I don't know if I am the first Bangladeshi to comment here. But in case someone else hasn't said it here before me, I will just try to address the Western consumers of Bangladeshi clothes, " please watch what you are buying." I know a lot of "educated" Bangladeshis will tell you the garment industry is increasing our GDP. But unfortunately, based on my experience that GDP has little to do with the whole country's economic situation. Bangladesh was an agricultural country before this fast fashion madness in the West. I am sorry to generalize, but that's the truth of it. Growing up, I didn't see a polluted Dhaka city that was unthinkable crowded by garment workers from the rest of the country. Neither did I see the incredible rise of wealth- gap. Both these are the blessings of fast fashion. Those things aside, just on the humane issue, when you buy these clothes, you keep feeding this evil chain. If you could just see the working conditions of those factories, you would feel like you are wearing other people's lives for two weeks. An average factory worker can work for 2 to 3 years before getting sick. There are 2 toilets for about a 120 female workers on a floor, and same for men. Not to mention, to catch a restroom break is incredibly difficult. When there's a sudden order for a bulk of clothes, the factory owners lock the workers in the building for the night. And yes, they don't pay overtime for these "sudden" needs. There's more, these workers are generally women. Because men tend to ask for "a little more", you can pay women less and control them easily. So factories prefer female workers. On the safety issues, I am guessing you have at least heard of Rana Plazza. Well, there has been many fires in many garment factories throughout decades. Rana Plazza just took enough lives to catch the attention of the media worldwide. Numerous times fires in garment factories have killed people, or injured them. I remember passing a garment factory everyday on my way to school. And for those seven years, I have never seen that factory's 'immergency exit' open. It just used to be there. One time as I was coming back from school our rickshaw stopped, there was a crowd of people in front of the building, they were scared and fighting. some were trapped inside the building. There was a fire in the building, some workers ran out and the security locked the door with the rest inside. The manager said, "there is no fire. The workers will steal our clothes". So some of those scared workers were trapped inside while the others were wailing outside. Luckily, that fire didn't kill anyone. But not many were as lucky. there have many such incidents that escaped the notice of international media. After leaving the country, I see people buying Zaara, H&M etc clothes. Many people are unfortunately addicted to buying new clothes. In class, as our teacher was explaining why we should not buy unneccesarily, I noticed many people don't want to hear it. They say, "I am just one person, if I stop buying, it will do nothing". But it does matter. As long as you keep buying, they will keep producing in the same brutal way. Yes, you are one person, yes, it's our country's duty to enforce labour law, yes, other people will keep buying it, but can you honestly say that you wouldn't mind if your home was burning and your neighbour came with a cigarette to light from the fire? If you say you would, then don't add even a single drop of fuel into this already huge fire. This is more serious than it looks to you from outside - I know. And the money you pay gets in the pockets of Bangladshi rich men, whose families live abroad in luxury, you are not improving the economy here, either. So please, don't buy cheap clothes to feel good and throw them in a month. Sorry for the huge comment. But I hope it reaches at least one person.
+mahbuba akhtar hi there. Your testimony is so important that I will pin it to the top. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all this. Keep spreading your message: it reaches more people than you think & awareness for this situation is increasing, little by little. Take care. 🌞
mahbuba akhtar I read through all of your comment and I researched about what you've said. Thank you for posting this as you have changed my mind about buying from these places. I rarely purchase anything from those stores but now I won't even think about it and I don't think I could after reading this.
@@MegaTinni In the video, Justine said higher price doesn't necessarily mean higher quality. It could also mean higher markup. It's also unrealistic to expect people to make their own clothes. Not everyone has the skill or even the interest to make their own clothes. What if I said why not fix your own car?
If it's good *and* new, it won't be cheap. That's the reality of it. That's why the second hand market is *really* important if you want to be responsible.
@@PT111111 That is why I wrote to spend your money on a QUALITY piece ;) True, an expensive piece is not always a quality piece. But a quality piece will always be more expensive than a fast fashion piece. Always. I will never fix my own car. It's not in my interests. I also never watch youtubers that have channels about the subject. I assume followers of Justine are easier to persuade to make fashion than I am to persuade to fix my own car :)
Yes darling you are correct . But just to mention that non fast fashion brands such as hugo boss and louis vuitton dolce etc etc, are tailoring their clothes in countries such as Moldova for example (geographic europe) and then sew the label in Italy for example and say Made in Italy. So not only fast fashion brands are not worth their price also other high- end, much more expensive brands are doing the exact same thing! they just hide it a little smarter
Burberry for example produces lots of things in Bosnia where I am from. I saw the made in Bosnia&Herzegovina tags in their shops in Vienna myself. It's not part of EU, but it's still geographically Europe, and while people working in the factories probably don't suffer horrible conditions, I dont think they are payed over 400 to 500 € per month. That's what someone with higher aducation makes here. Doctors, attorneys or so can go to 1000 to 1500 € per months at best.
@@melancholica999 You are absolutely right. And numbers should not matter, it's the quality of life. I'm a double college graduate and could never get a job in Serbia as I did not want to accept to work for less then minimum wage. I would be more than satisfied with 400-500 a month. That was never on offer. So, just because these seamstresses are paid less then a Parisian worker, does not mean a company is necessarily doing anything bad.
I'm surprised that using the services of a tailor never comes up in a discussion about building your wardrobe ethically. We so need to bring those back!
@@Commentator541 but what would be the point of altering fast fashion when it won't last you that long? Sometimes tailoring can be the same price as the garment or at least a large portion of it.
@Jake Dean I know, I own one :) I still suck at tailoring, but even so, I think that the few garments I made myself are far better than the majority of the ones I bought. Even if I spend quite a lot anyway because decent quality fabrics aren't exactly cheap I never regret it because I don't feel like I'm compromising. Even though I still can't make exactly the clothes I want to wear, I'm closer than ever before.
"Made in Europe" isn't a guarantee for good quality and work ethics. A great deal of the clothes by big (even luxury) companies are made here in Bulgaria, where seamstresses work 14 hours a day and make 200 euros per month.
Alexandra hence why in my family we really value what we have as a lot of work has gone into making those garments which people in the west tend to overlook.
The clothes made in Bulgaria are of a very good quality and the work ethic of the workers is usually very high. The problem is that they are not paid enough for the quality they produce and for the time they spend at work.
@@jaebird789 the cost of living in Bulgaria is not low at all with a 200 EUR salary. If you wish to do a normal grocery shopping with average quality of the food it will take you between 25-50 EUR per week (may be even more). Then comes the bills and what-not. Life in Bulgaria is expensive when you get a minimum wage salary!
I am from Bangladesh . I know how much they torture those cloth labours to work hard in very minimum wage . I am glad that u talked about it . And specially you are talking about extreamly matarialistic behaviour . u are not only a good and talented youtuber but also a very wonderful human being . hope to see you someday . I love you girl . Tnx a lot :) lots of love
But what will be if they wont have this job. Is it better to be tortured or to not be able to feed kids and die from hunger. I just dont see whats offered in replace of taking their chance of income. If they work there, means they dont have better choice and thats last opportunity. Please correct me if im wrong.
@@alemanalondon these companies could pay their employees a living wage (which would still be much vcheaper than the US), and have them make higher quality clothing at the same time. People will pay if you force it.
@@alemanalondon I agree. This is the problem with situations like this. If there was no demand the factories would close and how would they feed their families then? It may seem easy to solve one problem, but doing that creates many more.
It's definitely worth it! I'm also a designer, and I've stopped shopping at shops like these mainly because I felt that the price for many of their clothing was ridiculous and expensive, and most of the pieces are poor in quality, and I know the costs were extremely low. I like to say I would rather spend 20 bucks at the fabric store on great fabric than paying 20 bucks for some polyester shirt that has "flawless" on it. Not to mention sewing your own clothes means everything will fit according to your body.
I do sew some of my own clothes, but most of the fabric we can buy is made in developing counties and those fabric mills probably have many of the same labor issues as the sewing sweatshops. It becomes another challenge to find ethically produced & eco-friendly fabrics.
Look on the internet for fabrics made in Europe. The manufactures have to follow laws for the employees to not deal with dangerous chemicals. I also have bought fabrics from Africa. These vendors where from coop and again no dangerous chemicals.
If you have not bought your sewing machine yet. Look for a older model made in metal, they are sturdy and will give you years of good service. Give yourself a time line to do so because you will always push it and never sew. I do know what I am talking about! I need to give myself dates for my goals. I have been sewing almost all of my summer clothing this year. Time to unfold the winter stash now.
I have bought a great sewing machine swiss made (i'm swiss so try to support the last local stuff that we maybe produce... lol). With the exact same idea I've done some pieces. Now I do for my son and husband some stuff but this takes really time and cost is twice expensive then quality or ethical brand. But this is a really nice and playfull activity! love it!
Jessi Hollander I agree that documentary I saw two years ago and it was shocking. Sadly if we move out those manufacturing the people have zero income and can’t survive at all.
I bought a Sandro skirt last summer. The original tag was 150, but I must admit I got it in the 2d sales -60 euros, the ¡most I could possibly afford- and, guess what? It was also made in China. The same happens with most of supposedly no-fast-fashion brands, like Maje, Fornarina, Guess, Bimba y Lola, Dolores Promesas, Adolfo Dominguez, Religion, Free People Desigual or Highly Preppy. They all manufacture in non-western countries because the costs are much lower and with the final product price, the profit margin is absolutely huge. It's funny how HM, Zara, Primark, etc get to be the bad guys when all these other brands do the same, are more expensive, but don't get the credit for the negative publicity. When I make an effort to buy something a bit more expensive, I expect it to be better quality and more ethical, but in the end, my feeling is that it is all a fraud and I'm just paying for a status symbol.
I think the point is the quality. Just because it's made in China doesn't necessarily mean it's low quality. But the point of avoiding fast fashion is trying to find better quality clothes and more staple pieces so you don't add to the cycle. This way you're not constantly shopping more and throwing things away or donating them. Also, a higher price doesn't necessarily mean not fast fashion.
It's just like all the bad press that Coca-Cola has been getting for ages. "coca cola has a lot of sugar", "coca cola is poison", "coca cola makes you fat". Guess what? coca cola is not any different to any other soda, some have even more sugar than Coca Cola, like Mountain Dew or Red Bull. Have you ever hear that Fanta makes you fat? Or Pepsi also has tons of sugar? Weird, isn't?
This is hopeless... How can we ever escape the fast fashion trap? I’m seriously considering learning dressmaking and becoming my own seamstress, but I know nothing about fashion or about how to copy a design. I’m not designer material
In Pakistan most people get their clothes tailored. Both rich and poor. I remember when I was a kid my mother would store summer clothes during winters and vice versa and the same clothes would be worn for years. But so much has changed in the last ten years, ready to wear clothes have become a huge thing and surprisingly the unstiched lawn industry has gotten even bigger. The worst part is that all of these clothes are only good for a certain period of time. People feel ashamed to wear the clothes from last season. Everyone around me can look at a dress/suit and basically tell what brand it is from and how old it is. I just miss the times when I would see my mother and aunts buying or somehow getting an amazing fabric, took it to embroiderer (For special occasions) and then to the tailor. These clothes wouldn't just last a lifetime but through generations. It's really hard to find a good embroiderer now, back then everyone knew one. Thankfully it hasn't changed completely and many people still live like that but I am afraid that it wont last...
Ohh no worries..... when someone “bigbrain” say lets do smg “new” and “trendy” then the mass will take their old clothes or textiles to the tailors, when the tailoring will be on trend! I bet my life on it! It s sad but, this is how it is....
Even in the 80s and 90s Americans were getting thier clothes tailored, or more commonly mom or grandma was hemming our hand-me-downs and letting out dad's waistband 🤣. Very fast fashion started in the late 90s and has become normal it seems. I genuinely blame the cultural norms coming out of China; at least the ones that looks down on those less fortunate and deifies money. At least in the west, frugality and prudence are considered virtuous. I don't think I realized how wasteful the mentality of fast fashion can be until I met Asian students studying abroad who bought a huge amount of clothing just to throw it away at the end of thier study period. They bought it to take photos in. To show thier friends back home how trendy they were. I bought exactly two items of clothing while studying abroad, because we were so poor and I couldn't find a job, just a night shirt for summer and a pair of slippers. I had that nightshirt for 15 years after we returned home, btw. It was painful for me to leave behind some kitchenware I couldn't take in my suitcase or ship, I cringed so hard seeing skip after skip of clothing being carted off.
How will you comment on the fact that nowadays EVERYONE produces in Vietnam, Morocco, India etc? Not just fast brands like H&M, but literally every brands I can think of. There's always cheap labour involved, whether it's a 10 euro jacket or a 1000 euro jacket. Also, the perception that made in EU is okay is half the truth. Eastern EU still involves cheap labour, although not as cheap as in the Third World countries. Brands that sell more expensive, only they can 'afford' to produce in the EU. I was in a Greek factory in Bulgaria (Eastern EU) that produces Rolmann, Hugo Boss and other similar brands, and we all know how expensive these brands are, yet the labour is really low paid. Main investment seems to be factory equipment. I can tell you that the whole production process of a Hugo Boss jacket (minus material and factory investment, basically the labour itself) is less than 25 euro and the only reason Rolmann is located in Europe is that they sell more high end clothing and the margin is high. So it seems boycotting brands that produce in places like Bangladesh means boycotting almost everyone and buying either super expensive stuff or local designers. Btw aside from all that, brands like Zara enrage me the most, that margin is so high it's comparable to that in the makeup industry.
+pastichka hi there, it is true that if you avoid brands that produce "unethically cheap", you will have to avoid many, many brands. I would say Eastern Europe is not as bad as South-East Asia because they have more laws protecting the workers. Hugo Boss is a special example: they have high prices and a good fit (good patterns) BUT they cut on fabric quality & sewing - so for me, despite the high prices, they are not what I would call a high-end brand. In the end, you need to have a look at each brand, one by one. There are certification & "fair" brand lists (which I talk about in my "ethical fashion" video) to help your research... But it is more work than just sorting brands based on price and label... And last but not least: THANK YOU, I love comments that are well-thought through, long and grammar-perfect. Have a great Sunday! 😘
Justine Leconte officiel Thank you for your reply! I just discovered your channel and I'm amazed by the quality of the content and the research you put into each video - I've watched a few so far and it's already clear you're doing a great job. Your 2016 trends video is very useful, I'm yet to watch your previous trends videos, but it sure these series are something you do very well. I agree, Eastern Europe is way better as it's in the EU, but unfortunately many workers are still exploited more or less. I guess it's unavoidable. Since I'm new to the topic more or less (I've thought about it, but never did more research; at some point I even thought buying either second hand and local brands/small fashion designers is the only way to shop ethical), I'll make sure to watch the Ethical Fashion video next! I'm pretty curious what's the margins in the fashion industry, as it seems that it's a pretty profitable business similar to cosmetics. Very interesting subject. Thank you for the compliment about grammar, I really appreciate it. And have a great Sunday too!
+pastichka I saw an exhibition once where they showed a low-cost shirt (blouse for women) from a fast fashion brand, it costs less than 1€ to produce and ship, if I remember correctly. So if the shirt gets sold for 15€ in retail, just add store & storage costs and the rest is their margin... I would say the margin is higher than in cosmetics - if you do take the fast fashion option.
Justine Leconte officiel I was trying to guess the cost of a single clothing item based on what I saw in that factory, but I guess I can't calculate it. But I remember vividly (it was 8-9 years ago) how the whole process of making a suit was broken into small sections where a worker is doing only one small part. For example, a small patch of fabric on the inside of the front part of the suit is sewn by only one worker, who does that all day long and has a quota to fill (like 100 patches an hour). Each patch sewn costs a fraction of an eurocent (I forgot the numbers, I only remember this worker showing me the piece of paper where she keeps track on stuff and where it's written how much it pays, and it was something like 0,8). Some workers later complained the factory bosses raise the requirements for stuff sewn in an hour so you have to work faster to earn your money, otherwise you get fined. Anyway, if the process is divided like that, it gets way more cheaper for sure, as it requires less trained and professional people for most of the time the suit is made. And if there's, say, 30 similar to the patch sewing process steps, they all will cost less than an euro to make (minus of course stuff like other high paid workers in the factory that will monitor the process or cut the fabric and operate the software, the factory itself, the fabric etc.). And that's a suit. I'm still curious though if the margin is higher or lower, in general, in cosmetics. After all cosmetics are way smaller, so costs for shipping drop the overall price. The actual product that costs money to make is also really small quantity; the less is package. Will try to read more about that some day. Overall, one thing is for sure. Most of the money we pay for cosmetics and fast fashion is actually marketing money :))
I buy a lot of vintage clothing from the 30s - 70s because it has far superior quality at a fraction of the cost. One suggestion I can make to those who desire some freshness and variety in their wardrobe without making new purchases. is to organize a clothing swap with a group of friends and friends of friends.
I do too. I specifically look for made in the US Made in England, Made in Canada, made in Italy type labels even when buying vintage. Not because I am nice, but because its better quality. After a while you will not want to wear crap.
I live in Poland where thrifting is very popular. I get really high equality pieces of clothing (vintage, made in Europe) almost for free. I'm really concerned about fast-fashion industry, especially for the exploiting of people. High amounts of clothes are made unnecessarily, people do not need them. I am also mad when I buy something in chain store and it is totally damaged after several washings! Who needs that? There are so many campaigns about the environment, wchich big clothing companies are supporting, and I think it is total bullshit and hypocrisy. The only way to change this situation is to stop buying their products
Thank you for making this good video. Some will not like it, because they enjoy still the fast fashion lifestyle. But how can we be happy, when other people suffer for our comfort? We have other choices. We have to take responsebility becaus the companys will not change, if we not change our shopping behaviors. Real style comes not from a huge wardrobe made of poor fabrics.
And there's another aspect to fast fashion; it's bad for the environment. Fast fashion is so poorly made, that people refuse to buy it to sell as second-hand clothing. It will be literally thrown away just after being worn a few times.
@drexciya123: Or, if it is donated, it's often sent to "third-world" countries, where its availability has destroyed the garment-construction industry. Why go to a tailor or a seamstress when you can just go to the clothes piles of donations from "thrift" organizations and grab more clothing?
I live in one of the countries that both produce and receive these donated clothes, Guatemala. I have no political argument to make but do have experiences to share. First, for anyone traveling here one can often find wonderful high quality vintage pieces among all the sun faded tshirts and discarded fast fashion in clothing mercados.. Often new clothes with price tags still on make it here but these are often from the GAP etc. Men button up shirts are a particular bargain here if you know brands of women's clothes you can buy new or gently used very upscale designs and fabrics of items not dated. This is how my husband and I shop as we are larger and taller than the local population who are mostly tiny, so it is easier to find nice quality things in our sizes. The main sorrow I feel is that the local high quality traditional backstrap loom weaving is dying out as street wear for locals. Local women wore beautifully hand loomed all cotton huipile blouses with traditional designs but have in the past decade shifted to the "fast fashion" wear and super tight lycra pants they see on singers and celebrities in the media. Now when one walks down the street in small towns people look more like they do everywhere and that is very sad as the unique traditional culture is disappearing : foods, transportation, clothing, everything is disappearing and soon will be gone as I observed over my lifetime in Mexico. This makes travel less interesting than it was , the homogenization of the world. There are good effects and not so good ones with modernization and cultural transference of technology etc.
I haven't bought new clothing in years. Except undergarments. I feel good about that. In my youth I was a fashion horse! I've held onto my favorites and donated the rest. It's very freeing to simplify, and downsize. Creating a better Earth 🌿🕊🌍
I'm an American. I have a low income because I work for a non-profit which is literally non-profit at this point. I have been shopping in second hand stores since I was a small child with my mom. I honestly enjoy it more and I am able to dress as well as my colleagues on a smaller budget. I find that if I do a little research I know what better labels are so I try to buy things that no I couldn't afford at the original store. it's like I always say there's no point in buying Walmart at the Goodwill.
