sold the rest. Some was being repurposed as rag. I promise I will never into fast fashion again. I want this industry die.
You’re my hero. I am on a journey to not buy a new item of clothing for 5 years total!
As a tailor, Brands like Shein are like my natural archenemy. Companies such as these have caused a severe decrease of the value of clothes and their production as a craft, so much so that people are buying T-Shrits for 3$ and think that a Shirt for let´s say 30$ is already "expensive". And those super cheap clothes are of such a poor quality that you can barely wash them once before they fall apart. They are basically just bought to be thrown away. It´s another change in the consumption of fashion over the course of the past years: people don´t buy clothes on purpose anymore. They buy them for the heck of it. Super cheap fast fashion is basically what makes my field of work die out. Because why get a tailored blouse for 150$ when you can get one from Asos for 15$?
Exactly. It would be great if the overall population had the means to invest on that type of sustainable, good quality clothing tho. That's the saddest part of it.
11:40 seriously?!?! What!?!? 🤯😳 That's a lot!! Why do they need that many clothes?!? I maybe buy an average of 5.5 clothes a *year*!
Yeah that can't be right. Maybe I'm just in a bubble but that's alot of clothes for an AVERAGE
i love fashion and buy at thrift stores for almost everything. when i get tired of it, i give back. i never understood being ridiculed for reusing and praised for wasting.
It really depends on your social background. Especially low income people have a strong fixation on wearing designer things (which they cannot afford so you see obvious cheap knockoffs) and constantly wear new stuff (hence SHEIN). In my own neighbourhood, the kids love to wear vintage. Their clothes are either old stuff from their parents and second hand shops and they wear it proudly. I wish that trend would catch up also in the lower income neighbourhoods.
Cheap stuff isn't made to last, and buying second-hand vintage is expensive. And as this video highlights this really isn't a consumer issue, for a tonne of reasons this is not something that's fixed by asking people to shop more responsibly.
It will never catch on, thrift shopping is unreliable and incredibly time consuming. Disadvantaged people who work 2 jobs to make ends meet will not spend hours going through thrift store after thrift store to find a t-shirt or jeans they need. I sometimes make an attempt to look around what is there and you need to sort through piiiles of stretched out terrible fast fashion trash clothing to find something that's kinda meh but seems wearable in comparison to the tonne of trash I just sorted through. If you want something really nice available easier online it's going to be expensive, so unattainable to poor people.
@@justynawisniewska1213 Maybe that's your experience, but it really depends on the thrift shop location. I struggle in normal clothing stores, but always find something to wear in thrift stores. Same with my friends.
@@Window4503 Could be, I have checked out thrift stores in quite a few locations around the country I live in: Szczecin, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Toruń, Koszalin and my experience was always similar.
@@Window4503 just buy from better brands. i honestly stopped thrift shopping since I got scabbies in one of those shops. never again ! and the stench in those places is insane ! and its never possible to find anything unless you go at the day they deliver new batches. 99% of stuff there is the same stuff from fast fashion stores just from previous seasons.
As a 23 year old who is wearing clothes that I've had for nearly a decade, I can't fathom buying new clothing every 5.5 days. I can't understand how people have a desire to do that and don't run out of money... Where do they put all the clothes anyways??? Do they seriously just throw out clothes every month or something??
I'm thankful I've never really wanted to follow the trends. It seems so stressful. I want to be known for who I am, not what I wear. I rarely buy new clothes, and try to get second hand on the occasions I buy something.
I'm very similar. I'm glad I don't follow the trends. "High fashion" looks awful to me. What annoys me the most, honestly, is that when I finally do find clothing items I like and that fit well, if I want to get another one of the same fit and perhaps just a different colour-scheme, they are no where to be found! Even at the place I originally got them. Just gone, 'out of fashion' and something new that fits WORSE and looks WORSE in its place. Ugh, it's ridiculous. For all the marketing and advertising and horrible working conditions that goes into producing fast fashion, when I actually go out to get something new, I usually can't find anything good.
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” Oscar Wilde
Fast fashion will never go away as long as myriad self-centered young people who are trying to live lives of Instagram "influencers" continue to desire fast-changing fashions, and have the money to buy it all.
thats a very important topic!! thrifting used to be considered 'embarasing', but now its the solution for the overproduction
Yup. I've made a couple sales on Poshmark this past week. It's the easiest thrift market, as long as sellers provide true measurements and helpful photos.