In our second hand stores all the things have different price ranges. You can buy something in bad condition or low quality for cheap. Everything else is so expensive, you can buy brand new item even cheaper. I live in Eastern Europe. Can't afford much. I buy online mostly from the USA or some other European countries, including fast fashion. In this case this is really value for money. For example, I have some Levi's jeans for $15 bought from USA. In a second hand store the price is about $18 for much worse new or even used jeans.
No way $18 is a deal, they are not even Levi's, they are from some fast fashion brands and low quality. Do you buy Levi's jeans online? I've bought more than 20 from USA online for $12-$30, for me and my family
You won't be ready to pay much at all, because then you can sew your own... No, seriously, since I've been sewing my own stuff I've stopped buying from retailers almost completely, because my own clothes fit me better. I can't stand badly-fitting clothes any more. I'm spoiled now ;-)
@@trinelangohr6661 Very true haha. I am making my own dresses and people are surprised at how well they are made, they do not believe that I have made them. Now I can not buy any dreses. I look at them and think: "They do not even have a lining and they look very cheap and they cost a lot, I can make them better". But I'm going to be realistic here, sometimes the dress I make costs me more. In time (I'm slow), efford (I'm a perfectionist when I'm sewing) and in materials (sometimes materials are more expensive) Sorry my english :)
@@mayrajscortes I'm fascinated and admire those who have the skill to make their own clothing. Do you design? I figure following a pattern will cause the same issue as purchasing ready-to-wear items with fit.
Very informative. But what are some designer brands that I can look into purchasing that don't support this and are good quality? Also I am on a budget, I know you mentioned thrift shopping but any other suggestions? I live in the US, if that helps.
Tbh I used to but "fast fashion" but only like...twice a year? Lol, having 33 pieces of garment per season is actually a looot to me. I've only recently started to buy from aritzia, which I heard is a more ethical, quality store, but only because I could more afford it. Still shop like twice a year tho lmao.
The best made clothing I ever purchased was when I lived in Germany in the 80’s. Clothes were German made and on the expensive side. I noticed Germans had fewer clothes but the clothes they wore were much better made than what Americans were wearing. I still have a couple skirts and dresses from that period that are too small now but I keep them to remind me what well made clothes look like. I agree with the comments on ethics here, but looking at my closet, I don’t see how I can purchase better made brands not made in the countries you mention. My more expensive and well made clothes: Talbots, Ralph Lauren, Misook, and Tommy Bahama are made in the countries you mention- the same countries my cheaper brands (Macy’s house brand Charter Club, for example). My most expensive coat, Basler, was made in Ukraine...where some Zara clothing is also made. I find it amazingly difficult to find affordable clothing not made in the countries listed in the video. Last comment: Factory ethics and quality differ within countries and from country to country. I can compare quality differences. Unfortunately, differences in how workers are treated isn’t sewn in the garment.
If you live in Eastern Europe than even "fast fashion" is expensive compared to your ridiculously low wage, not to speak about other more ethical labels. And because fast fashion is expensive, we treat it like you treat expensive clothes -- we buy them sparingly, and use them for decades. I think the issue is with people living in wealthy West European style countries who "waste" clothes, for a lack of a better term. But they waste everything else as well: food, household items, electronics, cars, you name it. I just wanted to share this as another perspective, because I did not feel like your reasoning applied to poor people. No, poor people can't buy expensive ethical clothes or organic produce for that matter -- even if these things are better for the planet, poor people can't afford to be choosy. Being able to be choosy is a privilege, and it doesn't make wealthy people better people than poor people in my opinion.
They have clients, we can buy those things, but we don't trow them out that easily. We pay for a Zara dress approx. 10% of our salary, we wore it for years, not for 2 weeks. If everyone buy one or two item per month, thats enough client for these stores.
MsPomeranianlover i agree. That's how it is. I watched this fast fashion documentary on Netflix and haven't brought any piece of clothing for 4 months now. But i haven't ever consider shopping as something fun to do every week or even every month. That was always a privilege to buy just a jacket or a pair of trousers
I was thinking the exact same thing. Which is why, I sometimes feel bad when people comment that we are supporting child labour and all the horrors, but I don´t really have much of a choice do I ? Thrift shops in my city are mostly really old and overused clothes, like the ones I already own...why would I want to pay for those? And to me, Zara is expensive....it´s a luxury :( And I am not even in the poorest section of the population, that says a lot :)))
Yes Zara is expensive even at sale prices here. Even common people dont buy them, only during the holiday season, some often buy fast fashion brands to show off that they have money
Andreea C basically they don't even come to E Europe...at least in my country (technically not even E Europe) we don't have primark, forever 21, the urban outfiters,...they calculate that 1. they build a shop in for example italy and expect ppl from neighbouring countries to drive there or 2. they build for example only 5 Zaras for the whole country and again rely that ppl will drive there from all over the country and that costs them less money than putting zara in every major city and that's basically how they survive.
The country you live in really influences your choices in clothing. In Turkey (where I'm originally from) buying second hand is considered "poor" and "dirty", almost nobody goes for recycled clothing. Fast fashion is everywhere, and it is difficult to find ethical brands. Even if you do, they are way out of my budget as a student. I moved to New Zealand 3 years ago and here people are all about recycling and buying second hand, I just love it! I haven't bought a new piece for a very long time. When I feel like new clothes, I just stroll through shops like salvation army or save mart, they have really good stuff! The only pieces I don't want to buy second hand are underwear, sports gear and running shoes. It's surprising what you can find in second hand shops, I've seen many upscale fashion brands just waiting to be picked. When everyone is into second hand, you don't feel bad about it as well. I wish second hand culture was more popular in Turkey...
The same in Mexico, even is a poor country the middle class would never buy second hand, they reserve that for the poor, but buy a lot in fast fashion¡
I live in in Turkey now and you're absolutely right!In the us where i used to live so many people would shop and donate to goodwill or whatever thrift shop. Here it's like no one uses 2nd hand.There are only a few places to get them. Some bazaars do sell unsold and used clothing though.They're not super popular though.I remember going through a pile of clothes and people looking at me like i'm disgusting.(Bazaar clothing pieces actually seem clean.Everything i got smelled like detergent.)The only place that 2nd hand is popular is 2nd apps.
Middle class emerged very recently in Turkey, hence why fast consumption is a sign of higher social status. this will all settle down at the next major crisis, whether it will be economical or environmental. that's what happened in France, thrift shops would have never been so trendy if it hadn't been for the 2008 economic crisis. before that, everyone was crazy about new clothing.
at least in the u.s., thrift stores are full of fast fashion. they get some donations from the people in the community, most of whom are buying their clothes from fast fashion retailers exactly as you described here. they also have donations directly from those retailers. from what i understand though, the bulk of their donations from individuals either end up as textile waste in landfills or else get baled and sold to rag traders, who ship them to developing countries for resale. there is so much of fast fashion clothing that there's nowhere for it to go! it's getting harder and harder to find good quality used clothing. what i used to find in thrift stores for a good price is now culled by pickers who sell it to "vintage" stores who sell it at a high price point. new good quality or ethically produced clothing is priced out of reach for many people and typically comes in very limited sizes that imitate the high end fashion world (US 2-10 or 12). i sometimes think we will have to go back to what was done generations ago, and learn how to make our own clothes. however the pace of life now is such that few people have the time to learn and accomplish this. also, finding good quality, long-lasting fabric at a reasonable price could be a challenge! eta: i just thought of another challenge. a lot of fast fashion is targeted to an age group that has grown up in tandem with it, and those buying habits are part of their culture. there is also the rise of fashion you tubers in the last 4 years or so, which has become part of its marketing arm.
+mala106 hi & thanks for your thoughts: the argument of fast fashion being a habit that goes together with a generation is a very good point. Can we get the next "new generation" to behave differently so that they don't get used to buying fashion this way, in the first place?
mala106 I agree. I enjoy thrift shopping and look for high quality fabrics in clothing as well as cuts of pants that fit better than how modern clothing is cut. However, when I go thrifting, recently I see so much cheaply made modern fast fashion clothing! I can sew at a novice level but even when I go to the fabric store, where is that fabric coming from? I have had a few sewing disasters as well which have resulted in me having a garment in my sewing closet that unwearable and awaits being salvaged. I would love for a fashion designer to create a televised challenge in which the average American has to actually make their own fibers, make their own fabric, dye it, and sew a garment. That would be a real eye opener! Most of us only need 2 jeans, a few t-shirts, maybe two nice outfits, a light jacket, and s coat. We work so hard to buy a bunch of trash we don't actually want.
I think it depends which thrift shops you go to. I'm from an area with tons of thrift shops. There are 2 types: 1. The really cool ones with actual vintage clothing & 2. Plato's Closet/Clothes Mentor/Style Encore/Uptown Cheapskate/Pink Flamingo etc. are the "buy clothes on the spot boutique style franchised consignment stores" that focus on more fast fashion though each manager/owner operates a bit differently and some are better than others in terms of quality & also taking vintage v.s just buying clothes within 1-5yrs & what age range they're targeted toward but some of those places only want items w/i a year that are from fast-fashion places.
Formerly I did make some of my clothes however it is harder now than ten or twenty years ago to find good quality fabric to make things with. So one may spend hours sewing well only to produce a garment from not nice enough quality fabric. For me it was no longer worth my time though I knew how to do all but suit jacket /coat tailoring at a high level of skill. It is the same with hiring a seamstress or tailor, the problem then becomes where to find the fabric worth paying the price of having it made up. For me gently used clothing but being very picky has helped. Whenever I see something of high quality fabric that I love vintage I buy it even if it does not fit...I can find fabulous buttons that way, I have made evening bags, silk scarves, camisoles etc this way. Even if all you ever do is replace cheap ugly retail buttons with nice ones you will upgrade the look of your blazers, jackets and shirts...learn to sew a button on properly to leave the proper amount of "breathing" space for the button....that one thing will upgrade an item. Then learn to make vertical darts in the back of shirts if you want a closer fit...again that will make a big difference in the fit. Learn how to hem properly by hand. Sit watching your fav. show and hem once you get the hang of it. Proper fit and good quality fabric makes all the difference and you have a garment worth keeping.
Thank you so much for sharing. The comment section and hopeless excuses everybody has for shopping in the mall is mind blowing! Now more than ever we have so many choices and Thrift and consignment is really where it’s at!
What is so sad though, is that some people, in "wealthy" countries mind you, are too poor to buy ethically made clothing. Also, thrift shopping doesn't work for everyone (in France, second hand shops are not really a thing, nor are they in Italy as far as I know, online is not always a good idea either, with shipping, sizing/quality/whatever else problem, or when you need something in particular, like a good quality, waterproof winter coat or a swimsuit or whatever), and I can see in Australia, thrift shops sell a lot of crap from the fast fashion industry which yes, will not bring anymore money to the fast fashion company but which is not good quality anyway and might promote that brand. There is a whole shift that needs to happen where people stop wanting so much, stop feeling so low if they can't have as much as they supposedly want or as much as what the neighbour has and where it is totally fine to wear the same things over and over ; the amount of people who wear things once and then throw them out/give them/sell them is astonishing and the amount of people who think wearing a piece of clothing more than once before washing is unhygienic (which means that if you have less clothing and wear it more often some people might think you're gross) isn't better. If that all happens and if people are treated better and paid accordingly, with everyone being able to afford the basics, bought ethically, then it'll be great and we should abandon all fast fashion companies gladly. But until then, it is not entirely realistic. BUT, if people can afford it, then yes, they should most definitely buy ethically made clothes. For my part, yes, I used to buy fast-fashion, though not quite a rate so high as what we can see on RUclips or in Australia and the US). I didn't throw all of it out, I still have some tank tops from h&m that I bought probably 7 years ago. I also bought more ethically made clothes from time to time. And because I used to buy more, take care of my clothes and not throw all of it out (I have a lot of basics), I have now totally stopped buying clothes, unless it's necessary for work. Which is good because I don't have the money to spend on extras like that, and most definitely would not be able to afford ethical clothing. In an ideal world, fast fashion would die off and everyone would buy ethical products (and not just for clothing), but right now, it is unfortunately not possible for everyone, same as an organic, healthy, balanced diet is not affordable for everyone.
PS : I do applaud all the efforts you and other people make to inform and educate people on this matter because it is very important, both environmentally and socially. It just makes me mad that it is not a viable option for all.
+Camille thank you for all your thoughts! I agree with everything you say, I'd just add one thought to the discussion: before fast fashion existed though, everyone was still buying clothes, even people on a limited budget :-) Fast fashion changed our "spending priorities" overall, making us think that we don't have budget for more clothing while e.g. we still go out for dinner or spend money or other product categories. And so since virtually everyone can afford fast fashion, people have lowered the mark of what they are willing to pay for clothing... That's what's crazy about it, it moved our perception of what is a "right" price to pay for a piece of clothing... Have a great day & thanks again for sharing 😊
Oh yes definitely, there's a good portion of the fast fashion buyers who just have their priorities wrong. I see some of the younger girls I work with, spending all of their money (being in high school, they don't pay for anything) on clothing ! And the worst thing is, fast fashion in Australia isn't even as cheap as in Europe or the US ! And it makes me so angry, and sad, that they buy new things all the time but then chuck them after 2 uses, or let things just sit in their wardrobe. They sometimes do the same with makeup, crap jewelry and food. And if you tell them to buy less but better, they will say it's not fun or they can do whatever they want with their money. It's so frustrating. But the people I was referring to were the ones who really cannot afford ethical fashion, like me for example, for whatever reasons. And there are still a lot unfortunately. When being poor a few decades ago meant you only had 3 outfits that you kept for several years, it was socially accepted in a way, because that was the norm, but now, because of fast fashion, people still expect you to wear a different outfit every day when you go to work, and if you don't, some people might comment that you're dirty. And what can you do if you can't spend more that $40 on a tshirt, once a year ? It won't buy you ethical clothing, just really expensive fast fashion, which is worse than the cheaper kind, because the quality isn't better, as you stated in your video, but the company is making even more money. If there wasn't so much economical inequality, we could all do the ethically, environmentally and socially right choice. And if marketing wasn't as aggressive and in your face as it is, people would certainly not feel the need to always more more more. In the end, I find this topic, as well as organic food, minimalism etc, very good at pointing out what is now terrible in our society. It's a lot deeper than what people might imagine when they think "fashion" !
I completely agree with both of you. I also wanted to mention that when fast fashion didn't exist, or even prêt-a-porter, not was just socially acceptable for poor people or people in a limited budget to wear their 3 outfits again and again; but most people would make their own clothes as well, and patch them up over and over. Until not so long ago it was a common thing that the women in the family would know how to sew. My grandma for instance is a great dressmaker and even my mom went to a school to learn proper sewing (eventhough she never really used those abilities later haha). I have just knitted a couple scarfs with my grandma's help, mind you haha
The snobbish attitude I see in the comments is overwhelming.I don't know where you guys live,but as a young adult from Greece I can ensure you that people DO NOT always have a choice.There is nothing such as "fast fashion" here.People do not spend 100 euros on zara clothes every week.Actually,middle class people can barely afford the fast fashion clothes,that's why they only shop twice a year,and when they do,they do not spend more than 100 euros for 4 pieces.Poor people,on the other hand,shop once in two years.We buy from "fast fashion" brands,but we maintain our clothes for a long time,cause we need to use our salary to pay for our bills,rent and education.Not to mention that most families have at least one unemployed member.How can a teenager justify to her mom that a 200 euros t-shirt is a better option than a 10 euros one?And how can o mother justify to her family a 200 euros t-shirt when they don't even have that extra 200 euros to spend for clothes in the first place?You will now say "save money".First of all,there is no money to be saved,since you have plenty of other REAL needs,and secondly,what am I going to wear for the rest of the year?Am I going to starve myself or going around naked just to buy a fancy 100 euros t-shirt?Many people here are also referring to thrift shops.Well,thrift shops are not very popular here,and in south-eastern europe in general as far as I am aware.Even if you find one,it mainly sells fast fashion clothes,cause people here cannot afford designer clothes!It's just the truth guys!The point is to look polished,clean and presentable and you can look like that if you buy fast fashion clothes and maintain them.As for the "ethical" aspect of the situation,I'm sorry,but I'm laughing at the ignorance and the hypocritical altruism many western people present.My father works in a small european paper factory and you have no idea how terrible the conditions are.It's a very unhealthy environment,where locals and inmigrants are getting exploited every day.And guess what:that's the case in almost every factory!But I see people wiping their butts with these paper towels while pointing their finger to the rest of us for our "privilege" and our "unethical" behaviour.Give me a break.Every single item in your home has probably been manufactured in a terrible environment.The only solution is to start producing everything yourself,which is pricy,extremely time consuming and overall impossible.I am well aware that shopping from fast fashion shops it's not a good thing to do,but I cannot afford being picky and snobbish about clothes,which are not even that important in the first place.
I also live in Greece and can tell you that in Athens there are plenty of second hand shops to choose from. More and more every year- from high fashion brands down to the kilo shop. We also have the internet available to us to shop for second hand items. Your exaggeration of 100 euros for a t-shirt is silly. Designer clothing does not mean ethical (fair to people) or sustainable (fair to the environment). With a bit of research I have found everything I need from ethical companies including new organic cotton ethically made men's shorts for less than 40 euros with shipping. That is less than my boyfriend could find in Zara's for a decent pair of shorts. Another example is ethical sneaker companies such as VEJA, which will cost you about the same or less than a pair of Nike (Greece's favorite shoe company). You are also pointing out that your father is poorly treated at work, so why would you give your hard earned money (most of which goes to the filthy rich CEO of the company- not to those stuck in modern slavery picking cotton (often children) or to the people whose homes who are uninhabitable because their water is contaminated from chemicals or dried up from factory use or to the workers sewing the clothing- I can go on and on about who is suffering while some rich probably white man is stuffing your money in his pockets) to these companies! There are better alternatives. Yes, changing our learned habits is an effort, but I will argue that options are out there. Support those trying to do good otherwise nothing will change. Buy from a Greek company to support your own country! I help run a Greek business and we are slowly changing our suppliers to those more environmentally conscious, because if we all do this then we can slowly better this disaster of a system which just allows the rich to get richer. The more you support these fast fashion (and other greedy) companies the more they will thrive and continue down this destructive path. I can tell you that the more you change your habits (refill your own water bottle, stop buying unnecessary chemical cleaners, buy fewer and better made items of clothing etc.) YOU WILL SAVE money in the long run, be happier, and contribute less to the destruction of the planet and to our own people. I can bet everyone here spends plenty of time on the internet. Do your research. Read peoples blogs with suggestions on where to shop. Look for sales, but STOP supporting greedy companies which use and abuse their workers and the environment. Please! The choice is yours. Also- living two hours by boat away from Athens I am shocked that we have about 1 Greek person per year coming to look for a job. We are a long standing business constantly in need of workers and all I hear is how high unemployment is, which is confusing.
I am in the same boat that I can't afford 'ethical' fashion but I feel strongly that this should not mean that the issue should not be raised. If we did that with everything, nothing would ever improve. I think everyone needs to make a call regarding what they can reasonably do about issues they care about. I am currently trying what I can reasonably do to use less plastic and what that has shown me is that I need to do things differently to how I did them before and that's not always easy or convenient but it's worthwhile. Whilst I have never been into fast fashion I have to confess I can be a little bit of an impulse clothes buyer on occasions, but I am trying to get a handle on that because I feel my way forward is to really only have those clothes I really need. I have watched quite a few of Justine's videos and like them a lot but I also know that my life situation is very different to hers in many ways so what works for her would not really work for me at times. But that's ok and it doesn't mean I cannot appreciate points she makes (and hey, she influenced me to finally, in my fifties, to drink a lot more water - tap water, no plastic bottles involved. That's just plain amazing!). So do whatever you can reasonably do everyone! As they say in advertising: 'every little helps' (it sounds very trite, but it is absolutely true! Sending many good wishes to everyone out there!
FINALLY!! WELL SAID! sometimes i feel like they are so arrogant. i know we want a better and fair world, but for someone in middle class even Zara ist so expensive for us. we buy cloths maximum 10 pieces per 1.5 year!!
j m have you got any idea how many strikes and protests take place in Greece due to bad economy, tax rises, salary cuts and corrupt goverments? Truth is that most middle class families are in tough financial situation, even though this doesn't mean we starve or anything! And yes, we don't shop regurarly, like every week or month-some people shop twice a year, some when the seasons change and some more. My parents haven't bought a proper new clothing piece for at least four years because education and bills are pretty expensive, so this is how they mostly spend their wages. So, yes, believe it or not, this is an actual situation that a whole country might end up to!
Rather than avoid buying clothing made in Bangladesh I would prefer to buy products that were made in Bangladesh and other countries by workers who get a fair pay and healthy working conditions. The goal shouldn't be to put all these textile workers out of work. They won't be helped by us buying from Europe only, as far as I understand. I would love to buy clothes produced in Bangladesh in a nice and safe factory by workers who get decent wages, reasonable working hours, holidays and health care. As consumers, we need to follow most of your advice and focus more on quality and less on the price and fast trends. But when it comes to the origin of products, we would need more transparency on HOW things are made, not only country of origin. I have to admit that I don't spend much time shopping and most of the time don't spend enough time to investigate the source of products. Often you are tired and stressed and maybe need something quickly. I try to avoid trends though and have my own system to make my clothes easy to combine. I buy dresses in different patterns of black and white + denim, that can be combined whit all of my sweaters and cardigans. And those can be in bold colours and good quality - silk, wool etc because I know I will always have something to combine it with. (Previously I might by a sweater or jacket in a lovely bold color but wear it rarely because I had few matching items.)
Smaller labels often will make a point of how they ethically source even from countries like Bangladesh. It's a safe assumption that larger businesses do not, though~
Free People makes its clothes in India, responsibly and with good wages - they show it also in the documentary in Netflix. So the solution is not to not buy from these countries but to know which conditions the workers have. For example, in Elda-Spain there’s a lot of illegal factories with very bad conditions just because of the high demand in shoes. So not all EU countries produce fair.
I noticed some expensive (suppose to be high quality) clothes don't last that long anymore neither now a day. They are also trying to cut corner to sustain the business.
For the most part buying expensive clothing is not about quality it is about status symbol. For example, people buy Gucci because the status it gives the person but try to justify it by saying it is high quality.
I am pleasantly surprised to hear a fashion designer disseminate this kind of advice. I love your videos - no b.s. nonsense, always informative and solid advice. Even my husband stops to watch because he says you offer so much important information. Merci beaucoup! 👍💜😀
Hi, just one correction or addition to the "Made In" - it does not always point the country of the last "manipulation" - in some cases, the named country is the country from which the most expensive part of the product / assembly is. For example - I work for a company in Czech Republic (EU) and we process / assembly from our sister company in Austria (EU) and we must mark the product as "Made in Austria" even though it is assembled and packed in Czech Republic. Similarly, we have a product which is assembled with a part purchased from China - our part costs 1 €, the chinese part costs 1.25 € and the product thus is marked as "Made in China" - regardless the fact that it is partly produced and fully assembled in Czech Republic... So then - who knows, where were the products produced? :-D :-D
6 months sounds as fast fashion to me. I can wear my clothes around 3 to seven years without becoming our of fashion and without them looking old. And I don't buy expensive clothes.
Same.. if taken care properly, clothes last for years, I regularly wear so many clothes that are years old I think the oldest is a simple grey hoodie that's like more than 15years old, it's comfy and I still wear it at home
She didn't mean that you have to wear something for 6 months, then trow it away, she was talking about seasons. You wear maybe a cardigan for 6 months, then keep it in your wardrobe for spring and summer, then wear it again when weather get cooler
I wasn't aware of the effects of "fast fashion". This was a very enlightening video and it broke my heart (in a good way). I have bought fast fashion but hardly massively, and will pay a lot more attention when shopping. It does make you realize why it is indeed worth it to pay more for quality fashion. Thank you.
Most premium and luxury European brands whose clothes are manufactured in Europe are made in countries like Romania and Bulgaria where the workers get the minimum salary (around 200 Euros per month), no paid holidays and are on the boundary of poverty. So it is very hypocritical to say that just because clothes are manufactured in Europe it automatically means that the workers have good working conditions.
I'm from Romania and it's true that the basic wages are around 250-300 euros per month but that's basically for every industry not just the textile, and they have paid holidays (as far as I know) and healthy working environment and can't be compared to those Asian countries in my opinion
oh and I forgot to add, that it doesn't necessarily mean that the stuff they produce here is good quality, I guess it depends on the factory or the buyer..
I'm sorry sarahh, but have you been in a factory in Romania to see it for your own or you just say that? When you work 8 hours a day, in toxic fumes, with no protection equipment is healthy? Is it healthy to not get extra money for toxicity from a company who exports fancy shoes all over Europe? So maybe, we can not compare that to what's happening in Asian countries, but it's still the same thing.
I haven't been to a factory to be honest I've just heard from other workers. I'm not saying you're wrong, you probably know better, and I guess it depends on the factory too.
I made a chart of all the summer clothes I own and the number of times I wore them. I found that I had around 50 clothes ( tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, gym clothes etc) and I didn't wear all of them equally and frequently. The chart helped me realise (1) the clothes that I wear usually. These are the kind of ones that I should buy more, because they are the ones that actually get worn. (2) the price vs value of the clothes in terms of number of uses. Making a clothes chart seems like a time consuming chart, but it helps understand you behaviour better so I encourage all to try it, understand your fashion sense, improvise on things that you want to and be a responsible consumer. :)
Great video..Agree with all the points. I have recently reduced my fast fashion purchases a lot and always try to buy used classic pieces by good brands. I strongly believe that all these companies should improve the work environment in those countries where the clothes are manufactured. I recently learned from a documentary that in countries like Bangladesh the economic situation is so bad that people are willing to work in any harsh conditions for their daily food.
And THIS is why I stopped buying stuff from these kinds of lines like 8yrs ago because 1. I'm not 19-25yrs old 2. I don't want to wear cheap clothes 3. EVERYONE and their mother has the same stuff on...where's the originality? 4. I can't afford super expensive but I don't buy clothes just for the sake of it... I have been giving away clothes and when I move to Spain I plan on selling a lot of them and they're of a decent standard as far as budget conscious clothing goes. I've had these pieces for almost a decade and they're still good.
I'm from the U.S - thank you for this video . It's a great reminder as there is SO much fast fashion here. It's hard to find ethical , quality clothing without paying a house payment for it but you inspired me to try harder.
I purchase all my clothes at thrift stores. I can't remember the last time i bought something new (I've found things with tags often while thrifting). I see no sense in spending more and I feel very well dressed. I also wish to minimize and reduce how much I have.
I live in Florida where it is warm all year long, so I don't really need that many clothes since the weather doesn't change much. I also like to keep my closet small and just accesorize with different shoes and jewelry. Makeup too.
It includes everything, rings, necklaces, scarves, boots, sandals, etc... So I live in Denver and 33 items is not even enough for a week bc the weather can jump from 30C to -5C back to 30C in 24 hours. Sudden hail, snow, downpour, are normal. Then back to sunshine and shorts.
One thing you did not mention in the video is the reason why some of us buy these fast fashion items despite them being unethical and damaging for the environment: The price. When you are a student or a person coming from a low income background, you don't consider these things. At the end, the price we pay for these seemingly "cheap" clothes is much higher but we don't see it immediately because all we want is to look good without spending a fortune. I would love to wear designer clothes, especially from smaller designers like yourself who are so involved in the production of their lines. I just can't afford it.
Yes Priscilla you are spot on. We have young people in our office who say the same thing. So what they do is shop for second hand items. They are learning to save money to buy something they really want but it's also hard because advertising tells them that you're cooler when you wear different clothes for different occasions and take pictures in different outfits. So hence the disposable nature of fast fashion, not to mention how dirt cheap it is. It's all so complex, but if you do get to the point of higher disposable income then you at least know where to begin :)
i cant even afford some of those fast fashion shops. i can never buy anything from h&m or topshop/forever21. im stuck in primark and supermarket clothes
Amen. At the end of the day I really don't think it's a matter of lack of personal ethics but a systematic economic issue. Being able to not rely on fast fashion is a privilege a lot don't have. Coming from a low-income household, it's pretty much the only choice we have to have clothes that look decent and don't cost a fortune. And even then, my family doesn't shop often and we don't treat our fast fashion purchases as one and done. We wear them as long as possible even if it's not in "trend" and minor tears can just get sewn up for the most part. Same for shoes. I shop at thrift stores, get hand-me-downs, and splurge on local boutique stuff when I can (which isn't often) but for the most part I rely on fast fashion not by choice.
I just found this video. Growing up there was a stigma about 2nd hand clothes, but a friend taught me to look for the good second hand shops and to stop by regularly. I've found new Ann Klein shoes, cashmere sweaters and silk blouses for ~90% off original price. I do recommend it. And think of this - what can go wrong? Walk in with $25 and you can walk out with several items. Don't like them? Donate or throw away with no guilt. Very low cost and risk 😉
Catalina Fariña I was always frustrated that a H&M store wasn't located near me, now I'm happy to know better. I'm lucky to have many good second hand shops nearby. after learning through this video, I will hopefully shop smarter. you are NOT an idiot! we are all learning!
I was so excited when H&M branched out (years ago) and was there when they opened in my area. What a letdown! The quality was terrible. I bought a couple of things and after a few washes, they were a tattered mess. Same with Forever 21. Even the name puts me off- I don't want to be "forever 21" 😂 I feel more confident at 41 then I did 20 years ago.
After reading the first couple of chapters in the novel "Gomorrah" (Roberto Saviano), I am not sure anymore that buying things that are "made in Europe" is also an indicator of good quality. And things that are made in China do not necessarily indicate bad quality either. Pretty much anyone can make cheap stuff.
Don’t know why showed up in my feed. I have zero interest in fashion or its industry. But your videos are so good and captivate my attention - you have a new subscriber.
Abi 666 Synthetic material also cause problems to people and the environment. You sweat more, it takes more from the environment to create these items. And the synthetic pillage bring harm to aquatic life.
Abi 666 True if you are average height then yes. There are no clothes a tall female can shop in store. For us everything is online. Vintage clothing shop would be a waste of my time. I have gone to the top consignment shops in my area and it is rare to impossible to find something, that suit my minimalist taste and provide the length I need.
I love your video and explanation. I just want to say that fast fashion is making a negative impact in Europe too. I am from Romania and there are Romanian factories making clothes for Inditex and they treat their workers just as bad as the ones in Asia. The label says made in the EU, but the women sewing the clothes together work for 12 hours a day, are not allowed breaks and also don't get paid the amount they should if they get paid at all. The actual employers are Romanian and they blame the big companies for paying so little. I am really happy to see this eine talked about though and I really hope this message will be shared more so that we as consumers can change the market.
I work at a gently used thrift store, and I no longer buy fast fashion. Everything I buy is reused and recycled, and it’s great quality for an even better price. Buy second hand
I just watched the TED-X talk and man I feel so enlightened! I had no idea it was this extensively horrid. I still need to learn where to shop and the labeling on clothes. I guess I will be reading a lot.
Unfortunately even if something is “made in USA” it could have been sweatshop labor. There are places like this in downtown Los Angeles. You can search for ethical clothing brands. Secondhand is also great because you are still getting a “new” item, but the money you would have given to a big chain goes toward a local charity instead. A majority of my kids’ clothes and about 1/5 of mine I would guess are thrift. It also frees up money while you patiently save for better quality/ better sourced items.
Also, I've always bought my clothing in fast fashion brands, I honestly didn't know any better as I didn't have any "fashion education" at all, took me (it's taking me) years to find my true style, and since I am not wise choosing what suits me, I didn't dare spending more money on things (also money is limited!). Does it make sense? This is a big struggle and I'm trying to educate myself on style and colors and minimalism, I hope I feel confident enough and soon enough to spend money on good quality items. Any good quality brand that you would recommend that's more affordable please? 🙏🙏 Love your videos, awesome job, thanks for sharing your amazing experience and knowledge ❤️
Personally, if I'm on a budget, I choose a thrift store such as Goodwill. If you shop at a Goodwill that's near a place where people live that tend to have the budget you'll often find nicer quality items with the tags still on. Brand new, never worn, very reasonably priced, and if it does turn out to be a "fast fashion" brand, at least I walk away knowing that the money I just spent went to helping people and not to supporting those companies. Also there are online consignment shops such as "thredup" that have those higher end brands at a much lower cost.
I would love you video to be shown in high school. It drives me crazy to see cheap clothing. The cost is so much more than the 10 euro tag. I now purchase second hand (hey I live in Italy and it is usually nice fabrics) or I sew my clothing with fabrics sold here (only natural fibers).
I watched a documentary on fast fashion on Netflix, these practices are damaging on the people who produce the garments, in some cases their very lives are at risk. The huge environmental damage from the factories waste. It’s just deplorable! I think the Documentary is called something like Fashion the true cost, or something similar. Thank you Justine for making this video! People out there open your eyes!
I live in America and unfortunately that is how Americans buy their clothes - quantity over quality. Way too much and way too often. Cheaper the better. Unethical labor won't be going away anytime soon, as long as a typical American consumer exists.
This has totally changed my point of view. I wasn't aware of any of these things. It upsets me because I've been buying clothes in Zara, H&M, Mango... for a lot of time. The issue is that I'm a student and I can't afford more expensive shops. I sometimes go thrift shopping, but it's difficult to made up a closset out of 2nd handed garments. Any tips? Thanks for the video!
Look up videos where they upcycle or tailor stuff they find in thrift shops. Also exploring different styles and fashion tips. There are more expensive consignment stores, even online, that are more expensive but will be easier to find stuff you might like. You can try Facebook groups selling clothes or clothing swaps or even organizing your own clothing swap with friends and stuff.
Everyone has an excuse. Nobody wants to take responsibility to use their creativity and the resources available and figure out how to buy quality clothes that aren’t cookie cutter mall cheap mass produce trendy plain vanilla clothing. Sorry to burst your bubble but Nobody’s going to hold your hand throughout every little thing of life especially something to do it with what you’re wearing. These videos are a great resource take what you want and leave the rest and stop crying Throwing your hands up as if you have no choice in this day and age of the Internet etc.
Mimi Ramone there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Someone sending a tip or two on shopping is a far far stretch from holding someone’s hand all along the way. Someone asking a question is nothing to get uppity about.
Only buy clothes you know you will use multiple times. This is usually what people call closet essentials that can be used multiple times in multiple outfits. As a college student I can say we tend to fall to the idea that we need more clothes instead of really looking at what we need and how we can wear various times.
very interesting!! sadly, here, in Argentina. Many brands are illegal, also the small national companies. i know many fashion designers that told me that. In Argentina, the economy is very bad. so the clothes is one of the most expensive things in the market. that is why brands do everything to make cheaper the products. the economy here is so bad that many global fashion brands do not exist for example: F21, H&M, Topshop, Primark, Mango, Target, Aeropostale, VS, etc... also the president's wife (Juliana Awada) has got 3 fashion brands ("Cheeky", for kids, "Como quieres que te quiera", for teenagers and "Awada", for women). the 3 brands have got clandestine work, and it doesn`t mean that the brands are cheap an awada's dress can cost 600 dollars people can not buy clothes usually. Very sad
+cande knd wow, that doesn't seem right... Sorry to hear that... Brands could produce locally & make a selling argument out of it, though. Buying local helps the local industry, instead of seeing production capacity leave to cheaper countries... I will look into the brands you named, thank you!! 💜
Justine Leconte officiel thank you to read it. here you have a link that explain the case.. it's in spanish but you can translate it www.laizquierdadiario.com/Juliana-Awada-empresaria-esclavista-y-el-cinismo-del-PRO
The one thing I do with the clothes I buy from such shops, is that I rip it apart and use it in a different way, once I feel the item no longer suits me. I'm learning to draft my own clothes from existing pieces of clothing that already fit me. Also, I'm trying to buy less and less from such brands because I'm only perpetuating the mistreatment.
I remember growing up in the 80s and 90s even though there were already some cheap/fast fashion brands, still there was only a spring, summer, fall and a winter collection and usually whatever you bought would be favorite pieces for that season but also would be still wearable easily for the next 3-5 years to come, qualitywise and fashionwise. What is happening now I have to say is not only disgusting (from a ethic point of view, even though I am sure it was bad already before but we just didn't know back then) but also way too overwhelming. As a teen I was used to consider a long time before buying a piece. Sometimes it would take me 2 months and several try ons before i had finally made the choice (and gathered the money) to buy a specific piece. Just this summer I had bought a polo shirt on a whim, found it very nice, and thought 2 weeks after 'hmm, i'll get it in a few more colors'. nope, it was not supposed to happen. Even though it was a spring collection piece and it was still early spring, it was already out of store and not available anymore anywhere. Next round of spring items was out. Walked out of the store without buying anything. It is ridiculous. This super fast turnover is just a way of creating FOMO (fear of missing out) and it only leads to us collecting pieces in our wardrobes that we never really wear and once we start wearing them they fall apart within barely a season or are washed out cause they are not meant to last. After all, you are supposed to buy the next round of clothing. Another way to fuel this urgency to buy new pieces again and again is in my opinion how fashion is made in a way that you cannot well combine pieces of 5 years ago with nowaday pieces. For example, when I was a teen jeans went up to almost your belly button and we wore crop tops with it. But then the low cut jeans got into fashion and suddenly if you wore any of your short tops you actually were quite naked, so tops needed to be longer and everyone needed to buy longer tops. Now the high waisted jeans are rolling around again and if you don't want the button of your jeans to bulge under your long shirts you better get yourself some new crop tops. Nice how that works, isn't it? I can only urge people to not buy into all of this. Get to know your body and find which style fits best with your personal proportions. Don't run after every trend even if FOMO seems to be so real. Do invest in a few good quality well combine-able pieces you really love rather than a wardrobe full of flimsy rags that you won't wear for the most part. I know it's hard, but the fashion industry (and it's nothing but that, an industry) will continue its sinister ways under which millions of people suffer as long as it's profitable for them, as long as it just works. They'll always find away around any regulation. Where there's greed, sadly there is also a lot of creativity about how to make a profit no matter what. All we can do is try and not play along too much or if possible not at all.
My favorite clothing brand sources the wool from local farmers, and makes the simple garments in a little factory out the back of the store, employing local people. It was so shocking to see something made completely locally that they became my favorite brand then and there. They might be 3x the price, but they're so much higher in quality and I can wear the clothing knowing the people who made it are living well.
I haven't bought any "new" clothes in over two years, and I've barely noticed. I do go clothe shopping occassionally, but always in charity shops (our thrift stores). The only time I've been a little bit sad about it was when I wanted to change my style and couldn't find anything that would work in these second-hand shops. But then again, I've never been one to wear what's "in", and just tend to cycle through a series of tops with the same two pairs of jeans.
so tell me... What should a mother in Cambodia or china tell her children at dinner, when she does not have anything to put in the table because she lost her job, when a factory laid her off due to wealthier people (with first world problems) stop buying because they feel is "fair" Remember, there is only one thing worst than that type of job... it is call "NO JOB at all" or worst... But I am sure that while you think you are acting all "ethical" and go home at night to a full fridge, feeling pretty good about your decision to save the world of "unethical jobs" you have no one... crying to you because they have nothing to eat. Have you ever lived in one of "those countries"? do you really know what their real problems are? I have, and I can tell you a low paying job is the LEAST of their problems. So, while I agree on the issue I respectfully disagree on your solution
This may be an unpopular opinion, but.. 1. Sometimes, given the financial situation, there have been times that fast fashion items were the only clothing I could afford ( thrift stores are not available in all the countries /cities). How I managed to make the best of it was by buying simple/basic cuts and taking care of the clothes very, very well ( hand washing and line drying). I still have items I've bought 4/5 years ago for less than 10 dollars that are in good to excellent condition. Buying from fast fashion brands doesn't necessarily have to mean 'unsustainable' if you can make it stretch. 2. I'm not a big believer in spending a lot of money on things I could wear for 10 years. Human body changes, fashion apatite and circumstances change ( I may be a executive of a company in 10 years but would the clothes I spent a fortune on when I was an intern hoping for longevity work for me then? Not really. I may have children within a 10 year time span that would most definitely alter my body, so would the jean I spent 200 on still fit?) I believe the trick is in moderation. If I can only afford to pay 20 for a dress and there are no Thrift stores in my country to buy second hand, I will buy fast fashion. But I will buy sensibly and take care of them as best as I can so I don't fall into the viscous 2-week cycle and contribute overly to a toxic industry.