He literally said to the video it's not the solution, it's barely chipping away at the edges of the problem.
@@justynawisniewska1213 It doesn't have to be idea to still help. Using us some of the clothes that are still good to wear before going for new ones (aka, second hand buying) is still better than throwing it out and buying new ones immidiately. Sure, looking for better options is important, but if you don't start changing anything until you find the perfect solution, it don't help anything.
You know I think capitalism is a modern way to be a feudal system because you see it still has the concepts of feudalism but in a modern format.
But you can at least get to choose your feudal lord now. Sure, they will all seek to exploit you - but not all in the same manner.
Somehow this is both very deep and very shallow.
As a person who came from an impoverished family, hand-me-downs and thrift stores are really all I know. Turns out to be a good thing for the planet and even still for my wallet! It also allows me to invest in quality/ethical clothing that will last a long time.
If there’s any downside, I have more competition nowadays in the thrift stores - and not just the grandmas lol - but I guess I’m also happy about that.
One of the issues is trends, and how because of social media, the trend cycles have gotten shorter and shorter. I was born in the mid 1980s so was a teenager in the later 90s and early 00s. RUclips didn't exist, there was no Facebook, there was no smart phone (the mobile phones didn't even have a camera yet). I do remember that there were fashion trends, but they stuck around for months if not a whole season/year. These days there's microtrends that probably last what, weeks? The people who want to be 'trendy' will want to change their style/outfits every couple of weeks/months. Most people don't have enough money to overhaul their wardrobe every, say, 3 months with quality items made by people who are getting a fair salary. So there's a demand for very low cost trendy items that people don't expect to wear that many times, and fast fashion jumps in to supply this demand. People only want to pay a couple of £s for a trendy top, and Shein and the like will make it happen (just don't ask them how!). The problem lies with the consumer, they are the demand for this. And as the consumer we have the power to change this. I too experimented with fashion when I was a teen but then ended up mostly settling on my own style that I have had for probably around 15 years now. People need to stop wanting to be trendy and just figure out their own "aesthetic". Use second-hand clothes for that if you expect to not keep the garments as a permanent part of your wardrobe. I've always seen it as lame to want to change your style to follow trends, to me it shows you don't have any creativity or aesthetic personality.
this is brilliant. remember that my grandparents and their parents made their clothes and/or re-patched clothes. built to last.
My grandparents had their family homestead where they made their clothes from growing and processing linen to finished garments. They made so many of the things they needed! And the clothes were natural, precious, well made and cared for
It is funny, too, that there is a fashion trend among many teens to wear ripped pants. Not even ripped from over-use, actually bought pre-ripped in the knees and thigh area. Those clothes should come at a steep discount. Almost free. But of course, they aren't. They are made and shipped from far away. The system is sick and twisted. We really need a change.
@@coolioso808 They should've just ripped themselves.
I find that the main problems with fast fashion are clearly overproduction and overconsumption.
If a person can only afford a 3$ Shirt, then take care of that shirt an wear it as long as you can!
I come from a less fortunate background and now that I have more money at my disposal, I maintain that mindset of taking care of your clothes no matter their RRP. I have basics from H&M I purchased over 7 years ago that I still wear. I try to by secondhand or mend the clothes that I have. I shop mindfully for things that I need rather than having for the sake of a full closet. For every new entry to my closet 2-3 garments are donated.
Knowing who makes your clothes and supporting locals is a great source of joy
Man, thanks to Second Thought I’ve been watching your videos lately.
I can say that it’s incredible how your quality has improve, both in content and esthetics. You manage to mix marxism, history and climate information, giving a good picture on why these things happen.
Keep it up with the good work!
Just a tip, when you highlight data like the metric tones of waste for example it’s more tangible when compared to something like the annual waste of a whole country. Love the content
Depending on where you live/what your situation is, you can also use old cloth as insulation or for pets!