@@piyusarkar3065 and not all thrift stores have good quality items either. Some may be able to visit a different store in another city, but not everyone. It all depends on personal circumstances.
@@NiesLife exactly. And most thrift stores stock clothes that looks older and more used than my own old clothes, so why invest there? And it's really funny but it's kinda a common joke in India that a tshirt's life is in 4stages: 1st brand new for going out, 2nd used and wearable at home, 3rd wear for holi (festival where we play with colors) and 4th finally for dusting and cleaning So, yeah we Indians do reuse until it exist 😅😅😅
Start your own thrift store then :) (I would, but we have one in almost every corner already) we also have some stores here that GIVE clothes for FREE. I don't know how they manage, but I think this is a very nice thing to do :)
Totally agree! I think instead of forcing yourself to purchase more expensive items (the price difference is also huge), just be a smart, considerate consumer. Buy things that could potentially last a good while. I support the idea of this video but everyone is in different situations.
As someone working in the Supply Chain of a very large clothing company (not exactly fast fashion but almost) I can say you make a lot of good points. The fast fashion retailers have indeed created a number of bad habits of consumptions and it's on us consumers to think and act differently. However, I really have to call out 2 things which are often misconceptions about the industry. 1. As tempting as it is to accuse H&M and Zara (or Uniqlo for that matter) of wrongdoings, they are way more compliant and ethical than most people would think. The Rana building disaster as been a huge turning point for all big players in the industry. Since that tragic event and led by pressure from the public opinion, all top retailers have been working hard on building more compliant, ethical processes, creating long term partnership with suppliers and offering much better transparency about their supply chain. The H&M and Zara of this World are under so much scrutiny that they have no choice but to raise these standards, and they have. Factories in Bangladesh, Vietnam, China etc. that work with the fast fashion companies have to go through extremely more complex audits that guarantee not only safety and compliance but also sustainability and higher levels of education and opportunities to workers. 2. You make a point about these companies producing 'en-masse' to reduce their cost and simply waste what has not been sold. Actually, it's not really like that. There is something called Responsive Supply Chain and Fabric platforming that allows brands to simply buy large volumes of fabric and work on developing collections with that same fabric. Cost saving is made on long term partnership with mills to hold that fabric that will be used for more than one style and season and also by producing small quantities of garments with that fabric and adjust the style/design depending on the response from consumer. No companies out there is welcoming any sort of inventory wastage as a good strategy to reduce cost. All in all Justine, it's important to say that Fashion is not evil. It's certainly not perfect yet but it's going towards the right direction by become everyday more ethical, and by improving their back end processes (data management, responsiveness, vendor empowerment, IT systems) rather than purely compressing the cost of 'little workers' in Asia (which, granted had gone way to far and out of control until the April 2013). I hope this POV helps. Thanks for your videos Justine, and for sharing your passion so well.
+MrGweilohk thank YOU for sharing your insider knowledge as well! Very good points. It is a fact that with every "industrial accidents", industries learn. The absence of any reaction would be seriously sick! Isn't it weird that in new business models, companies always tend to go too far... until an external trigger forces them to find a kind of better balance?... After Rana Plaza, the working/safety conditions in Bangladesh improved, for instance, but then H&M launched their organic cotton collection... and the sourcing of the raw material was proven to be unethical & extremely water-consuming (do you maybe know more on that matter?). It means that the mindset hasn't necessarily changed, only adapted as far as the public opinion could see/judge. And you are right: there are more fast fashion brands that just those 3-4 big ones that keep getting into the spotlight. Definitely. I believe that information is key to bring the balance, from the consumers' side. I would love to know which company you work for - but it is ok if you prefer not to mention it. Have a great day & thanks again!
Yep, I agree with you, solutions come often after a major (often tragic) accident. It's true for safety on aircrafts, regulations on pharmaceutical companies, finance and banking policies, government laws... and to your point, probably even more so for new business models. Regarding H&M's case on organic cotton, I don't know enough about the situation to give you an answer. I can only assume that they did have a good intention for an ethical sourcing but went too fast with it and did not do a proper diligence work on the vendors they were sourcing materials from. For sure they would have preferred not to get any bad publicity with this, so that has most likely helped them improved their sourcing policies, and knowledge. The leitmotiv in companies of our industries is to work on new solutions that will improve the ethics and sustainability of our products. Mentalities are slowly changing... it's getting there. There might be some hiccups along the way, but this industry has done so much in the right direction in the last 3 to 5 years. One might argue that it's only to satisfy the public opinion, but even if so, it's a noble enough reason to improve a business. Interesting question. Look, even if I work in this mass market industry, and I believe in it its values and intent, I still think it's very refreshing to hear opinion leaders like you that sit at the other end of the 'fashion spectrum' promoting more exclusive and conscious shopping and authentic fashion. Thanks for this nice convo :)
Honestly, my main motivation to make RUclips videos is the discussions, smart comments & further thoughts I get back from all my very-smart viewers. So yes, I am happy to share my views, but I also get a lot back! :-)
i make my own garments , my mom always told us about the reality of fashion industry since she was a designer her self , i used to be mad at her when i was a teenager for letting me buy clothes from fast fashion brands but since i became a designer myself i know now that she was right about all of it
Normal non-fashion-focused people, everyday people, do not change their wardrobes for each season and look for "pieces" and "items" that are combinable in novel ways. We do not have to struggle to bring our wardrobe down to "33 key pieces", in fact I doubt I even own 33 different items of clothing at all, excluding socks and stuff. This is not a "capsule wardrobe", this is what average people own. We do wear the same things that we like for years, this is not a difficult or new concept. You are so wrapped up in the mindset of the "industry" that you don't know what average people think like. For most people, clothes are just something to stop you being naked. Not "identity" or "branding" or "personal statement for the season". No average person buys a t-shirt in a shop like Forever 21 and thinks 2 weeks later that they can't wear it because it's "out of fashion" now so they'd better throw it out and buy another one. Don't be foolish.
Agreed. I don't care about trends or seasons. I want affordable quality that will last for years and can go in the washer and dryer I'm on a budget and have more important bills, such as medical because I'm in the US
I am from Bangladesh and it's very tragic to share that incidents like Rana Plaza tragedy are normal things to our government. The Garments employee get $100 per month as their salary. There was this woman whose fingers got stuck in the sewing machine. So instead of Saving her fingers the manager chose to save the sewing machine and cut her fingers off. People like you can raise an awareness in other countries so the companies makes sure that the employees are getting righteous salary. Please do us this favor. Coz if we raise our voice the government will cover everything with their lame excuses.
I'll contribute a few points against these fast fashion brands, and all these are from personal experiences. 1. Do you really want to buy a Mango dress that their saleswomen will be wearing a month later as uniforms? 2. These fast fashion brands aren't exactly cheap, but they use polyester and other synthetic materials and sell clothes at prices that silk or pure cotton/linen stuff retails for. 3. Even more high end brands use cheap materials like Swarovski, CKlein, Gucci. Many times you really are paying for the name only.
Excellent video. I completely agree. I think the sustainable fashion movement is gathering real momentum and I am sure it will be mainstream in 5 - 10 years, like recycling household waste is now. I made a vow in Sept 16 to buy no new clothes (apart from shoes and underwear) for a year. And it's fine! I have the advantage of being able to sew and it is my ultimate aim to have no clothes in my wardrobe that I have not made myself, or refashioned from thrift stores, or bought from independent designers with good eco credentials. It will take a while but it's good for the environment, good for fighting against poor labour conditions abroad, good for the local economy and good fun. Keep up the great work Justine.
i used to think "well that's how things are" but that's just a way of saying "this sucks but i dont know what to do so i wont do anything". when i was 20 and i traveled to Bolivia and Brazil and all i knew was confirm in the worst kind of way. I live in Latin america and every country u see have been exploited by big usa corporations so i started doing my own clothes, after a few years (im now 24) im very good at doing basic stuff so when i buy it's just to buy really complex and generally expensive garments and i can spend a little bit more for all the money i save.
I´m from Brazil and accidentally found your chanel. But I really believe what you said. We don´t need so many clothes to be happy and beautiful! Thank you for opening my mind :)
Thank you for addressing this crucial topic! I admire your ethics. In addition to the important problems you highlighted, the voluminous waste created by fast fashion is another of its evils.
Ethical clothes are hard to find. I wouldn't know where to go, to be honest. And I would like to highlight that actually less and less people in so called developed countries have much of a clothing budget. In videos like this I often hear the argument that 'I'd rather have one or two great quality pairs of jeans than 20 from fast fashion". (jeans is just an example and can be substituted by any garment). I think that is not any more the dominant question. I know many people, who have only 1-2 pairs of jeans - from fast fashion because that's all that we can afford. And it's not a prioritisation issue, there's no cinema every week or eating out or coffees to go either. It's trying to keep your head over water and out of debt and worse. And the number of people is increasing. I wish ethical clothing was easily accessible and affordable for everyone. The food and clothing industry seem to face similar ethical issues. How did we get this way?!!!
+angelfoodcake1979 I did a video on where/how to find ethical clothing (might help). I don't know where you live but here in Europe, the disposal income is statistically increasing every year on average - here you see people (middle-class & up) who say "I can't afford ethical clothes" when in fact they just don't want to & take the "easy" path. For instance, in Germany people save above 10% of their income every month. So the budget is there... And then it is a matter of mindset.
I don't get why people are "complaining" about how they cant afford designer wardrobe to justify that they bought these fast-fashion clothes. Okay! Okay! I get it, I also cant afford designers' wardrobe but this shouldn't be an excuse! Aren't there any local clothing shop around your city? Find a small business clothes! Like small chic boutique or something. I found them a lot online, they also could be much cheaper than this fast-fashion clothing! Not to mention that they're also in good quality and not outdated. So why the excuse?
Hace más de una década leí un libro sobre las marcas famosas y las pésimas condiciones de trabajo de las obreras que las confeccionan. Desde que era joven uso fast fashion y me gusta, pero no compro 24 veces al año. Mis favoritas siguen siendo Banana Republic, Ann Taylor y su Loft, y H&M. Conservo una bufanda de Per Spook y unos guantes de Rodier ¡de hace 35 años! Otras marcas son J. Crew y Benetton. Hace once años fui a Brooks Brothers y lo que compré luce como si lo hubiera comprado hoy, igual un saco de Jil Sander, otro de Feraud y hace unos quince años me regalé un traje de dos piezas de Chanel, pero nunca lo he usado, pues no tengo aún el dinero para el riguroso outfit de esta Casa de moda: me faltan los zapatos, la blusa , la bolsa, etc., todo de Chanel y, sobre todo, me falta el jet set. También me encanta mi bolsa de tela de Vanessa Bruno, que ya tiene poco más de un lustro. Isabelle Marant y Antropologie parece que fabrican su ropa en Vietnam, pero no pienso deshacerme de unas camisetas de esas marcas, que son de un algodón excelente que hacen que no te sofoques en un clima de 40°C. Espero que alguna vez pueda usar ropa congruente con lo vegano, o sea, Stella Mcartney, aunque en Target hay cosas muy bonitas, como la ropa Converse y hace años vendieron diseños de Liberty. ¿Cuál es la marca de los diseños de Justine?
I'm a university student coming from a poor family. I work to be able to buy food. I don't care about fashion and I buy clothes maybe once or twice a year, and only if I need something (I bought a jacket last winter because my old one was 12 years old and fell apart and I was freezing in the -20 C weather, I buy a bathing suit if I need it for the summer etc). I can't even afford H&M. I only buy there if I see something I need on sale. I can't spend over $5 on a T-shirt, I just don't have that kind of money. I think this video really isn't fair and is accusing poor people for being poor. I mean, give me money and I'll buy anything you want me to buy. Of course I'd rather buy high quality clothes than what I normally wear. But most people are like me and we can't afford it.
I feel like its impossible to escape fast fashion in latin america. I lived all my live in Venezuela and i had very limited access to clothes so i took good care of the ones i had, bought them with a lot of care and thought and often bought them seccond handed. But still, non fast fashion is way too expensive and i still buy in H&M, but trying to pay attention to quality and taking good care of my clothes. I have forever 21 items that i bought 4 years ago, still look good. :(
for us in latam, brands like Zara, H&M, F21 or so are very very expensive, let alone high-end clothing. If we buy fast fashion that stuff has to last us for years
Do you have girlfriends to swap with? Farmers market with independent vendors who make clothing? Do you have Access to the Internet? Surely if there’s an H&M in the area there has to be other major department stores that carry a variety of designers & have sales etc. no? It’s OK that you have shopped at H&M but the excuses are getting silly.
If Zara is considered fast fashion, then surely it is wrong for any member of the Royal Family to be wearing them - due to the working conditions you highlight. I know that Duchess of Cambridge has worn Zara outfits at times. It's good to get the inside track on what goes on in the fashion industry. I don't buy fast fashion, and never really have, even when I was younger. Sometimes I buy the odd T shirt from the supermarket but that's about it.
buying vintage and from secondhand stores is also better for the environment! There is a lot of water waste that goes into these clothes! Not to say that the human toll is any less important but there are so so many reasons to stop buying from these brands!
I think fast fashion is not a problem, but a symptom of an underlying issue - unaddressed psychological damage that is medicated though compulsive shopping. Fast fashion produce so much waste because so many people are used to medicate their anxiety with this "retail therapy" there. Fast fashion just plays into bad habits of consumers. Substituting fast fashion with thrift shopping is not a solution - thrift shops won't be able so sustain the demand of people with compulsive shopping habits. Bad habits drive fast fashion, and I suspect that if everyone moves to so-called "sustainable" fashion, it will become unsustainable very quickly. Also, eventually thrift shops would run out of non-damaged garments. Also, keep in mind that ongoing pandemic situation may destroy thrift shops ENTIRELY if some politicians would decide that they need to make obligatory disinfection procedures + overall tea of consumers of getting germs from other people's clothes.
I live in Spain and I really don't know where to find good quality or ethical clothes, because for example you can find brands like Etam or brands from El Corte Inglés that sell expensive but terrible quality clothing. I feel like I can't escape even if I want to because everywhere you go you find cheap&bad quality or expensive&bad quality. I usually buy from second-hand stores because I've never followed the trends but the clothes that are sold there are always from fast-fashion brands anyway...
+Dolly H. Overall you are right. But it depends on the brand, really. For the record: countries like China are able to produce good quality too! But their biggest volumes go to fast fashion brands unfortunately. And Mexico produces fast fashion too...
Love your videos! I especially enjoy hearing more about fast fashion. There is very little out there about 'fair trade' vs 'free trade' in clothing options. Any/all extra information you share is much appreciated! Thank you
+Lauren Vassilico I did a follow-up video about how & where to find sustainable fashion. But that's it for now... Though I might tackle this topic again, as I get many questions about it. Interested? Do you have specific questions?
Thanks, I checked the second video out just now. I've only started this type of research, so I unfortunately don't have additional questions at this time. My husband and I live in a sort of tiny home (250 sq ft), and I consider my wardrobe to be capsule, even though it isn't of the upmost professional grade. I also had to make some health changes, and I've lost about 18 lbs. All this to say that I will need to go shopping for new clothes soon...hence my recent interest in "good shopping." So. Yes, I'm definitely interested in this topic, and I appreciate your work on it!
Thank you for addressing this in your channel, I think the disposable culture that is cultivated does not need to exist and ideally we would do best to try to source our clothing, toys, hobbies, and even food as ethically as possible. Whether that means something made by a person down the street, or buying from a small company or designer like you across the globe, let's keep our wealth in our own hands instead of funnelling it upwards in exchange for cheap crap made by exploiting the labor or other human beings.
I am so poor that all I own are few pairs of jeans and a few shirts and t shirts form UNIQLO. (and 1-2 sport clothing from nike etc for the gym and hiking and whatnot) And I heard that UNIQLO is fast fashion now? So were can I find good new clothes that is as cheap?
My mum used to buy nothing but H&M back when it was still called "Hennes&Mauritz". Because they used to actually make affordable (not cheap) clothes that would LAST. This all changed in the 90s and early 2000s. The prices dropped and so did the quality. It got so bad that a piece of clothing would only last a season, MAYBE two. Honestly I don't blame H&M. They saw they're sales dropping and realized that people wanted cheap clothes now rather than reasonably priced ones that would last a while. But I can see the consumers perspective too. With even quality brands getting caught up in scandals concerning poor working conditions in so called third world countries, many feel overwhelmed and unable to make an informed decision (of course that sort of intransparency is intented both by fast fashion sbd "reputable" brands. Also many can't afford better clothing and as someone has mentioned below Second Hand isn't a viable option everywhere. Here in Germany it's almost exclusive baby and children's clothing. However it's not all looking grim. I've made good experiences with apps that offer peer to peer selling which are becoming more and more popular so I hope that's a sign of the trend changing
I also still have one pullover from "Hennes&Mauritz". Honestly this thing is indestructible. It must be close to 20 years old at this point and the only "complaint" I have about it, is that it doesn't fit right anymore because my body has changed a bit in those 20 years lol. So I wear it only around the house now, but I could never part with it as long as it's so good. None of the clothes I have bought in the past years have come close to this pullover's quality. I haven't set foot in H&M in probably over 5 years now, because nowadays their clothes fall apart after the second wash.
I don't know if I am the first Bangladeshi to comment here. But in case someone else hasn't said it here before me, I will just try to address the Western consumers of Bangladeshi clothes, " please watch what you are buying." I know a lot of "educated" Bangladeshis will tell you the garment industry is increasing our GDP. But unfortunately, based on my experience that GDP has little to do with the whole country's economic situation.
Bangladesh was an agricultural country before this fast fashion madness in the West. I am sorry to generalize, but that's the truth of it.
Growing up, I didn't see a polluted Dhaka city that was unthinkable crowded by garment workers from the rest of the country. Neither did I see the incredible rise of wealth- gap. Both these are the blessings of fast fashion.
Those things aside, just on the humane issue, when you buy these clothes, you keep feeding this evil chain.
If you could just see the working conditions of those factories, you would feel like you are wearing other people's lives for two weeks. An average factory worker can work for 2 to 3 years before getting sick. There are 2 toilets for about a 120 female workers on a floor, and same for men. Not to mention, to catch a restroom break is incredibly difficult. When there's a sudden order for a bulk of clothes, the factory owners lock the workers in the building for the night. And yes, they don't pay overtime for these "sudden" needs. There's more, these workers are generally women. Because men tend to ask for "a little more", you can pay women less and control them easily. So factories prefer female workers.
On the safety issues, I am guessing you have at least heard of Rana Plazza. Well, there has been many fires in many garment factories throughout decades. Rana Plazza just took enough lives to catch the attention of the media worldwide. Numerous times fires in garment factories have killed people, or injured them.
I remember passing a garment factory everyday on my way to school. And for those seven years, I have never seen that factory's 'immergency exit' open. It just used to be there. One time as I was coming back from school our rickshaw stopped, there was a crowd of people in front of the building, they were scared and fighting. some were trapped inside the building. There was a fire in the building, some workers ran out and the security locked the door with the rest inside. The manager said, "there is no fire. The workers will steal our clothes". So some of those scared workers were trapped inside while the others were wailing outside. Luckily, that fire didn't kill anyone. But not many were as lucky. there have many such incidents that escaped the notice of international media.
After leaving the country, I see people buying Zaara, H&M etc clothes. Many people are unfortunately addicted to buying new clothes.