As consumers we have a lot of power. Simply do not buy services or goods from companies you disagree with. It's not up to the government to fix everything you see as an issue, it's up to you as the individual to live according to your own ethical views as much as possible/as much as you care. It is totally possible to greatly reduce how much you (have to) rely on fast fashion. Firstly, use what you already own. I have a couple of garments and several bags that I have had for 10-15 years and that are still going strong. Secondly, take good care of what you already have by washing it according to the care instructions (I think the drier damages garments a lot so airdry if you can), and by mending/fixing rips and tears etc. Thirdly, buy second-hand when you need/want something that is new to you, and sell or donate your own stuff that is still good but that you no longer need/want. Finally, you can also learn to alter, tailor, make, and even design your own garments. It's not that hard to learn the basics and a second-hand basic sewing machine is well within many people's budgets. You can then easily take in or shorten garments that you already own, add some embellishments on it to give it a new look, tailor it to fit you better so you'll enjoy it for longer etc. I am vegan because I do not want to be part of animal exploitation. I am not waiting around for the government to ban all animal agriculture, I am choosing to not be part of an industry that I disagree with. I do the same, as much as is convenient/possible, with fashion/garments. This is available to almost everyone in the west.
great episode, thank you so much for your content!
Another reason I donate unwanted clothes, to help stop the exploitation of Workers. Plus I typically go to Charity Stores to buy clothes, I get a great outfit & my money goes to a Great Charity, not into some Greedy Billionaires pocket.
I literally wear out my clothes… only stop wearing them when they’re torn
And sometimes even then I’ll continue to 😂😂😂😂
PLEASE look into the financials of that "great charity", because Goodwill and the Salvation Army absolutely function to drive wealth upward, even if they do provide a needed service.
Not quite as good as you think. Charities that accept unwanted clothes tend to be swamped - they get vast quantities of clothing, and much of it is worthless. Damaged, or too flimsy to be usable, or too cosmetically worn to sell. They struggle to find enough volunteer manpower to sort through the mountain, and much of it goes to waste disposal anyway. There are a lot more old clothes donated than there are clothes re-sold.
They end up in Ghana in landfills
The problem is that synthetic clothing and fabrics is that they are very useful and used in many pieces of workplace PPE so synthetic fibers and fabrics cannot practically go away.
Yup also true with swim/surfing/athletic wear as well, since it needs moisture wicking and natural fiber is mostly good at absorbing, not wicking it to the outside for it to properly evaporate. I wouldn't wear a cotton swimsuit to swim in as that's just a bunch of yucky wet underwear that needs to be off my body and washed right away. (just wearing that to swim makes it into an underclothes rather than something to wear for long periods in bodies of water) I guess this is part of the reason why many T-shirts are made with a combo of fibers (natural fiber/poly mix).
Hypothetically maybe, even if it reduces the quality of the fiber over the amount of times it gets re-integrated into a "new" fabric (since the fibers are made from both recycled bottles and recycled synthetic clothes). The issue with this is it requires more R&D and money to make machines like this. I also think they need to start filtering and recycling water back into the fabric and clothing factories instead of dumping the used water back into the environment and only bring in fresh water when the recycled water stores are gone.
Excellent Video, thank you so much!! 😀
After this brilliant masterpiece, I'd love to see a Right to Repair video!
Planned obsolescence can… well you can guess
i second this!
What a great video, oncemore! I saw a lot of implicit Baudrillard and Fromm in there.
Thank you for this video. I truely believe the fashion industry is one of the most evil industries there is. We all do need clothing ofc, but fashion companies just aren't satiated by selling the clothes we _need_. On top of all the environmental destruction and human exploitation you mentioned, fashion brands also constantly make people feel like they want/need new clothes, by advertising who's only aim is to make us feel bad about ourselves. Feel bad, so you think getting that new item of clothing might make you feel better. I guess all advertising works that way, but I feel like fashion (and cosmetics) plays into this the most.
I wonder if going to a local tailor would be helpful? If they're self-employed it's basically a worker-owned business. The fabrics themselves probably still come from the same source as fast fashion, but it's a first step?
Do you know of any ways to directly support the garment workers unions?
The answer, like mentioned in the video, is really a larger order problem of the capitalist system. It's a beast. A savage, resource-wasting, profit-maximizing beast. It's completely unsustainable. That is really where any strong protesting and activism should be focused on because if we can stand up to capitalism, demand change to a sustainable alternative (like a natural law resource based economy) then we will potentially save everybody else suffering from capitalism's oppression and inhumane practices.
Obviously there are small things we can do in our local towns, maybe going to the local tailor for a custom job might help, maybe going to the second hand store, or putting used fabrics into a textile recycling bin can all help somewhat.
The system has to change. Perhaps the largest challenge of our lifetime. But, I'd say, the most important change we could ever make as a species is getting off capitalism - getting of a monetary-system. True economic freedom awaits.
Yeah but they can use material from second-hand clothes if you please
You mean for local tailors making 'new' clothes? In theory yeah, but you'd first need to find old clothes that have large enough pieces of fabric to be usable to sew into a new garnment. For example the cuffs and collars of a modern dress shirt are difficult if not impossible to reuse because they are lined with fusable material that is fit to the specific shape and size of *that* shirt. So you'd need to find extra spare fabric somewhere else. If you can find an old XXL shirt you can probably (?) use it to make a new S shirt... but if you need larger amounts of matching fabric it'll be difficult to make a completely new item. Probably easier to just find a second hand piece that *almost* fits and then have it altered to fit perfectly :)
I've started making some of my fiancee and I's clothes where I can. A pair of socks, a wrap, a sweater. It comes out to four or five garments a year, but I know that those socks are going to last for at least five years, and I know how to repair the stitches I made. It's not a full solution by any means, but it makes me feel better about my impact
People's short-sighted superficial vanity and selfishness is what is driving this astoundingly wasteful and destructive industry, social media is partially to blame, but the main blame falls to capitalism. We must eliminate capitalism.
If it weren't for capitalism your comment wouldn't exist
This is a fairly difficult thing to eliminate. Worker co-ops or similar can and do succeed, but it'll be a long road. :|
@@iair-conditiontheoutsideai3076 ruclips.net/video/zggq7lWkBUE/видео.html
@@iair-conditiontheoutsideai3076 anticapitalists can only exist in capitalist countries and as top oficials of socialist ones.
@@iair-conditiontheoutsideai3076 oh boy the classic "yOu oNly havE a PhOne becAuSe of CapiTaliSm" bs
Thanks for the video
I completely cut with fast fashion after knowing where it came from and how it affected the planet. I also got tired of buying an item and after washing it a very few times it started to have holes everywhere. It was enough. I want to have clothes that last.
I don’t know if your solutions are viable, or the only remedies available to us. But that aside, I’m sending this around. Absolutely great work.
just a related anecdote on the topic, my late grandmother's older sister worked as a seamstress for a small-time clothing brand in my home country. Back then, there was no ready to wear clothes, you had to come in, get measured and receive your tailor-made clothes days after. She said that when ready to wear clothes became more common, her line of work ended. I had the privilege to talk to someone who worked in one of these fast fashion sweatshops. They told me that you're not a seasoned worker until you've had accidents with the sewing machine. And true enough, the hands of this former worker showed it, scars upon scars of it. The most saddening part of it was as important as their job is, they don't get credit nor respect for it. To top it all off, this worker got laid off for being too old and too slow to work at the factory's pace. In my opinion, fast fashion is one of those hook, line and sinker tactics capitalism has devised, and the lot of us just gobble it up. We buy because the system that we work for wears us down too much, which ironically fuels the system to wear us down some more. Ever since I learned that my country had small businesses that offer good quality and custom-made goods, I have almost shunned away from fast fashion and its ilk. I can't remember when I last bought a new pair of jeans or a new shirt. I just wear the ones that I already have.
EDIT: as our changing climate said, we can't buy our way out of fast fashion, but the very least we can do is to call them out and exploit their exploitation.
I think we should learn and teach people how to sew/make our own clothes. Using raw materials or from scratch to make something for us and for others.
Fast Fashion is whole for the environment and for the people getting exploited. I hate trends because people will forget and move on with the next. I mostly thrift shop my clothes or give away my clothes I don’t use to people in need. I wish more people are more aware about the clothes they constantly buy from Shein, H&M, Zara, etc.
Thank you for bringing this topic up Our Changing Climate! Keep up the videos!
Love this informative overview, including ideas for solutions. I say, let's go back to togas / tunic type clothing, yukata or other clothing that can be worn on multiple occasions and is comfortable and durable, also loose fitting so as to flatter a variety of body types.
When I moved to another country because I was unhappy in the current one, my desire to shop for clothes dropped drastically. I could live a little more instead of just shopping and filling that hole in my heart.
After my mother retired she started sewing as a hobby (she did it all her life but mostly for costumes on carnival or such). She has become that good in the meantime, that I just order the fabric I like by the meter, bring it to her an get a new pullover or tshirt the other day, that not only fit perfectly, barley wears down but is also of the exact material and colour I like. That's just awesome. A meter merion/ silk fabric only costs about 40-60€ (if produced in Europe, you even get it cheaper from Asia), you really get ridiclious good stuff for ridicliously low prices if anyone you know know how to sew and owns a decent serwing maschine.