In class, as our teacher was explaining why we should not buy unneccesarily, I noticed many people don't want to hear it. They say, "I am just one person, if I stop buying, it will do nothing".
But it does matter. As long as you keep buying, they will keep producing in the same brutal way. Yes, you are one person,
yes, it's our country's duty to enforce labour law, yes, other people will keep buying it, but can you honestly say that you wouldn't mind if your home was burning and your neighbour came with a cigarette to light from the fire?
If you say you would, then don't add even a single drop of fuel into this already huge fire. This is more serious than it looks to you from outside - I know. And the money you pay gets in the pockets of Bangladshi rich men, whose families live abroad in luxury, you are not improving the economy here, either. So please, don't buy cheap clothes to feel good and throw them in a month.
Sorry for the huge comment. But I hope it reaches at least one person.
+mahbuba akhtar hi there. Your testimony is so important that I will pin it to the top. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all this. Keep spreading your message: it reaches more people than you think & awareness for this situation is increasing, little by little. Take care. 🌞
Thanks for speaking up on this issue and replying.
Keep up the good work! :)
mahbuba akhtar I read through all of your comment and I researched about what you've said. Thank you for posting this as you have changed my mind about buying from these places. I rarely purchase anything from those stores but now I won't even think about it and I don't think I could after reading this.
Thank you. And you also changed my mind just now. I have been frustrated and thinking "people don't care". ;)
mahbuba akhtar thank you so much for sharing your experience and information. this issue does matter to me and I am spreading the word.
Dear Justine, can you pleas make a video on afordable brands, which are NOT fast fashion?
buy less (so you can spend more on a quality piece) and , why not, make your own
@@MegaTinni In the video, Justine said higher price doesn't necessarily mean higher quality. It could also mean higher markup. It's also unrealistic to expect people to make their own clothes. Not everyone has the skill or even the interest to make their own clothes. What if I said why not fix your own car?
If it's good *and* new, it won't be cheap. That's the reality of it. That's why the second hand market is *really* important if you want to be responsible.
@@PT111111 That is why I wrote to spend your money on a QUALITY piece ;)
True, an expensive piece is not always a quality piece.
But a quality piece will always be more expensive than a fast fashion piece. Always.
I will never fix my own car. It's not in my interests. I also never watch youtubers that have channels about the subject. I assume followers of Justine are easier to persuade to make fashion than I am to persuade to fix my own car :)
Buy clothes that are made in your own country
Yes darling you are correct . But just to mention that non fast fashion brands such as hugo boss and louis vuitton dolce etc etc, are tailoring their clothes in countries such as Moldova for example (geographic europe) and then sew the label in Italy for example and say Made in Italy.
So not only fast fashion brands are not worth their price also other high- end, much more expensive brands are doing the exact same thing! they just hide it a little smarter
Burberry for example produces lots of things in Bosnia where I am from. I saw the made in Bosnia&Herzegovina tags in their shops in Vienna myself. It's not part of EU, but it's still geographically Europe, and while people working in the factories probably don't suffer horrible conditions, I dont think they are payed over 400 to 500 € per month. That's what someone with higher aducation makes here. Doctors, attorneys or so can go to 1000 to 1500 € per months at best.
"geographic europe" lol :D Is there any other Europe?
@@bialynia The European Union. Not every country that is geographically in Europe belongs in the European Union. There is a hell of a difference.
@@melancholica999 You are absolutely right. And numbers should not matter, it's the quality of life. I'm a double college graduate and could never get a job in Serbia as I did not want to accept to work for less then minimum wage. I would be more than satisfied with 400-500 a month. That was never on offer. So, just because these seamstresses are paid less then a Parisian worker, does not mean a company is necessarily doing anything bad.
yes, they cut corners too, imagine that a fast-fashion brand is designed to work like that and make it at 6x the speed and 10x the scale
I'm surprised that using the services of a tailor never comes up in a discussion about building your wardrobe ethically. We so need to bring those back!
Or at least having a person alter fast fashion to make it fit you. So many fast fashion items just don't fit right.
@@Commentator541 but what would be the point of altering fast fashion when it won't last you that long? Sometimes tailoring can be the same price as the garment or at least a large portion of it.
That would cost us more and sadly some if us don't have that much money
@@vivalachoba That's true, but the same can be said about any ethical fashion.
@Jake Dean I know, I own one :) I still suck at tailoring, but even so, I think that the few garments I made myself are far better than the majority of the ones I bought. Even if I spend quite a lot anyway because decent quality fabrics aren't exactly cheap I never regret it because I don't feel like I'm compromising. Even though I still can't make exactly the clothes I want to wear, I'm closer than ever before.
"Made in Europe" isn't a guarantee for good quality and work ethics. A great deal of the clothes by big (even luxury) companies are made here in Bulgaria, where seamstresses work 14 hours a day and make 200 euros per month.
Alexandra hence why in my family we really value what we have as a lot of work has gone into making those garments which people in the west tend to overlook.
It's the same in Serbia.
Alexandra But the cost of living in Bulgaria is very low. It’s all relative
The clothes made in Bulgaria are of a very good quality and the work ethic of the workers is usually very high. The problem is that they are not paid enough for the quality they produce and for the time they spend at work.
@@jaebird789 the cost of living in Bulgaria is not low at all with a 200 EUR salary. If you wish to do a normal grocery shopping with average quality of the food it will take you between 25-50 EUR per week (may be even more). Then comes the bills and what-not. Life in Bulgaria is expensive when you get a minimum wage salary!
I am from Bangladesh . I know how much they torture those cloth labours to work hard in very minimum wage . I am glad that u talked about it . And specially you are talking about extreamly matarialistic behaviour . u are not only a good and talented youtuber but also a very wonderful human being . hope to see you someday . I love you girl . Tnx a lot :) lots of love
shompurna gunjan 👍👍
But what will be if they wont have this job. Is it better to be tortured or to not be able to feed kids and die from hunger. I just dont see whats offered in replace of taking their chance of income. If they work there, means they dont have better choice and thats last opportunity. Please correct me if im wrong.
@@alemanalondon these companies could pay their employees a living wage (which would still be much vcheaper than the US), and have them make higher quality clothing at the same time. People will pay if you force it.
Its all greed.. they could pay more to their employees and still have a looot of profit.
@@alemanalondon I agree. This is the problem with situations like this. If there was no demand the factories would close and how would they feed their families then? It may seem easy to solve one problem, but doing that creates many more.
One of these days i will buy a sewing machine and start doing my own clothes. That could be a good solution to all of this.
It's definitely worth it! I'm also a designer, and I've stopped shopping at shops like these mainly because I felt that the price for many of their clothing was ridiculous and expensive, and most of the pieces are poor in quality, and I know the costs were extremely low. I like to say I would rather spend 20 bucks at the fabric store on great fabric than paying 20 bucks for some polyester shirt that has "flawless" on it. Not to mention sewing your own clothes means everything will fit according to your body.
I do sew some of my own clothes, but most of the fabric we can buy is made in developing counties and those fabric mills probably have many of the same labor issues as the sewing sweatshops. It becomes another challenge to find ethically produced & eco-friendly fabrics.
Look on the internet for fabrics made in Europe. The manufactures have to follow laws for the employees to not deal with dangerous chemicals. I also have bought fabrics from Africa. These vendors where from coop and again no dangerous chemicals.
If you have not bought your sewing machine yet. Look for a older model made in metal, they are sturdy and will give you years of good service. Give yourself a time line to do so because you will always push it and never sew. I do know what I am talking about! I need to give myself dates for my goals.
I have been sewing almost all of my summer clothing this year. Time to unfold the winter stash now.
I have bought a great sewing machine swiss made (i'm swiss so try to support the last local stuff that we maybe produce... lol). With the exact same idea I've done some pieces. Now I do for my son and husband some stuff but this takes really time and cost is twice expensive then quality or ethical brand. But this is a really nice and playfull activity! love it!
Shoutout to the Netflix documentary The True Cost, it was fantastic in providing information about fast fashion as well!
Such a good doc. I know so many people who said that doco forever changed how they view fashion.
Jessi Hollander I agree that documentary I saw two years ago and it was shocking.
Sadly if we move out those manufacturing the people have zero income and can’t survive at all.
@@anna_m59 if you are buying from more ethical sources someone else is getting a job, it's not a zero sum game.
For me to wear a T-shirt etc someone needs to die ? That makes me guilty to 😔
Going to watch it
I bought a Sandro skirt last summer. The original tag was 150, but I must admit I got it in the 2d sales -60 euros, the ¡most I could possibly afford- and, guess what? It was also made in China. The same happens with most of supposedly no-fast-fashion brands, like Maje, Fornarina, Guess, Bimba y Lola, Dolores Promesas, Adolfo Dominguez, Religion, Free People Desigual or Highly Preppy. They all manufacture in non-western countries because the costs are much lower and with the final product price, the profit margin is absolutely huge. It's funny how HM, Zara, Primark, etc get to be the bad guys when all these other brands do the same, are more expensive, but don't get the credit for the negative publicity. When I make an effort to buy something a bit more expensive, I expect it to be better quality and more ethical, but in the end, my feeling is that it is all a fraud and I'm just paying for a status symbol.
Guess is fast fashion!!!!
I think the point is the quality. Just because it's made in China doesn't necessarily mean it's low quality. But the point of avoiding fast fashion is trying to find better quality clothes and more staple pieces so you don't add to the cycle. This way you're not constantly shopping more and throwing things away or donating them. Also, a higher price doesn't necessarily mean not fast fashion.
It's just like all the bad press that Coca-Cola has been getting for ages. "coca cola has a lot of sugar", "coca cola is poison", "coca cola makes you fat". Guess what? coca cola is not any different to any other soda, some have even more sugar than Coca Cola, like Mountain Dew or Red Bull. Have you ever hear that Fanta makes you fat? Or Pepsi also has tons of sugar? Weird, isn't?
tee cee i high price doesn't equal quality either!
This is hopeless... How can we ever escape the fast fashion trap? I’m seriously considering learning dressmaking and becoming my own seamstress, but I know nothing about fashion or about how to copy a design. I’m not designer material
In Pakistan most people get their clothes tailored. Both rich and poor. I remember when I was a kid my mother would store summer clothes during winters and vice versa and the same clothes would be worn for years. But so much has changed in the last ten years, ready to wear clothes have become a huge thing and surprisingly the unstiched lawn industry has gotten even bigger. The worst part is that all of these clothes are only good for a certain period of time. People feel ashamed to wear the clothes from last season. Everyone around me can look at a dress/suit and basically tell what brand it is from and how old it is.
I just miss the times when I would see my mother and aunts buying or somehow getting an amazing fabric, took it to embroiderer (For special occasions) and then to the tailor. These clothes wouldn't just last a lifetime but through generations. It's really hard to find a good embroiderer now, back then everyone knew one.
Thankfully it hasn't changed completely and many people still live like that but I am afraid that it wont last...
I hope as long as there are people still doing this and encouraging it, then perhaps it would last a little longer! :)
So true!!
Yeah true 😐
Ohh no worries..... when someone “bigbrain” say lets do smg “new” and “trendy” then the mass will take their old clothes or textiles to the tailors, when the tailoring will be on trend! I bet my life on it! It s sad but, this is how it is....
Even in the 80s and 90s Americans were getting thier clothes tailored, or more commonly mom or grandma was hemming our hand-me-downs and letting out dad's waistband 🤣. Very fast fashion started in the late 90s and has become normal it seems. I genuinely blame the cultural norms coming out of China; at least the ones that looks down on those less fortunate and deifies money. At least in the west, frugality and prudence are considered virtuous. I don't think I realized how wasteful the mentality of fast fashion can be until I met Asian students studying abroad who bought a huge amount of clothing just to throw it away at the end of thier study period. They bought it to take photos in. To show thier friends back home how trendy they were. I bought exactly two items of clothing while studying abroad, because we were so poor and I couldn't find a job, just a night shirt for summer and a pair of slippers. I had that nightshirt for 15 years after we returned home, btw. It was painful for me to leave behind some kitchenware I couldn't take in my suitcase or ship, I cringed so hard seeing skip after skip of clothing being carted off.
How will you comment on the fact that nowadays EVERYONE produces in Vietnam, Morocco, India etc? Not just fast brands like H&M, but literally every brands I can think of. There's always cheap labour involved, whether it's a 10 euro jacket or a 1000 euro jacket. Also, the perception that made in EU is okay is half the truth. Eastern EU still involves cheap labour, although not as cheap as in the Third World countries. Brands that sell more expensive, only they can 'afford' to produce in the EU.
I was in a Greek factory in Bulgaria (Eastern EU) that produces Rolmann, Hugo Boss and other similar brands, and we all know how expensive these brands are, yet the labour is really low paid. Main investment seems to be factory equipment. I can tell you that the whole production process of a Hugo Boss jacket (minus material and factory investment, basically the labour itself) is less than 25 euro and the only reason Rolmann is located in Europe is that they sell more high end clothing and the margin is high.
So it seems boycotting brands that produce in places like Bangladesh means boycotting almost everyone and buying either super expensive stuff or local designers. Btw aside from all that, brands like Zara enrage me the most, that margin is so high it's comparable to that in the makeup industry.
+pastichka hi there, it is true that if you avoid brands that produce "unethically cheap", you will have to avoid many, many brands. I would say Eastern Europe is not as bad as South-East Asia because they have more laws protecting the workers. Hugo Boss is a special example: they have high prices and a good fit (good patterns) BUT they cut on fabric quality & sewing - so for me, despite the high prices, they are not what I would call a high-end brand. In the end, you need to have a look at each brand, one by one. There are certification & "fair" brand lists (which I talk about in my "ethical fashion" video) to help your research... But it is more work than just sorting brands based on price and label... And last but not least: THANK YOU, I love comments that are well-thought through, long and grammar-perfect. Have a great Sunday! 😘
Justine Leconte officiel Thank you for your reply! I just discovered your channel and I'm amazed by the quality of the content and the research you put into each video - I've watched a few so far and it's already clear you're doing a great job. Your 2016 trends video is very useful, I'm yet to watch your previous trends videos, but it sure these series are something you do very well.
I agree, Eastern Europe is way better as it's in the EU, but unfortunately many workers are still exploited more or less. I guess it's unavoidable. Since I'm new to the topic more or less (I've thought about it, but never did more research; at some point I even thought buying either second hand and local brands/small fashion designers is the only way to shop ethical), I'll make sure to watch the Ethical Fashion video next! I'm pretty curious what's the margins in the fashion industry, as it seems that it's a pretty profitable business similar to cosmetics. Very interesting subject.
Thank you for the compliment about grammar, I really appreciate it. And have a great Sunday too!
+pastichka I saw an exhibition once where they showed a low-cost shirt (blouse for women) from a fast fashion brand, it costs less than 1€ to produce and ship, if I remember correctly. So if the shirt gets sold for 15€ in retail, just add store & storage costs and the rest is their margin... I would say the margin is higher than in cosmetics - if you do take the fast fashion option.
Justine Leconte officiel I was trying to guess the cost of a single clothing item based on what I saw in that factory, but I guess I can't calculate it. But I remember vividly (it was 8-9 years ago) how the whole process of making a suit was broken into small sections where a worker is doing only one small part. For example, a small patch of fabric on the inside of the front part of the suit is sewn by only one worker, who does that all day long and has a quota to fill (like 100 patches an hour). Each patch sewn costs a fraction of an eurocent (I forgot the numbers, I only remember this worker showing me the piece of paper where she keeps track on stuff and where it's written how much it pays, and it was something like 0,8). Some workers later complained the factory bosses raise the requirements for stuff sewn in an hour so you have to work faster to earn your money, otherwise you get fined.
Anyway, if the process is divided like that, it gets way more cheaper for sure, as it requires less trained and professional people for most of the time the suit is made. And if there's, say, 30 similar to the patch sewing process steps, they all will cost less than an euro to make (minus of course stuff like other high paid workers in the factory that will monitor the process or cut the fabric and operate the software, the factory itself, the fabric etc.). And that's a suit.
I'm still curious though if the margin is higher or lower, in general, in cosmetics. After all cosmetics are way smaller, so costs for shipping drop the overall price. The actual product that costs money to make is also really small quantity; the less is package. Will try to read more about that some day.
Overall, one thing is for sure. Most of the money we pay for cosmetics and fast fashion is actually marketing money :))
pastichka Tory burch purchased at Nordstrom with those hefty price tags, made in China!
I buy a lot of vintage clothing from the 30s - 70s because it has far superior quality at a fraction of the cost. One suggestion I can make to those who desire some freshness and variety in their wardrobe without making new purchases. is to organize a clothing swap with a group of friends and friends of friends.
I shop for vintage on etsy mostly and sometimes ebay.
I do too. I specifically look for made in the US Made in England, Made in Canada, made in Italy type labels even when buying vintage. Not because I am nice, but because its better quality. After a while you will not want to wear crap.
I find good clothes at online consignment store swap.com
totally agree my self I'm wearing a fetish sweater that my own mom was wearing in the 70's and every body are asking me about it I just love it
I live in Poland where thrifting is very popular. I get really high equality pieces of clothing (vintage, made in Europe) almost for free. I'm really concerned about fast-fashion industry, especially for the exploiting of people. High amounts of clothes are made unnecessarily, people do not need them. I am also mad when I buy something in chain store and it is totally damaged after several washings! Who needs that? There are so many campaigns about the environment, wchich big clothing companies are supporting, and I think it is total bullshit and hypocrisy. The only way to change this situation is to stop buying their products
Thank you for making this good video. Some will not like it, because they enjoy still the fast fashion lifestyle. But how can we be happy, when other people suffer for our comfort? We have other choices. We have to take responsebility becaus the companys will not change, if we not change our shopping behaviors. Real style comes not from a huge wardrobe made of poor fabrics.
+fraupurzel I fully agree...
And there's another aspect to fast fashion; it's bad for the environment.
Fast fashion is so poorly made, that people refuse to buy it to sell as second-hand clothing.
It will be literally thrown away just after being worn a few times.
@drexciya123: Or, if it is donated, it's often sent to "third-world" countries, where its availability has destroyed the garment-construction industry. Why go to a tailor or a seamstress when you can just go to the clothes piles of donations from "thrift" organizations and grab more clothing?
I live in one of the countries that both produce and receive these donated clothes, Guatemala. I have no political argument to make but do have experiences to share. First, for anyone traveling here one can often find wonderful high quality vintage pieces among all the sun faded tshirts and discarded fast fashion in clothing mercados.. Often new clothes with price tags still on make it here but these are often from the GAP etc. Men button up shirts are a particular bargain here if you know brands of women's clothes you can buy new or gently used very upscale designs and fabrics of items not dated. This is how my husband and I shop as we are larger and taller than the local population who are mostly tiny, so it is easier to find nice quality things in our sizes. The main sorrow I feel is that the local high quality traditional backstrap loom weaving is dying out as street wear for locals. Local women wore beautifully hand loomed all cotton huipile blouses with traditional designs but have in the past decade shifted to the "fast fashion" wear and super tight lycra pants they see on singers and celebrities in the media. Now when one walks down the street in small towns people look more like they do everywhere and that is very sad as the unique traditional culture is disappearing : foods, transportation, clothing, everything is disappearing and soon will be gone as I observed over my lifetime in Mexico. This makes travel less interesting than it was , the homogenization of the world. There are good effects and not so good ones with modernization and cultural transference of technology etc.
I am from Bangladesh and I thank you for sharing awareness. :)
I haven't bought new clothing in years. Except undergarments. I feel good about that. In my youth I was a fashion horse! I've held onto my favorites and donated the rest. It's very freeing to simplify, and downsize.
Creating a better Earth 🌿🕊🌍
I'm an American. I have a low income because I work for a non-profit which is literally non-profit at this point. I have been shopping in second hand stores since I was a small child with my mom. I honestly enjoy it more and I am able to dress as well as my colleagues on a smaller budget. I find that if I do a little research I know what better labels are so I try to buy things that no I couldn't afford at the original store. it's like I always say there's no point in buying Walmart at the Goodwill.