Then again, I'm a dude. I do have like three light tshirts, three dark ones, four pullovers, three trousers short plus the same amount long, four shirts and a suite with west and that's it. But as I see it, you look best when the cloth fit the colours match and you feel comfortable.
Lucky you, you don't have to pay your mother a wage. Most people don't have someone like this, although I do think people should learn to sew themselves. E40-60 per meter is a lot of money if you need 3 m for a dress, just for your information. You'll also need lining, a zipper or other closure, some other haberdashery, and you'll be looking at E200-300 for a dress and that is exclusive of the time it takes to make it and the time it takes to develop the skills required to make a well-made dress, and exclusive of equipment costs.
@@almalauha Sure but that is pure luxury. I mean you don't get a silk dress for an apple an egg if you buy it either. And there way more affordable fabrics than silk and merino wool...
My mother did sew my brother a three-piece suite but that was christmas present and a one time only thing. I wouldn't ask for anything she would have to put days of work into.
The fabric width normally is 140-150cm, so for a t-shirt e.g. I only need 70cm...
Where I normally order the cheapest on 250gr/m merion jersey is 3,9EUR/ 10cm but there're also RMAs for sale e.g. 65cm for 22EUR (in that case my mother would trick and do the arms and or collar with left-overs). That ain't more than you would pay for a cotton t-shirt from a bigger brand, depending on the brand probably even less.
And again: You don't need a lot. As long as you don't spill sth on it you can just hang a merino jersey outside for a day and it's fresh.
Also these fabrics are produced in Europe and are mulesing free if you don't give a f about that, you can buy cheaper.
But I get you, not everyone knows someone who will sew them their clothes for free.
Would I let my cloths made by a tailor? Probably not. Not only because of the costs but also because it's less convinent than just ordering sth online.
But I would still recommend to do so, just downgrade your arsenal of clothing but those you have should be exceptional.
Better for you, better for the enviroment and better for your local businesses.
@@KolnFriedChicken Thanks for your reply! The way I read your comment was that you were presenting your situation as an affordable alternative, when it is clear that most people don't have the luxury of having someone with ample time who can make your clothes for you for free (no wage paid). I know how wide the typical garment fabric is because I am a sewist myself. There are for sure cheaper fabrics than silk, but the days of finding fabrics for almost nothing are over (at least from my own experience now living in the UK: even at charity shops if you can even find fabrics, it might cost over £20 to get enough fabric to make a dress, then you still need thread, a zipper and/or buttons and perhaps interfacing and you are easily looking at £35+ for the materials for a simply dress and that's exclusive of the time and skills needed to make the dress). You yourself say you aren't willing to pay someone in the west to make your garments, and you mention convenience as another factor. But how convenient is it to get your mother to make something, or do you live with her? You'd have the same issue of having to go to her for fittings as you'd have with a local sewist, so that just leaves the costs as the main/sole factor, which brings you to the situation almost everyone is in, in that they aren't willing to pay Western wages for their garments. I don't know why you are ending your comment with advice that you aren't following yourself if it wasn't for the convenience of having a mother who has lots of time and also the skills to make your things. Why not ask her to teach you these skills so you can make your own stuff? That's what I did, I taught myself how to make stuff from my early/mid teens (before there were online tutorials etc). You have no excluse not to make your own stuff having a mother who can teach you everything.
@@almalauha We live in the same city and she has our measurements and two of those adjustable tailor dummies. She really likes sewing so I don't feel bad asking her for a favour. Also, as I said, I don't have much stuff, we're talking about three or four pieces a year maybe. I just order the fabric to her address and next time we meet each other I take it with me.
The reason why I (probably, I'm not in the position where I need to) wouldn't follow my very own advice is because I don't know tailors. I never ask for anything more than a zipper repair or to shorten a pair of jeans. I have zero idea how costly it would be and I don't even know where to find a tailor also I wouldn't know what to say about the design. That for me would feel like going out to eat and visit one of these noble restaurants that only offering set menu and don't display prices anywhere.
Not that I'm poor but that's just outside my comfort zone, therefore I guess it wouldn't be an option for me but not because it's any bad.
And sure I can do recommendations when I see value in sth even if that's nothing for me personally.
I have a little child and a bucket list full of things to learn (and many courses I haven't even touched in udemy) that will improve my professional skill set also I don't have a spare room for sewing unlike my mother... So me learing to sew is unlikely to happen in the near future. Maybe some day.
i majored in textile design and stopped buying from retail stores from junior year in college. till now i use the clothes i have and if i need that much i make them myself. that way i get encouraged to treasure clothes, mend , repair, upcycle and downcycle
It's telling when one of the richest man is Bernard Arnault of LVMH
I love the way this video framed solutions
I want to begin to make my own clothes out of junk fabrics and clothes and also learn to repair them, I remember once seeing a lady in america make clothes on the side of the road out of random bits its stuck with me
I also recommend people look to reworks or conversions for clothing, some really cool hedge tailors out there remaking bits with their own twists
"Under capitalism people are locked into a mindset where having is more important than being."
Reminds me of a certain 3-letter acronym everyone was telling me last year would completely revolutionize the "creator economy"... 🤔 Where everything revolves around ownership rather than experiences and things that actually make us human.
There isn't really a framework for those things. Society and government are built around an economy. Nothing can have value unless that value is quantified in currency.
@@vylbird8014 You mean, there's no framework for those things to have *exchange value* in our *current society* . We value plenty of things in non-monetary ways that actively contribute to our health and growth in many abstract forms.
If capitalism is the ultimate steady-state of the human story, our run on this planet is profoundly bleak.
try to get food with "experiences" and not ownership of currency.
minimalist lifestyle is the cure for this problem, i think. only buy clothes that you wear for extended period of time, and be content with what you currently have.
i never buy any clothes in months, and any new clothes i get are usually birthday gifts from family and friends
This video needs more than 72K views. Fantastic video and so important.
Very important video :)
But if we all bought second hand clothing way more this problem would be way less.
There would not be enough second-hand clothes without fast fashion.
@@CRBungalow A lot of fast fashion doesn't even end up in second-hand shops in the west because the quality is so bad. There's plenty to go around and most people own so many clothes they hardly have to by any new stuff in the next 5-10 years if they just wore what they already have. It's fine to buy new things, best if you don't buy fast fashion, and then wear those things for as long as possible.
Love love love it! Hope OCC will also do the fast beauty topic someday 😻 A very dangerous trend #skincareinfluencers
The harm reduction stuff is something that I’ve been trying to actively practice. I don’t know how to sew well enough to make clothing, but I can fix a rip, tear, and etc for me or my friends well enough for it to last way longer. I’m privileged enough to buy from the more transparent and environmental brands. I love thrifting things, even if they don’t fit right, because again, I have the money to get them tailored to me at a local alterations/dry cleaning place.
This was eye opening.
I love this!!!
Not only the production but also the value of (over)consumption was/is exported. So workers unite to be (/until) able to consume as shown desirable. The battle is cultural (and global).
The only place where I care about fashion is in video games. Gotta look good while saving the world.
IRL, I just care about what fits comfy and looks presentable. If I buy clothes once a year, it's often.
Lol honestly same, in games I dress up to the max but irl I wear the most nondescript outfit. I don’t have the time, space or money for that, not to mention I’m trying not to help this industry
I've been fighting it by not buying clothes. I wear things until they're riddled in holes and tears, then I stitch/patch them up, and wear them some more. I may not be able to change their behavior directly, but I can punch them in their wallets until they change it themselves. Added bonus: well worn clothing is surprisingly very comfortable to wear!
Thanks!
In past people were living in tribes and each tribe had a representable patterns and way of making clothes.
*I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS*
Just buying based on textile feel and thread count will get you clothes that last a lot longer.
I've taught my girlfriend how to recognize quality and she's been able to reduce her consumption without a dull wardrobe.
I've got t-shirts that I've bought which have lasted for more than 10 years of regular use.
I do feel a bit guilty for buying clothes from H&M and Uniqlo. But at the same time, I buy very little. I bought a few polo shirts this year, and that’s a pretty big year for me clothing wise. The last few years I’ve bought nothing.
The workers should strike, but everyone should really be striking to end capitalism.
How do you even find anything to buy in H&M? Every time I go there, it's like a flea market, everything is wrinkled, fallen on the floor, total chaos on the hangers, etc.... I just end up dashing out in disgust.
@@sashkad9246 I haven’t been in the store for a long time. I don’t remember it being that bad back then. I just order what I need online. They do a particular type of polo shirt made with a lightweight material that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere. So that’s the main reason I go with them. I’m like Bart Simpson. That’s my default thing to wear most days.
@@sashkad9246 that depends on your location. Where I live, the stores are tidy and organized. Some clothing looks presentable, the issues arise when you actually start wearing it. Especially, with the "Eco" line, as they call it. The stuff that I bought is shedding lining all over the place, I regret buying it.