In our second hand stores all the things have different price ranges. You can buy something in bad condition or low quality for cheap. Everything else is so expensive, you can buy brand new item even cheaper. I live in Eastern Europe. Can't afford much. I buy online mostly from the USA or some other European countries, including fast fashion. In this case this is really value for money. For example, I have some Levi's jeans for $15 bought from USA. In a second hand store the price is about $18 for much worse new or even used jeans.
Beaux Arts hate to tell you Levi jeans do not sell for under $35 up to $100. in the U.S.......so 2nd hand where you live for $18 would be a deal
No way $18 is a deal, they are not even Levi's, they are from some fast fashion brands and low quality. Do you buy Levi's jeans online? I've bought more than 20 from USA online for $12-$30, for me and my family
We have so poor second hand stores. Sometimes I buy used items online. With $200 mounthly salary can't afford much
Oh I agree 100%. I buy second hand clothes.
Try sewing you own garments once and then you'll reconsider how much you're ready to pay for clothing.
+OmenaOmega definitely...
You won't be ready to pay much at all, because then you can sew your own...
No, seriously, since I've been sewing my own stuff I've stopped buying from retailers almost completely, because my own clothes fit me better. I can't stand badly-fitting clothes any more. I'm spoiled now ;-)
@@trinelangohr6661 Very true haha. I am making my own dresses and people are surprised at how well they are made, they do not believe that I have made them. Now I can not buy any dreses. I look at them and think: "They do not even have a lining and they look very cheap and they cost a lot, I can make them better".
But I'm going to be realistic here, sometimes the dress I make costs me more. In time (I'm slow), efford (I'm a perfectionist when I'm sewing) and in materials (sometimes materials are more expensive)
Sorry my english :)
@@mayrajscortes I'm fascinated and admire those who have the skill to make their own clothing. Do you design? I figure following a pattern will cause the same issue as purchasing ready-to-wear items with fit.
@av5283471r Thank you so much. I hope you get better are sewing and enjoy your creations;)
Very informative. But what are some designer brands that I can look into purchasing that don't support this and are good quality? Also I am on a budget, I know you mentioned thrift shopping but any other suggestions? I live in the US, if that helps.
+lunarosa321 hi, since many asked this question, I will take it up in a separate video! Coming soon! 😊
lunarosa321 : I would love to see this video too
Justine Leconte officiel Has a video been done for this yet?
I want to know the same thing!
Tbh I used to but "fast fashion" but only like...twice a year? Lol, having 33 pieces of garment per season is actually a looot to me. I've only recently started to buy from aritzia, which I heard is a more ethical, quality store, but only because I could more afford it.
Still shop like twice a year tho lmao.
Rest in peace, Qinni. You, your heart and your art were so beautiful. ❤
The best made clothing I ever purchased was when I lived in Germany in the 80’s. Clothes were German made and on the expensive side. I noticed Germans had fewer clothes but the clothes they wore were much better made than what Americans were wearing. I still have a couple skirts and dresses from that period that are too small now but I keep them to remind me what well made clothes look like.
I agree with the comments on ethics here, but looking at my closet, I don’t see how I can purchase better made brands not made in the countries you mention. My more expensive and well made clothes: Talbots, Ralph Lauren, Misook, and Tommy Bahama are made in the countries you mention- the same countries my cheaper brands (Macy’s house brand Charter Club, for example). My most expensive coat, Basler, was made in Ukraine...where some Zara clothing is also made. I find it amazingly difficult to find affordable clothing not made in the countries listed in the video. Last comment: Factory ethics and quality differ within countries and from country to country. I can compare quality differences. Unfortunately, differences in how workers are treated isn’t sewn in the garment.
If you live in Eastern Europe than even "fast fashion" is expensive compared to your ridiculously low wage, not to speak about other more ethical labels. And because fast fashion is expensive, we treat it like you treat expensive clothes -- we buy them sparingly, and use them for decades.
I think the issue is with people living in wealthy West European style countries who "waste" clothes, for a lack of a better term. But they waste everything else as well: food, household items, electronics, cars, you name it.
I just wanted to share this as another perspective, because I did not feel like your reasoning applied to poor people. No, poor people can't buy expensive ethical clothes or organic produce for that matter -- even if these things are better for the planet, poor people can't afford to be choosy. Being able to be choosy is a privilege, and it doesn't make wealthy people better people than poor people in my opinion.
They have clients, we can buy those things, but we don't trow them out that easily. We pay for a Zara dress approx. 10% of our salary, we wore it for years, not for 2 weeks. If everyone buy one or two item per month, thats enough client for these stores.
MsPomeranianlover i agree. That's how it is. I watched this fast fashion documentary on Netflix and haven't brought any piece of clothing for 4 months now. But i haven't ever consider shopping as something fun to do every week or even every month. That was always a privilege to buy just a jacket or a pair of trousers
I was thinking the exact same thing. Which is why, I sometimes feel bad when people comment that we are supporting child labour and all the horrors, but I don´t really have much of a choice do I ? Thrift shops in my city are mostly really old and overused clothes, like the ones I already own...why would I want to pay for those? And to me, Zara is expensive....it´s a luxury :( And I am not even in the poorest section of the population, that says a lot :)))
Yes Zara is expensive even at sale prices here. Even common people dont buy them, only during the holiday season, some often buy fast fashion brands to show off that they have money
Andreea C basically they don't even come to E Europe...at least in my country (technically not even E Europe) we don't have primark, forever 21, the urban outfiters,...they calculate that 1. they build a shop in for example italy and expect ppl from neighbouring countries to drive there or 2. they build for example only 5 Zaras for the whole country and again rely that ppl will drive there from all over the country and that costs them less money than putting zara in every major city and that's basically how they survive.
The country you live in really influences your choices in clothing. In Turkey (where I'm originally from) buying second hand is considered "poor" and "dirty", almost nobody goes for recycled clothing. Fast fashion is everywhere, and it is difficult to find ethical brands. Even if you do, they are way out of my budget as a student.
I moved to New Zealand 3 years ago and here people are all about recycling and buying second hand, I just love it! I haven't bought a new piece for a very long time. When I feel like new clothes, I just stroll through shops like salvation army or save mart, they have really good stuff! The only pieces I don't want to buy second hand are underwear, sports gear and running shoes. It's surprising what you can find in second hand shops, I've seen many upscale fashion brands just waiting to be picked. When everyone is into second hand, you don't feel bad about it as well. I wish second hand culture was more popular in Turkey...
Aslinur YALINKILIC OZTURK Pity
i hear what you mean. my family is from india and i dont tell my parents i shop from thrift stores because they'd make a fuss.
The same in Mexico, even is a poor country the middle class would never buy second hand, they reserve that for the poor, but buy a lot in fast fashion¡
I live in in Turkey now and you're absolutely right!In the us where i used to live so many people would shop and donate to goodwill or whatever thrift shop. Here it's like no one uses 2nd hand.There are only a few places to get them. Some bazaars do sell unsold and used clothing though.They're not super popular though.I remember going through a pile of clothes and people looking at me like i'm disgusting.(Bazaar clothing pieces actually seem clean.Everything i got smelled like detergent.)The only place that 2nd hand is popular is 2nd apps.
Middle class emerged very recently in Turkey, hence why fast consumption is a sign of higher social status. this will all settle down at the next major crisis, whether it will be economical or environmental. that's what happened in France, thrift shops would have never been so trendy if it hadn't been for the 2008 economic crisis. before that, everyone was crazy about new clothing.
at least in the u.s., thrift stores are full of fast fashion. they get some donations from the people in the community, most of whom are buying their clothes from fast fashion retailers exactly as you described here. they also have donations directly from those retailers. from what i understand though, the bulk of their donations from individuals either end up as textile waste in landfills or else get baled and sold to rag traders, who ship them to developing countries for resale. there is so much of fast fashion clothing that there's nowhere for it to go!
it's getting harder and harder to find good quality used clothing. what i used to find in thrift stores for a good price is now culled by pickers who sell it to "vintage" stores who sell it at a high price point. new good quality or ethically produced clothing is priced out of reach for many people and typically comes in very limited sizes that imitate the high end fashion world (US 2-10 or 12).
i sometimes think we will have to go back to what was done generations ago, and learn how to make our own clothes. however the pace of life now is such that few people have the time to learn and accomplish this. also, finding good quality, long-lasting fabric at a reasonable price could be a challenge!
eta: i just thought of another challenge. a lot of fast fashion is targeted to an age group that has grown up in tandem with it, and those buying habits are part of their culture. there is also the rise of fashion you tubers in the last 4 years or so, which has become part of its marketing arm.
+mala106 hi & thanks for your thoughts: the argument of fast fashion being a habit that goes together with a generation is a very good point. Can we get the next "new generation" to behave differently so that they don't get used to buying fashion this way, in the first place?
mala106 I agree. I enjoy thrift shopping and look for high quality fabrics in clothing as well as cuts of pants that fit better than how modern clothing is cut. However, when I go thrifting, recently I see so much cheaply made modern fast fashion clothing! I can sew at a novice level but even when I go to the fabric store, where is that fabric coming from? I have had a few sewing disasters as well which have resulted in me having a garment in my sewing closet that unwearable and awaits being salvaged. I would love for a fashion designer to create a televised challenge in which the average American has to actually make their own fibers, make their own fabric, dye it, and sew a garment. That would be a real eye opener! Most of us only need 2 jeans, a few t-shirts, maybe two nice outfits, a light jacket, and s coat. We work so hard to buy a bunch of trash we don't actually want.
I think it depends which thrift shops you go to. I'm from an area with tons of thrift shops. There are 2 types: 1. The really cool ones with actual vintage clothing & 2. Plato's Closet/Clothes Mentor/Style Encore/Uptown Cheapskate/Pink Flamingo etc. are the "buy clothes on the spot boutique style franchised consignment stores" that focus on more fast fashion though each manager/owner operates a bit differently and some are better than others in terms of quality & also taking vintage v.s just buying clothes within 1-5yrs & what age range they're targeted toward but some of those places only want items w/i a year that are from fast-fashion places.
Formerly I did make some of my clothes however it is harder now than ten or twenty years ago to find good quality fabric to make things with. So one may spend hours sewing well only to produce a garment from not nice enough quality fabric. For me it was no longer worth my time though I knew how to do all but suit jacket /coat tailoring at a high level of skill. It is the same with hiring a seamstress or tailor, the problem then becomes where to find the fabric worth paying the price of having it made up. For me gently used clothing but being very picky has helped. Whenever I see something of high quality fabric that I love vintage I buy it even if it does not fit...I can find fabulous buttons that way, I have made evening bags, silk scarves, camisoles etc this way. Even if all you ever do is replace cheap ugly retail buttons with nice ones you will upgrade the look of your blazers, jackets and shirts...learn to sew a button on properly to leave the proper amount of "breathing" space for the button....that one thing will upgrade an item. Then learn to make vertical darts in the back of shirts if you want a closer fit...again that will make a big difference in the fit. Learn how to hem properly by hand. Sit watching your fav. show and hem once you get the hang of it. Proper fit and good quality fabric makes all the difference and you have a garment worth keeping.
Don't forget swap and shop! If you get tired of a piece, swap with a friend whether it be a "trend" piece or classic, basic. Also, don't forget DIY!
97% of my wardrobe is from thrift stores. What are good quality clothing brands for middle-class people such as myself?
It's best to look for an independent store in your area, or when you're visiting somewhere.
Thrifting all the Way.
It depends on your budget and country
Thank you so much for sharing. The comment section and hopeless excuses everybody has for shopping in the mall is mind
blowing! Now more than ever we have so many choices and Thrift and consignment is really where it’s at!
What is so sad though, is that some people, in "wealthy" countries mind you, are too poor to buy ethically made clothing.
Also, thrift shopping doesn't work for everyone (in France, second hand shops are not really a thing, nor are they in Italy as far as I know, online is not always a good idea either, with shipping, sizing/quality/whatever else problem, or when you need something in particular, like a good quality, waterproof winter coat or a swimsuit or whatever), and I can see in Australia, thrift shops sell a lot of crap from the fast fashion industry which yes, will not bring anymore money to the fast fashion company but which is not good quality anyway and might promote that brand.
There is a whole shift that needs to happen where people stop wanting so much, stop feeling so low if they can't have as much as they supposedly want or as much as what the neighbour has and where it is totally fine to wear the same things over and over ; the amount of people who wear things once and then throw them out/give them/sell them is astonishing and the amount of people who think wearing a piece of clothing more than once before washing is unhygienic (which means that if you have less clothing and wear it more often some people might think you're gross) isn't better.
If that all happens and if people are treated better and paid accordingly, with everyone being able to afford the basics, bought ethically, then it'll be great and we should abandon all fast fashion companies gladly. But until then, it is not entirely realistic. BUT, if people can afford it, then yes, they should most definitely buy ethically made clothes.
For my part, yes, I used to buy fast-fashion, though not quite a rate so high as what we can see on RUclips or in Australia and the US). I didn't throw all of it out, I still have some tank tops from h&m that I bought probably 7 years ago. I also bought more ethically made clothes from time to time. And because I used to buy more, take care of my clothes and not throw all of it out (I have a lot of basics), I have now totally stopped buying clothes, unless it's necessary for work. Which is good because I don't have the money to spend on extras like that, and most definitely would not be able to afford ethical clothing.
In an ideal world, fast fashion would die off and everyone would buy ethical products (and not just for clothing), but right now, it is unfortunately not possible for everyone, same as an organic, healthy, balanced diet is not affordable for everyone.
PS : I do applaud all the efforts you and other people make to inform and educate people on this matter because it is very important, both environmentally and socially. It just makes me mad that it is not a viable option for all.
+Camille thank you for all your thoughts! I agree with everything you say, I'd just add one thought to the discussion: before fast fashion existed though, everyone was still buying clothes, even people on a limited budget :-) Fast fashion changed our "spending priorities" overall, making us think that we don't have budget for more clothing while e.g. we still go out for dinner or spend money or other product categories. And so since virtually everyone can afford fast fashion, people have lowered the mark of what they are willing to pay for clothing... That's what's crazy about it, it moved our perception of what is a "right" price to pay for a piece of clothing... Have a great day & thanks again for sharing 😊
Oh yes definitely, there's a good portion of the fast fashion buyers who just have their priorities wrong. I see some of the younger girls I work with, spending all of their money (being in high school, they don't pay for anything) on clothing ! And the worst thing is, fast fashion in Australia isn't even as cheap as in Europe or the US ! And it makes me so angry, and sad, that they buy new things all the time but then chuck them after 2 uses, or let things just sit in their wardrobe. They sometimes do the same with makeup, crap jewelry and food. And if you tell them to buy less but better, they will say it's not fun or they can do whatever they want with their money. It's so frustrating. But the people I was referring to were the ones who really cannot afford ethical fashion, like me for example, for whatever reasons. And there are still a lot unfortunately. When being poor a few decades ago meant you only had 3 outfits that you kept for several years, it was socially accepted in a way, because that was the norm, but now, because of fast fashion, people still expect you to wear a different outfit every day when you go to work, and if you don't, some people might comment that you're dirty. And what can you do if you can't spend more that $40 on a tshirt, once a year ? It won't buy you ethical clothing, just really expensive fast fashion, which is worse than the cheaper kind, because the quality isn't better, as you stated in your video, but the company is making even more money. If there wasn't so much economical inequality, we could all do the ethically, environmentally and socially right choice. And if marketing wasn't as aggressive and in your face as it is, people would certainly not feel the need to always more more more. In the end, I find this topic, as well as organic food, minimalism etc, very good at pointing out what is now terrible in our society. It's a lot deeper than what people might imagine when they think "fashion" !
+Camille so true!!
I completely agree with both of you. I also wanted to mention that when fast fashion didn't exist, or even prêt-a-porter, not was just socially acceptable for poor people or people in a limited budget to wear their 3 outfits again and again; but most people would make their own clothes as well, and patch them up over and over.
Until not so long ago it was a common thing that the women in the family would know how to sew. My grandma for instance is a great dressmaker and even my mom went to a school to learn proper sewing (eventhough she never really used those abilities later haha).
I have just knitted a couple scarfs with my grandma's help, mind you haha
The snobbish attitude I see in the comments is overwhelming.I don't know where you guys live,but as a young adult from Greece I can ensure you that people DO NOT always have a choice.There is nothing such as "fast fashion" here.People do not spend 100 euros on zara clothes every week.Actually,middle class people can barely afford the fast fashion clothes,that's why they only shop twice a year,and when they do,they do not spend more than 100 euros for 4 pieces.Poor people,on the other hand,shop once in two years.We buy from "fast fashion" brands,but we maintain our clothes for a long time,cause we need to use our salary to pay for our bills,rent and education.Not to mention that most families have at least one unemployed member.How can a teenager justify to her mom that a 200 euros t-shirt is a better option than a 10 euros one?And how can o mother justify to her family a 200 euros t-shirt when they don't even have that extra 200 euros to spend for clothes in the first place?You will now say "save money".First of all,there is no money to be saved,since you have plenty of other REAL needs,and secondly,what am I going to wear for the rest of the year?Am I going to starve myself or going around naked just to buy a fancy 100 euros t-shirt?Many people here are also referring to thrift shops.Well,thrift shops are not very popular here,and in south-eastern europe in general as far as I am aware.Even if you find one,it mainly sells fast fashion clothes,cause people here cannot afford designer clothes!It's just the truth guys!The point is to look polished,clean and presentable and you can look like that if you buy fast fashion clothes and maintain them.As for the "ethical" aspect of the situation,I'm sorry,but I'm laughing at the ignorance and the hypocritical altruism many western people present.My father works in a small european paper factory and you have no idea how terrible the conditions are.It's a very unhealthy environment,where locals and inmigrants are getting exploited every day.And guess what:that's the case in almost every factory!But I see people wiping their butts with these paper towels while pointing their finger to the rest of us for our "privilege" and our "unethical" behaviour.Give me a break.Every single item in your home has probably been manufactured in a terrible environment.The only solution is to start producing everything yourself,which is pricy,extremely time consuming and overall impossible.I am well aware that shopping from fast fashion shops it's not a good thing to do,but I cannot afford being picky and snobbish about clothes,which are not even that important in the first place.
ern m Best comment ever!
I also live in Greece and can tell you that in Athens there are plenty of second hand shops to choose from. More and more every year- from high fashion brands down to the kilo shop. We also have the internet available to us to shop for second hand items. Your exaggeration of 100 euros for a t-shirt is silly. Designer clothing does not mean ethical (fair to people) or sustainable (fair to the environment). With a bit of research I have found everything I need from ethical companies including new organic cotton ethically made men's shorts for less than 40 euros with shipping. That is less than my boyfriend could find in Zara's for a decent pair of shorts. Another example is ethical sneaker companies such as VEJA, which will cost you about the same or less than a pair of Nike (Greece's favorite shoe company). You are also pointing out that your father is poorly treated at work, so why would you give your hard earned money (most of which goes to the filthy rich CEO of the company- not to those stuck in modern slavery picking cotton (often children) or to the people whose homes who are uninhabitable because their water is contaminated from chemicals or dried up from factory use or to the workers sewing the clothing- I can go on and on about who is suffering while some rich probably white man is stuffing your money in his pockets) to these companies! There are better alternatives. Yes, changing our learned habits is an effort, but I will argue that options are out there. Support those trying to do good otherwise nothing will change. Buy from a Greek company to support your own country! I help run a Greek business and we are slowly changing our suppliers to those more environmentally conscious, because if we all do this then we can slowly better this disaster of a system which just allows the rich to get richer. The more you support these fast fashion (and other greedy) companies the more they will thrive and continue down this destructive path. I can tell you that the more you change your habits (refill your own water bottle, stop buying unnecessary chemical cleaners, buy fewer and better made items of clothing etc.) YOU WILL SAVE money in the long run, be happier, and contribute less to the destruction of the planet and to our own people. I can bet everyone here spends plenty of time on the internet. Do your research. Read peoples blogs with suggestions on where to shop. Look for sales, but STOP supporting greedy companies which use and abuse their workers and the environment. Please! The choice is yours. Also- living two hours by boat away from Athens I am shocked that we have about 1 Greek person per year coming to look for a job. We are a long standing business constantly in need of workers and all I hear is how high unemployment is, which is confusing.