United we stand
United we can effect real changes
Unfortunately we are too divided
United we can have living wages
United we can have free education
We need to get United.
12:56 it’s Maison Margiela. (Not a big deal.)
And also couldn’t help but notice you’re very into World Systems Theory. You mention core-periphery in almost every video.
Thank you ❤
would this include the sports shoes? you could post a video about that as well.
Nice video
“We must end capitalism. This video was brought to you by Brilliant.”
Oof. Like I get it. But oof.
This explains it perfectly
I do slow fashion. Only replace the clothes when they rip or tatter. I have pairs of jeans that last me 2 years but wished it lasted 5 times that. I am glad that I do not care for fashion trends.
Fashion is a vapid art form full of judgemental snobs. It's not about standing out it's about fitting in.
This is a great video! I try to explain to people the negative effects of the fashion industry has on so many things, but getting the latest, trendiest $500 Gucci pants are more important to them
I am so out of touch with this issue. I wear my clothes out ~ imagine shreds. Then replace them. Don’t have a lot of clothes. I do go thrifting but looking for lightly used gems that don’t have a body oder smell. Then I wear those until they are worn out. This capitalist culture is so terrible. Everything is disposable. Don’t get me started about electronics, cars, fast food, real estate.
Will never understand why fashion is more important than comfort for so many people
When you live on the bread line, the concept of agitating for change is anathema and dangerous. Only those who have the luxury of reasonable baseline wages could consider such a thing. How do you wrest ownership into the hands of the collective if you can barely afford to live?
I try to buy from consignment/thrift stores and repair old clothing as much as possible
I love your videos. They all teach me something about such an interesting topic (which is not my main specialty). Also, they produce interesting inquiries on how thing may or may not happen in the future. After this video, I wondered the following. Would it be possible that some collective of activists from priviledged countries intervene directly in places like Bangladesh to lead some strikes while supporting the workers families during such event? E.g., using their salaries in USD, EUR, etc, to support the basic needs of the families during a strike event? I think that at the end of the day, workers fear strikes because of the lack of income and the lack of resources... Would this be useful at all or is this just an uninformed thought from my side? Any input is appreciated!
I have had some old shirts since middle school. Some have a few holes here and there, but aren't that noticeable. I refuse to throw them out. Yes, unfortunately it was an old fast fashion brand, but its what I could afford since it is vurtually impossible to avoid it. At this point I am going to force myself to make my own shirts and other garments for myself. I don't care how expensive it gets. If it means me not buying clothes with cold blood and dirty money that made the garment, I would feel much better knowing I made it myself. Its so sad how sewing is becoming a lost art. I recently mended one of my tank tops because the bottom seam stitches popped and loosened. It was not the best stitching at all whatsoever but it held it together. I have some loose buttons I hope to tackle and sew back on too. I hate how my old high school friends would immediately throw out their clothes from only a year ago. If I did that? I would be grounded. People are so ungrateful these days. While I do admit buying clothes from Walmart here and there, I mainly use clothes I've had since middle school and early high school when I can. Its unfortunate when things didn't fit anymore and I had to donate it and buy new stuff, but most of the clothes I worn to shreds. I am 20 and still wear two long sleeved rue 21 shirts I got when I was barely out of middle school/getting into early high school. I am going to wear them until they are no more than just faded pieces of rags. I refuse to be wasteful like people are these days. You either wear things to shreds or you don't get to wear anything at all. That's how I was raised.
When I need clothes, I buy second hand. In fact, I try to buy just about everything I need second hand if possible. (doesn't work for everything, of course)
This is more of a way to offset the effect of the system more so than fix it; after all, the only reason I can always find what I need second hand with an almost overwhelming amount of choice is because of the grossly undervalued excess in the first hand market. But it still helps in a way that I can actually afford with my limited means (even though second hand can be, and too often is, more expensive than fast fashion).
I also try to mend clothes when I can, although the items that need mending tend to pile up faster than I can mend them, so it isn't a full proof system. I have my excuses there, but I know I can do better with that.
I do tend to shop at some of these ‘fast fashion’ places, but I keep shopping to a minimum mostly except for the kids.
I wish American made was more affordable, but until then I’ll shop wherever is within my budget. Second hand stores here are practically retail price so that’s a no go 😂.
In the minute 10:12 the name of the owner of Zara is misspelled. It is not Amanico, it is Amancio.
There has been this trend in my country to by vintage clothing and it is used politicaly in the media to explain to us how we can stop fast fashion, but that realy wont solve the problem at all. Beacuse the trifht stores has to get new clothing as well, wich are just people who are tired to were their clothes more then five times. It still thies us to the fast fashion industry and capitalism at the end of the day. That's why I just love your video and how you touch on things most people think would be the soultion and how this is not a solution.
Love this video, but I do think it's important to differentiate between "fashion" as a general concept and the fashion industry. I'm Black and Indigenous and textile making and weaving were (and still are) extremely important in both cultures. You hit it on the head, though, that this idea of mass production and changing trends are 100% a result of capitalism and imperialism. In those cultures, self-expression through fashion is truly possible *because* people are making their own fabrics and items. I think in a lot of Leftist circles (and in some of the comments), the idea of "self-expression through clothing" and "aesthetic" gets way too muddled. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look nice and be comfortable--people have been doing that long before capitalism. But while trends are broadening these days, self-expression is stifled significantly through mass production and the trend cycle. So both can be true at once. That's why the idea of upcycling and reusing gives me a lot of hope; it's not only good for the workers and the planet, but good for self-expression and truly *interesting* fashion as well!
True! If everybody only shops in fast fashion stores, they don't have that much to choose from- only things these companies deem fashionable and therefore "will sell well" at the time. The more options someone wants, the more they will need to diversify where they get their clothes from, with the very top being "order what you want from a local seamstress/ sew it yourself". Of course those options are also less cheap, so people who are used to changing clothing often will feel like those options are stifling. We need a change in mindset first and foremost so that people will value unique, but pricier (and durable) over premade but cheap. Luckily I think this is happening in some circles, though it didn't reach mainstream yet
And fast fashion is killing the traditional textile industries in Africa, so it is a dying art =(
@@dayglodoggy True!! It's so sad to see
Ive been learnibg how to sew i hope getting to the point where i can make my own clothes can in some small way help the enviornmemt but fabric scraps are a big poluter in and of themselves.
"Reduce reuse recycle" should be be "reduce repair recycle"
The average American buys a piece of clothing, Every 5.5 days!?!?? That's so much!!! 11:43 you cannot wear all your clothes at that pace! I try to keep my wardrobe simple but even I still wear all my clothes multiple enough times.
Actually that's only about 9 full outfits per year and the average would skew towards the higher consumers vs the typical person. And consider - someone needs a couple outfits for special events, some for work, summer vs winter clothing, outdoor rec clothes, etc - it probably isn't that hard to hit that number if you feel self-conscious showing up in old clothing or just have a lot of specialized occasions.
All stores should introduce "return or resale to the store of origin" policy. In this way fabrics could be recycled or still usable items could be resold as "second hand/ vintage option". Most countries already have easy delivery services, so such services could be used to deliver to a client and to return to the store. All can be done using the same original packaging or any repurposed packaging. We already know we have issues with recycling 100% polyester, so if we use recycled polyester it should be mixed with such other fabrics that allow for easier recycyling of polyester itself. Plus simpler designs and plain coloured clothes are easier to mix than weird designs and crazy patterns, so why not to return to classical designs and more items in maybe lively but plain colours? We also know plant- based coloring factors, so why not to replace chamical dyes with plant- based dyes? And well, sewing can be fun hobby, so why not to encourage fashion for used up clothing-based sewing? One can always repurpose worn out items into other items? Fashion industry can creat all sorts of trends, so why not worn-out items DIY sewing trend? And I love the idea of recycled denim. I wish more well-established companies would offer more itmes made of recycled denim.
Uniqlo is into that. They have simple minimalistic style. And have renown of making from good materials. But yeah they still use sweat shops
A local group asked for old Tshirts. I had one that was 18 years old and one was 10 years old. I buy maybe 5 new items in a year. Friends and family give
me jeans, shirts, pajamas and coats. Old blankets and towels go to animal shelters. I am a long time union member. Tina, Al's wife
i reused clothes from the dumpster and theres nothing wrong with that i just washed it and put hot water and some of those clothes are still new some of them i send it back to my country to donate it to some of my neighbors and relatives who cant even buy clothes and it make me feels so good because i can not just help the environment but i can also help my community, back then i remember i maked rugs from a scratch cloth and i earned from it…there are so many ways to recycle clothes hope people can learn to do this things❤😊