I am in the same boat that I can't afford 'ethical' fashion but I feel strongly that this should not mean that the issue should not be raised. If we did that with everything, nothing would ever improve. I think everyone needs to make a call regarding what they can reasonably do about issues they care about. I am currently trying what I can reasonably do to use less plastic and what that has shown me is that I need to do things differently to how I did them before and that's not always easy or convenient but it's worthwhile. Whilst I have never been into fast fashion I have to confess I can be a little bit of an impulse clothes buyer on occasions, but I am trying to get a handle on that because I feel my way forward is to really only have those clothes I really need. I have watched quite a few of Justine's videos and like them a lot but I also know that my life situation is very different to hers in many ways so what works for her would not really work for me at times. But that's ok and it doesn't mean I cannot appreciate points she makes (and hey, she influenced me to finally, in my fifties, to drink a lot more water - tap water, no plastic bottles involved. That's just plain amazing!). So do whatever you can reasonably do everyone! As they say in advertising: 'every little helps' (it sounds very trite, but it is absolutely true! Sending many good wishes to everyone out there!
FINALLY!! WELL SAID! sometimes i feel like they are so arrogant. i know we want a better and fair world, but for someone in middle class even Zara ist so expensive for us. we buy cloths maximum 10 pieces per 1.5 year!!
j m have you got any idea how many strikes and protests take place in Greece due to bad economy, tax rises, salary cuts and corrupt goverments? Truth is that most middle class families are in tough financial situation, even though this doesn't mean we starve or anything! And yes, we don't shop regurarly, like every week or month-some people shop twice a year, some when the seasons change and some more. My parents haven't bought a proper new clothing piece for at least four years because education and bills are pretty expensive, so this is how they mostly spend their wages. So, yes, believe it or not, this is an actual situation that a whole country might end up to!
Rather than avoid buying clothing made in Bangladesh I would prefer to buy products that were made in Bangladesh and other countries by workers who get a fair pay and healthy working conditions. The goal shouldn't be to put all these textile workers out of work. They won't be helped by us buying from Europe only, as far as I understand.
I would love to buy clothes produced in Bangladesh in a nice and safe factory by workers who get decent wages, reasonable working hours, holidays and health care.
As consumers, we need to follow most of your advice and focus more on quality and less on the price and fast trends. But when it comes to the origin of products, we would need more transparency on HOW things are made, not only country of origin.
I have to admit that I don't spend much time shopping and most of the time don't spend enough time to investigate the source of products. Often you are tired and stressed and maybe need something quickly. I try to avoid trends though and have my own system to make my clothes easy to combine. I buy dresses in different patterns of black and white + denim, that can be combined whit all of my sweaters and cardigans. And those can be in bold colours and good quality - silk, wool etc because I know I will always have something to combine it with.
(Previously I might by a sweater or jacket in a lovely bold color but wear it rarely because I had few matching items.)
Smaller labels often will make a point of how they ethically source even from countries like Bangladesh.
It's a safe assumption that larger businesses do not, though~
Free People makes its clothes in India, responsibly and with good wages - they show it also in the documentary in Netflix. So the solution is not to not buy from these countries but to know which conditions the workers have. For example, in Elda-Spain there’s a lot of illegal factories with very bad conditions just because of the high demand in shoes. So not all EU countries produce fair.
I noticed some expensive (suppose to be high quality) clothes don't last that long anymore neither now a day. They are also trying to cut corner to sustain the business.
For the most part buying expensive clothing is not about quality it is about status symbol. For example, people buy Gucci because the status it gives the person but try to justify it by saying it is high quality.
I wear high end clothing and all the brands quality is amazing! Always stick with heritage high end brands
I am pleasantly surprised to hear a fashion designer disseminate this kind of advice. I love your videos - no b.s. nonsense, always informative and solid advice. Even my husband stops to watch because he says you offer so much important information. Merci beaucoup! 👍💜😀
I shop at second hand stores. You can find some pretty sweet outfits, but if it gets worn out, good luck finding another!
Hi, just one correction or addition to the "Made In" - it does not always point the country of the last "manipulation" - in some cases, the named country is the country from which the most expensive part of the product / assembly is.
For example - I work for a company in Czech Republic (EU) and we process / assembly from our sister company in Austria (EU) and we must mark the product as "Made in Austria" even though it is assembled and packed in Czech Republic. Similarly, we have a product which is assembled with a part purchased from China - our part costs 1 €, the chinese part costs 1.25 € and the product thus is marked as "Made in China" - regardless the fact that it is partly produced and fully assembled in Czech Republic... So then - who knows, where were the products produced? :-D :-D
+Miroslav Janicek thank you for this example!
True
6 months sounds as fast fashion to me. I can wear my clothes around 3 to seven years without becoming our of fashion and without them looking old. And I don't buy expensive clothes.
Then tell us how you do it, I am sure it would help lots of people
Same.. if taken care properly, clothes last for years, I regularly wear so many clothes that are years old
I think the oldest is a simple grey hoodie that's like more than 15years old, it's comfy and I still wear it at home
She didn't mean that you have to wear something for 6 months, then trow it away, she was talking about seasons. You wear maybe a cardigan for 6 months, then keep it in your wardrobe for spring and summer, then wear it again when weather get cooler
I wasn't aware of the effects of "fast fashion". This was a very enlightening video and it broke my heart (in a good way). I have bought fast fashion but hardly massively, and will pay a lot more attention when shopping. It does make you realize why it is indeed worth it to pay more for quality fashion. Thank you.
Thrifting is awesome! You get stylish clothes for pennies on the dollar 💰👚
+honeybdream and you use stuff that has already been produced 👏😊
Very flattering makeup, Justine. Beautiful! And I love this topic. Fast fashion sucks.
Most premium and luxury European brands whose clothes are manufactured in Europe are made in countries like Romania and Bulgaria where the workers get the minimum salary (around 200 Euros per month), no paid holidays and are on the boundary of poverty. So it is very hypocritical to say that just because clothes are manufactured in Europe it automatically means that the workers have good working conditions.
I'm from Romania and it's true that the basic wages are around 250-300 euros per month but that's basically for every industry not just the textile, and they have paid holidays (as far as I know) and healthy working environment and can't be compared to those Asian countries in my opinion
Thank you for sharing your point of view...👍
oh and I forgot to add, that it doesn't necessarily mean that the stuff they produce here is good quality, I guess it depends on the factory or the buyer..
I'm sorry sarahh, but have you been in a factory in Romania to see it for your own or you just say that? When you work 8 hours a day, in toxic fumes, with no protection equipment is healthy? Is it healthy to not get extra money for toxicity from a company who exports fancy shoes all over Europe? So maybe, we can not compare that to what's happening in Asian countries, but it's still the same thing.
I haven't been to a factory to be honest I've just heard from other workers. I'm not saying you're wrong, you probably know better, and I guess it depends on the factory too.
I made a chart of all the summer clothes I own and the number of times I wore them. I found that I had around 50 clothes ( tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, gym clothes etc) and I didn't wear all of them equally and frequently. The chart helped me realise (1) the clothes that I wear usually. These are the kind of ones that I should buy more, because they are the ones that actually get worn. (2) the price vs value of the clothes in terms of number of uses.
Making a clothes chart seems like a time consuming chart, but it helps understand you behaviour better so I encourage all to try it, understand your fashion sense, improvise on things that you want to and be a responsible consumer. :)
It was an eye opener for me about some dark side of fashion industry. Fan from India, Meghalaya.
Great video..Agree with all the points. I have recently reduced my fast fashion purchases a lot and always try to buy used classic pieces by good brands. I strongly believe that all these companies should improve the work environment in those countries where the clothes are manufactured. I recently learned from a documentary that in countries like Bangladesh the economic situation is so bad that people are willing to work in any harsh conditions for their daily food.
Nisha Nish it's true
Nisha Nish me too I recently watched a documentary that opened my eyes completely.
And THIS is why I stopped buying stuff from these kinds of lines like 8yrs ago because
1. I'm not 19-25yrs old
2. I don't want to wear cheap clothes
3. EVERYONE and their mother has the same stuff on...where's the originality?
4. I can't afford super expensive but I don't buy clothes just for the sake of it...
I have been giving away clothes and when I move to Spain I plan on selling a lot of them and they're of a decent standard as far as budget conscious clothing goes. I've had these pieces for almost a decade and they're still good.
I'm from the U.S - thank you for this video . It's a great reminder as there is SO much fast fashion here. It's hard to find ethical , quality clothing without paying a house payment for it but you inspired me to try harder.
I purchase all my clothes at thrift stores. I can't remember the last time i bought something new (I've found things with tags often while thrifting). I see no sense in spending more and I feel very well dressed. I also wish to minimize and reduce how much I have.
33 items for one season?! I hardly had 33 for my whole live 😆
Haha same here! My whole wardrobe is 33 pieces
Omg I own three wardrobes
I live in Florida where it is warm all year long, so I don't really need that many clothes since the weather doesn't change much. I also like to keep my closet small and just accesorize with different shoes and jewelry. Makeup too.
I think it's 33 including the shoes and accessories (earrings, necklaces, watchs, rings.. etc.)
It includes everything, rings, necklaces, scarves, boots, sandals, etc...
So I live in Denver and 33 items is not even enough for a week bc the weather can jump from 30C to -5C back to 30C in 24 hours. Sudden hail, snow, downpour, are normal. Then back to sunshine and shorts.
One thing you did not mention in the video is the reason why some of us buy these fast fashion items despite them being unethical and damaging for the environment: The price. When you are a student or a person coming from a low income background, you don't consider these things. At the end, the price we pay for these seemingly "cheap" clothes is much higher but we don't see it immediately because all we want is to look good without spending a fortune. I would love to wear designer clothes, especially from smaller designers like yourself who are so involved in the production of their lines. I just can't afford it.
Yes Priscilla you are spot on. We have young people in our office who say the same thing. So what they do is shop for second hand items. They are learning to save money to buy something they really want but it's also hard because advertising tells them that you're cooler when you wear different clothes for different occasions and take pictures in different outfits. So hence the disposable nature of fast fashion, not to mention how dirt cheap it is. It's all so complex, but if you do get to the point of higher disposable income then you at least know where to begin :)
i cant even afford some of those fast fashion shops. i can never buy anything from h&m or topshop/forever21. im stuck in primark and supermarket clothes
Amen. At the end of the day I really don't think it's a matter of lack of personal ethics but a systematic economic issue. Being able to not rely on fast fashion is a privilege a lot don't have. Coming from a low-income household, it's pretty much the only choice we have to have clothes that look decent and don't cost a fortune. And even then, my family doesn't shop often and we don't treat our fast fashion purchases as one and done. We wear them as long as possible even if it's not in "trend" and minor tears can just get sewn up for the most part. Same for shoes. I shop at thrift stores, get hand-me-downs, and splurge on local boutique stuff when I can (which isn't often) but for the most part I rely on fast fashion not by choice.
I just found this video. Growing up there was a stigma about 2nd hand clothes, but a friend taught me to look for the good second hand shops and to stop by regularly. I've found new Ann Klein shoes, cashmere sweaters and silk blouses for ~90% off original price. I do recommend it. And think of this - what can go wrong? Walk in with $25 and you can walk out with several items. Don't like them? Donate or throw away with no guilt. Very low cost and risk 😉
Laurel S throwing them away isn’t good either, wasting fabric’s bad and you can always repurpose it
I'm an idiot. I never thought it this way. No more H&M or Zara.
Catalina Fariña I was always frustrated that a H&M store wasn't located near me, now I'm happy to know better. I'm lucky to have many good second hand shops nearby. after learning through this video, I will hopefully shop smarter. you are NOT an idiot! we are all learning!
Yes! And if you've learned, please share your knowledge with your friends and family too! This is how consciousness spreads :)
I was so excited when H&M branched out (years ago) and was there when they opened in my area. What a letdown! The quality was terrible. I bought a couple of things and after a few washes, they were a tattered mess. Same with Forever 21. Even the name puts me off- I don't want to be "forever 21" 😂 I feel more confident at 41 then I did 20 years ago.
No not an idiot just didn't know like the rest of us. Why we need folks like Justine to make us aware.
One time I told my mom that I wanted a few, high quality pieces in my wardrobe and she was so proud of me and now I I see why
After reading the first couple of chapters in the novel "Gomorrah" (Roberto Saviano), I am not sure anymore that buying things that are "made in Europe" is also an indicator of good quality. And things that are made in China do not necessarily indicate bad quality either. Pretty much anyone can make cheap stuff.
Don’t know why showed up in my feed. I have zero interest in fashion or its industry. But your videos are so good and captivate my attention - you have a new subscriber.
I wish ethical clothes were made for tall women. It is shocking to me that around the world I could not find a 100% wool coat for a tall woman.
Marilyn try synthetic wool! Wool is an incredibly cruel thing ):
Abi 666 Synthetic material also cause problems to people and the environment. You sweat more, it takes more from the environment to create these items. And the synthetic pillage bring harm to aquatic life.
Marilyn thrifting/vintage clothing is an option (:
Abi 666 True if you are average height then yes. There are no clothes a tall female can shop in store. For us everything is online. Vintage clothing shop would be a waste of my time. I have gone to the top consignment shops in my area and it is rare to impossible to find something, that suit my minimalist taste and provide the length I need.
Marilyn I get where you're coming from, but an animals life should not be taken away from them so you can have a nice coat "/
I love your video and explanation. I just want to say that fast fashion is making a negative impact in Europe too. I am from Romania and there are Romanian factories making clothes for Inditex and they treat their workers just as bad as the ones in Asia. The label says made in the EU, but the women sewing the clothes together work for 12 hours a day, are not allowed breaks and also don't get paid the amount they should if they get paid at all. The actual employers are Romanian and they blame the big companies for paying so little.
I am really happy to see this eine talked about though and I really hope this message will be shared more so that we as consumers can change the market.
+Monica Celacu thank you so much for speaking up & sharing your knowledge about your own country! Information is key to change behaviours. Thank you 💙
I work at a gently used thrift store, and I no longer buy fast fashion. Everything I buy is reused and recycled, and it’s great quality for an even better price. Buy second hand
I just watched the TED-X talk and man I feel so enlightened! I had no idea it was this extensively horrid. I still need to learn where to shop and the labeling on clothes. I guess I will be reading a lot.
Garlic Girl which Ted talk?
Lex the 1st I think she put a link in video. She did a TED talk on fast fashion and detriment to the workers.
Daria Andronesceau is a RUclipsr that educates about fabrics and true sustainability.
Unfortunately even if something is “made in USA” it could have been sweatshop labor. There are places like this in downtown Los Angeles. You can search for ethical clothing brands. Secondhand is also great because you are still getting a “new” item, but the money you would have given to a big chain goes toward a local charity instead. A majority of my kids’ clothes and about 1/5 of mine I would guess are thrift. It also frees up money while you patiently save for better quality/ better sourced items.
you can still shop at zara and hnm but you shouldn't shop there every two weeks ..just buy pieces that would fit in your wardrobe
Also, I've always bought my clothing in fast fashion brands, I honestly didn't know any better as I didn't have any "fashion education" at all, took me (it's taking me) years to find my true style, and since I am not wise choosing what suits me, I didn't dare spending more money on things (also money is limited!). Does it make sense? This is a big struggle and I'm trying to educate myself on style and colors and minimalism, I hope I feel confident enough and soon enough to spend money on good quality items.
Any good quality brand that you would recommend that's more affordable please? 🙏🙏 Love your videos, awesome job, thanks for sharing your amazing experience and knowledge ❤️
Personally, if I'm on a budget, I choose a thrift store such as Goodwill. If you shop at a Goodwill that's near a place where people live that tend to have the budget you'll often find nicer quality items with the tags still on. Brand new, never worn, very reasonably priced, and if it does turn out to be a "fast fashion" brand, at least I walk away knowing that the money I just spent went to helping people and not to supporting those companies. Also there are online consignment shops such as "thredup" that have those higher end brands at a much lower cost.
I would love you video to be shown in high school. It drives me crazy to see cheap clothing. The cost is so much more than the 10 euro tag. I now purchase second hand (hey I live in Italy and it is usually nice fabrics) or I sew my clothing with fabrics sold here (only natural fibers).
+Sylvie Vicenza awesome, thanks for sharing!
I watched a documentary on fast fashion on Netflix, these practices are damaging on the people who produce the garments, in some cases their very lives are at risk. The huge environmental damage from the factories waste. It’s just deplorable! I think the Documentary is called something like Fashion the true cost, or something similar. Thank you Justine for making this video! People out there open your eyes!
I live in America and unfortunately that is how Americans buy their clothes - quantity over quality. Way too much and way too often. Cheaper the better. Unethical labor won't be going away anytime soon, as long as a typical American consumer exists.
Agree. I have had friends with 50 pairs of pants. There is a constant need to buy. It disgusts me.
in my country people are so poor that clothes from zara are almost luxurious
Nowadays same in turkey :(
This has totally changed my point of view. I wasn't aware of any of these things. It upsets me because I've been buying clothes in Zara, H&M, Mango... for a lot of time. The issue is that I'm a student and I can't afford more expensive shops. I sometimes go thrift shopping, but it's difficult to made up a closset out of 2nd handed garments. Any tips?
Thanks for the video!
Look up videos where they upcycle or tailor stuff they find in thrift shops. Also exploring different styles and fashion tips. There are more expensive consignment stores, even online, that are more expensive but will be easier to find stuff you might like. You can try Facebook groups selling clothes or clothing swaps or even organizing your own clothing swap with friends and stuff.
this is an old comment, but swap with other people for their clothes and household goods! i always get something i need and want
Everyone has an excuse. Nobody wants to take responsibility to use their creativity and the resources available and figure out how to buy quality clothes that aren’t cookie cutter mall cheap mass produce trendy plain vanilla clothing. Sorry to burst your bubble but Nobody’s going to hold your hand throughout every little thing of life especially something to do it with what you’re wearing. These videos are a great resource take what you want and leave the rest and stop crying Throwing your hands up as if you have no choice in this day and age of the Internet etc.
Mimi Ramone there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Someone sending a tip or two on shopping is a far far stretch from holding someone’s hand all along the way. Someone asking a question is nothing to get uppity about.
Only buy clothes you know you will use multiple times. This is usually what people call closet essentials that can be used multiple times in multiple outfits. As a college student I can say we tend to fall to the idea that we need more clothes instead of really looking at what we need and how we can wear various times.
very interesting!!
sadly, here, in Argentina. Many brands are illegal, also the small national companies. i know many fashion designers that told me that. In Argentina, the economy is very bad. so the clothes is one of the most expensive things in the market. that is why brands do everything to make cheaper the products. the economy here is so bad that many global fashion brands do not exist for example: F21, H&M, Topshop, Primark, Mango, Target, Aeropostale, VS, etc...
also the president's wife (Juliana Awada) has got 3 fashion brands ("Cheeky", for kids, "Como quieres que te quiera", for teenagers and "Awada", for women). the 3 brands have got clandestine work, and it doesn`t mean that the brands are cheap
an awada's dress can cost 600 dollars
people can not buy clothes usually. Very sad
+cande knd wow, that doesn't seem right... Sorry to hear that... Brands could produce locally & make a selling argument out of it, though. Buying local helps the local industry, instead of seeing production capacity leave to cheaper countries... I will look into the brands you named, thank you!! 💜
Justine Leconte officiel thank you to read it.
here you have a link that explain the case.. it's in spanish but you can translate it
www.laizquierdadiario.com/Juliana-Awada-empresaria-esclavista-y-el-cinismo-del-PRO
The one thing I do with the clothes I buy from such shops, is that I rip it apart and use it in a different way, once I feel the item no longer suits me. I'm learning to draft my own clothes from existing pieces of clothing that already fit me. Also, I'm trying to buy less and less from such brands because I'm only perpetuating the mistreatment.
This make up and top color works awesome on you! You look so fresh and naturally beautiful :)
I remember growing up in the 80s and 90s even though there were already some cheap/fast fashion brands, still there was only a spring, summer, fall and a winter collection and usually whatever you bought would be favorite pieces for that season but also would be still wearable easily for the next 3-5 years to come, qualitywise and fashionwise.
What is happening now I have to say is not only disgusting (from a ethic point of view, even though I am sure it was bad already before but we just didn't know back then) but also way too overwhelming.
As a teen I was used to consider a long time before buying a piece. Sometimes it would take me 2 months and several try ons before i had finally made the choice (and gathered the money) to buy a specific piece.
Just this summer I had bought a polo shirt on a whim, found it very nice, and thought 2 weeks after 'hmm, i'll get it in a few more colors'. nope, it was not supposed to happen. Even though it was a spring collection piece and it was still early spring, it was already out of store and not available anymore anywhere. Next round of spring items was out.
Walked out of the store without buying anything.
It is ridiculous. This super fast turnover is just a way of creating FOMO (fear of missing out) and it only leads to us collecting pieces in our wardrobes that we never really wear and once we start wearing them they fall apart within barely a season or are washed out cause they are not meant to last. After all, you are supposed to buy the next round of clothing.
Another way to fuel this urgency to buy new pieces again and again is in my opinion how fashion is made in a way that you cannot well combine pieces of 5 years ago with nowaday pieces.
For example, when I was a teen jeans went up to almost your belly button and we wore crop tops with it. But then the low cut jeans got into fashion and suddenly if you wore any of your short tops you actually were quite naked, so tops needed to be longer and everyone needed to buy longer tops. Now the high waisted jeans are rolling around again and if you don't want the button of your jeans to bulge under your long shirts you better get yourself some new crop tops.
Nice how that works, isn't it?
I can only urge people to not buy into all of this. Get to know your body and find which style fits best with your personal proportions. Don't run after every trend even if FOMO seems to be so real. Do invest in a few good quality well combine-able pieces you really love rather than a wardrobe full of flimsy rags that you won't wear for the most part.
I know it's hard, but the fashion industry (and it's nothing but that, an industry) will continue its sinister ways under which millions of people suffer as long as it's profitable for them, as long as it just works. They'll always find away around any regulation.
Where there's greed, sadly there is also a lot of creativity about how to make a profit no matter what. All we can do is try and not play along too much or if possible not at all.
My favorite clothing brand sources the wool from local farmers, and makes the simple garments in a little factory out the back of the store, employing local people. It was so shocking to see something made completely locally that they became my favorite brand then and there. They might be 3x the price, but they're so much higher in quality and I can wear the clothing knowing the people who made it are living well.
what's the name of this brand?
I haven't bought any "new" clothes in over two years, and I've barely noticed. I do go clothe shopping occassionally, but always in charity shops (our thrift stores). The only time I've been a little bit sad about it was when I wanted to change my style and couldn't find anything that would work in these second-hand shops. But then again, I've never been one to wear what's "in", and just tend to cycle through a series of tops with the same two pairs of jeans.
I love this movement. It's so important that we step off the fast fashion conveyor.
so tell me... What should a mother in Cambodia or china tell her children at dinner, when she does not have anything to put in the table because she lost her job, when a factory laid her off due to wealthier people (with first world problems) stop buying because they feel is "fair" Remember, there is only one thing worst than that type of job... it is call "NO JOB at all" or worst... But I am sure that while you think you are acting all "ethical" and go home at night to a full fridge, feeling pretty good about your decision to save the world of "unethical jobs" you have no one... crying to you because they have nothing to eat. Have you ever lived in one of "those countries"? do you really know what their real problems are? I have, and I can tell you a low paying job is the LEAST of their problems. So, while I agree on the issue I respectfully disagree on your solution
then how do you explain protests by bangladeshi factory workers
Thank you for educating me on this topic. I enjoy all your videos; I have learned so much..
This may be an unpopular opinion, but..
1. Sometimes, given the financial situation, there have been times that fast fashion items were the only clothing I could afford ( thrift stores are not available in all the countries /cities). How I managed to make the best of it was by buying simple/basic cuts and taking care of the clothes very, very well ( hand washing and line drying). I still have items I've bought 4/5 years ago for less than 10 dollars that are in good to excellent condition. Buying from fast fashion brands doesn't necessarily have to mean 'unsustainable' if you can make it stretch.
2. I'm not a big believer in spending a lot of money on things I could wear for 10 years. Human body changes, fashion apatite and circumstances change ( I may be a executive of a company in 10 years but would the clothes I spent a fortune on when I was an intern hoping for longevity work for me then? Not really. I may have children within a 10 year time span that would most definitely alter my body, so would the jean I spent 200 on still fit?)
I believe the trick is in moderation. If I can only afford to pay 20 for a dress and there are no Thrift stores in my country to buy second hand, I will buy fast fashion. But I will buy sensibly and take care of them as best as I can so I don't fall into the viscous 2-week cycle and contribute overly to a toxic industry.
Exactly. And even if there was thrift store near by, not everyone is comfortable buying 2nd hand clothes.
@@piyusarkar3065 and not all thrift stores have good quality items either. Some may be able to visit a different store in another city, but not everyone. It all depends on personal circumstances.
@@NiesLife exactly. And most thrift stores stock clothes that looks older and more used than my own old clothes, so why invest there?
And it's really funny but it's kinda a common joke in India that a tshirt's life is in 4stages: 1st brand new for going out, 2nd used and wearable at home, 3rd wear for holi (festival where we play with colors) and 4th finally for dusting and cleaning
So, yeah we Indians do reuse until it exist 😅😅😅
Start your own thrift store then :) (I would, but we have one in almost every corner already) we also have some stores here that GIVE clothes for FREE. I don't know how they manage, but I think this is a very nice thing to do :)
Totally agree! I think instead of forcing yourself to purchase more expensive items (the price difference is also huge), just be a smart, considerate consumer. Buy things that could potentially last a good while. I support the idea of this video but everyone is in different situations.
Thank you for speaking up!
Ethics are so easyly put on a back seat.
As someone working in the Supply Chain of a very large clothing company (not exactly fast fashion but almost) I can say you make a lot of good points. The fast fashion retailers have indeed created a number of bad habits of consumptions and it's on us consumers to think and act differently. However, I really have to call out 2 things which are often misconceptions about the industry. 1. As tempting as it is to accuse H&M and Zara (or Uniqlo for that matter) of wrongdoings, they are way more compliant and ethical than most people would think. The Rana building disaster as been a huge turning point for all big players in the industry. Since that tragic event and led by pressure from the public opinion, all top retailers have been working hard on building more compliant, ethical processes, creating long term partnership with suppliers and offering much better transparency about their supply chain. The H&M and Zara of this World are under so much scrutiny that they have no choice but to raise these standards, and they have. Factories in Bangladesh, Vietnam, China etc. that work with the fast fashion companies have to go through extremely more complex audits that guarantee not only safety and compliance but also sustainability and higher levels of education and opportunities to workers. 2. You make a point about these companies producing 'en-masse' to reduce their cost and simply waste what has not been sold. Actually, it's not really like that. There is something called Responsive Supply Chain and Fabric platforming that allows brands to simply buy large volumes of fabric and work on developing collections with that same fabric. Cost saving is made on long term partnership with mills to hold that fabric that will be used for more than one style and season and also by producing small quantities of garments with that fabric and adjust the style/design depending on the response from consumer. No companies out there is welcoming any sort of inventory wastage as a good strategy to reduce cost. All in all Justine, it's important to say that Fashion is not evil. It's certainly not perfect yet but it's going towards the right direction by become everyday more ethical, and by improving their back end processes (data management, responsiveness, vendor empowerment, IT systems) rather than purely compressing the cost of 'little workers' in Asia (which, granted had gone way to far and out of control until the April 2013). I hope this POV helps. Thanks for your videos Justine, and for sharing your passion so well.
+MrGweilohk thank YOU for sharing your insider knowledge as well! Very good points. It is a fact that with every "industrial accidents", industries learn. The absence of any reaction would be seriously sick! Isn't it weird that in new business models, companies always tend to go too far... until an external trigger forces them to find a kind of better balance?... After Rana Plaza, the working/safety conditions in Bangladesh improved, for instance, but then H&M launched their organic cotton collection... and the sourcing of the raw material was proven to be unethical & extremely water-consuming (do you maybe know more on that matter?). It means that the mindset hasn't necessarily changed, only adapted as far as the public opinion could see/judge. And you are right: there are more fast fashion brands that just those 3-4 big ones that keep getting into the spotlight. Definitely. I believe that information is key to bring the balance, from the consumers' side. I would love to know which company you work for - but it is ok if you prefer not to mention it. Have a great day & thanks again!
Yep, I agree with you, solutions come often after a major (often tragic) accident. It's true for safety on aircrafts, regulations on pharmaceutical companies, finance and banking policies, government laws... and to your point, probably even more so for new business models.
Regarding H&M's case on organic cotton, I don't know enough about the situation to give you an answer. I can only assume that they did have a good intention for an ethical sourcing but went too fast with it and did not do a proper diligence work on the vendors they were sourcing materials from. For sure they would have preferred not to get any bad publicity with this, so that has most likely helped them improved their sourcing policies, and knowledge. The leitmotiv in companies of our industries is to work on new solutions that will improve the ethics and sustainability of our products. Mentalities are slowly changing... it's getting there. There might be some hiccups along the way, but this industry has done so much in the right direction in the last 3 to 5 years. One might argue that it's only to satisfy the public opinion, but even if so, it's a noble enough reason to improve a business. Interesting question. Look, even if I work in this mass market industry, and I believe in it its values and intent, I still think it's very refreshing to hear opinion leaders like you that sit at the other end of the 'fashion spectrum' promoting more exclusive and conscious shopping and authentic fashion. Thanks for this nice convo :)
Honestly, my main motivation to make RUclips videos is the discussions, smart comments & further thoughts I get back from all my very-smart viewers. So yes, I am happy to share my views, but I also get a lot back! :-)
i make my own garments , my mom always told us about the reality of fashion industry since she was a designer her self , i used to be mad at her when i was a teenager for letting me buy clothes from fast fashion brands but since i became a designer myself i know now that she was right about all of it
+hafsa seddiqi nice story, thank you for sharing. And making your own clothes helps you keep the handwork alive - well done, your mom 😉
Normal non-fashion-focused people, everyday people, do not change their wardrobes for each season and look for "pieces" and "items" that are combinable in novel ways. We do not have to struggle to bring our wardrobe down to "33 key pieces", in fact I doubt I even own 33 different items of clothing at all, excluding socks and stuff. This is not a "capsule wardrobe", this is what average people own. We do wear the same things that we like for years, this is not a difficult or new concept. You are so wrapped up in the mindset of the "industry" that you don't know what average people think like. For most people, clothes are just something to stop you being naked. Not "identity" or "branding" or "personal statement for the season". No average person buys a t-shirt in a shop like Forever 21 and thinks 2 weeks later that they can't wear it because it's "out of fashion" now so they'd better throw it out and buy another one. Don't be foolish.
Agreed. I don't care about trends or seasons. I want affordable quality that will last for years and can go in the washer and dryer
I'm on a budget and have more important bills, such as medical because I'm in the US
I am from Bangladesh and it's very tragic to share that incidents like Rana Plaza tragedy are normal things to our government. The Garments employee get $100 per month as their salary. There was this woman whose fingers got stuck in the sewing machine. So instead of Saving her fingers the manager chose to save the sewing machine and cut her fingers off.
People like you can raise an awareness in other countries so the companies makes sure that the employees are getting righteous salary. Please do us this favor. Coz if we raise our voice the government will cover everything with their lame excuses.
I'll contribute a few points against these fast fashion brands, and all these are from personal experiences.
1. Do you really want to buy a Mango dress that their saleswomen will be wearing a month later as uniforms?
2. These fast fashion brands aren't exactly cheap, but they use polyester and other synthetic materials and sell clothes at prices that silk or pure cotton/linen stuff retails for.
3. Even more high end brands use cheap materials like Swarovski, CKlein, Gucci. Many times you really are paying for the name only.
Excellent video. I completely agree. I think the sustainable fashion movement is gathering real momentum and I am sure it will be mainstream in 5 - 10 years, like recycling household waste is now. I made a vow in Sept 16 to buy no new clothes (apart from shoes and underwear) for a year. And it's fine! I have the advantage of being able to sew and it is my ultimate aim to have no clothes in my wardrobe that I have not made myself, or refashioned from thrift stores, or bought from independent designers with good eco credentials. It will take a while but it's good for the environment, good for fighting against poor labour conditions abroad, good for the local economy and good fun. Keep up the great work Justine.
+Beth Duffus thank you - and great attitude! 👍
i used to think "well that's how things are" but that's just a way of saying "this sucks but i dont know what to do so i wont do anything". when i was 20 and i traveled to Bolivia and Brazil and all i knew was confirm in the worst kind of way. I live in Latin america and every country u see have been exploited by big usa corporations so i started doing my own clothes, after a few years (im now 24) im very good at doing basic stuff so when i buy it's just to buy really complex and generally expensive garments and i can spend a little bit more for all the money i save.
I wish I watched this video 6years ago when you posted it! Thank you 🙏🏻
I'm watching this video even if i only wear tshirts and jeans, and rarely buys clothes but when i do, i only shop at thrift shops.
I´m from Brazil and accidentally found your chanel. But I really believe what you said. We don´t need so many clothes to be happy and beautiful! Thank you for opening my mind :)
+joyce matsunaga greetings from Berlin to Brazil! 😁
Thank you, Justine for sharing your values in a practical way. 😘
Minimalism is the answer.
Thank you for addressing this crucial topic! I admire your ethics. In addition to the important problems you highlighted, the voluminous waste created by fast fashion is another of its evils.
Ethical clothes are hard to find. I wouldn't know where to go, to be honest. And I would like to highlight that actually less and less people in so called developed countries have much of a clothing budget. In videos like this I often hear the argument that 'I'd rather have one or two great quality pairs of jeans than 20 from fast fashion". (jeans is just an example and can be substituted by any garment). I think that is not any more the dominant question. I know many people, who have only 1-2 pairs of jeans - from fast fashion because that's all that we can afford. And it's not a prioritisation issue, there's no cinema every week or eating out or coffees to go either. It's trying to keep your head over water and out of debt and worse. And the number of people is increasing. I wish ethical clothing was easily accessible and affordable for everyone. The food and clothing industry seem to face similar ethical issues. How did we get this way?!!!
+angelfoodcake1979 I did a video on where/how to find ethical clothing (might help). I don't know where you live but here in Europe, the disposal income is statistically increasing every year on average - here you see people (middle-class & up) who say "I can't afford ethical clothes" when in fact they just don't want to & take the "easy" path. For instance, in Germany people save above 10% of their income every month. So the budget is there... And then it is a matter of mindset.
I don't get why people are "complaining" about how they cant afford designer wardrobe to justify that they bought these fast-fashion clothes. Okay! Okay! I get it, I also cant afford designers' wardrobe but this shouldn't be an excuse! Aren't there any local clothing shop around your city? Find a small business clothes! Like small chic boutique or something. I found them a lot online, they also could be much cheaper than this fast-fashion clothing! Not to mention that they're also in good quality and not outdated. So why the excuse?
They are just looking for an excuse to justify and continue with their bad addictive habit of shopping fast fashion.
Thank you Justine for making us "painfully" aware! I love all your videos.
Hace más de una década leí un libro sobre las marcas famosas y las pésimas condiciones de trabajo de las obreras que las confeccionan. Desde que era joven uso fast fashion y me gusta, pero no compro 24 veces al año. Mis favoritas siguen siendo Banana Republic, Ann Taylor y su Loft, y H&M. Conservo una bufanda de Per Spook y unos guantes de Rodier ¡de hace 35 años! Otras marcas son J. Crew y Benetton.
Hace once años fui a Brooks Brothers y lo que compré luce como si lo hubiera comprado hoy, igual un saco de Jil Sander, otro de Feraud y hace unos quince años me regalé un traje de dos piezas de Chanel, pero nunca lo he usado, pues no tengo aún el dinero para el riguroso outfit de esta Casa de moda: me faltan los zapatos, la blusa , la bolsa, etc., todo de Chanel y, sobre todo, me falta el jet set.
También me encanta mi bolsa de tela de Vanessa Bruno, que ya tiene poco más de un lustro.
Isabelle Marant y Antropologie parece que fabrican su ropa en Vietnam, pero no pienso deshacerme de unas camisetas de esas marcas, que son de un algodón excelente que hacen que no te sofoques en un clima de 40°C.
Espero que alguna vez pueda usar ropa congruente con lo vegano, o sea, Stella Mcartney, aunque en Target hay cosas muy bonitas, como la ropa Converse y hace años vendieron diseños de Liberty.
¿Cuál es la marca de los diseños de Justine?
I'm a university student coming from a poor family. I work to be able to buy food. I don't care about fashion and I buy clothes maybe once or twice a year, and only if I need something (I bought a jacket last winter because my old one was 12 years old and fell apart and I was freezing in the -20 C weather, I buy a bathing suit if I need it for the summer etc). I can't even afford H&M. I only buy there if I see something I need on sale. I can't spend over $5 on a T-shirt, I just don't have that kind of money. I think this video really isn't fair and is accusing poor people for being poor. I mean, give me money and I'll buy anything you want me to buy. Of course I'd rather buy high quality clothes than what I normally wear. But most people are like me and we can't afford it.
I feel like its impossible to escape fast fashion in latin america. I lived all my live in Venezuela and i had very limited access to clothes so i took good care of the ones i had, bought them with a lot of care and thought and often bought them seccond handed.
But still, non fast fashion is way too expensive and i still buy in H&M, but trying to pay attention to quality and taking good care of my clothes. I have forever 21 items that i bought 4 years ago, still look good.
:(
for us in latam, brands like Zara, H&M, F21 or so are very very expensive, let alone high-end clothing. If we buy fast fashion that stuff has to last us for years
Do you have girlfriends to swap with? Farmers market with independent vendors who make clothing? Do you have Access to the Internet? Surely if there’s an H&M in the area there has to be other major department stores that carry a variety of designers & have sales etc. no? It’s OK that you have shopped at H&M but the excuses are getting silly.
If Zara is considered fast fashion, then surely it is wrong for any member of the Royal Family to be wearing them - due to the working conditions you highlight. I know that Duchess of Cambridge has worn Zara outfits at times. It's good to get the inside track on what goes on in the fashion industry. I don't buy fast fashion, and never really have, even when I was younger. Sometimes I buy the odd T shirt from the supermarket but that's about it.
buying vintage and from secondhand stores is also better for the environment! There is a lot of water waste that goes into these clothes! Not to say that the human toll is any less important but there are so so many reasons to stop buying from these brands!
Linds R Terrific information
I think fast fashion is not a problem, but a symptom of an underlying issue - unaddressed psychological damage that is medicated though compulsive shopping. Fast fashion produce so much waste because so many people are used to medicate their anxiety with this "retail therapy" there. Fast fashion just plays into bad habits of consumers. Substituting fast fashion with thrift shopping is not a solution - thrift shops won't be able so sustain the demand of people with compulsive shopping habits. Bad habits drive fast fashion, and I suspect that if everyone moves to so-called "sustainable" fashion, it will become unsustainable very quickly. Also, eventually thrift shops would run out of non-damaged garments. Also, keep in mind that ongoing pandemic situation may destroy thrift shops ENTIRELY if some politicians would decide that they need to make obligatory disinfection procedures + overall tea of consumers of getting germs from other people's clothes.
I live in Spain and I really don't know where to find good quality or ethical clothes, because for example you can find brands like Etam or brands from El Corte Inglés that sell expensive but terrible quality clothing. I feel like I can't escape even if I want to because everywhere you go you find cheap&bad quality or expensive&bad quality. I usually buy from second-hand stores because I've never followed the trends but the clothes that are sold there are always from fast-fashion brands anyway...
I don't think made in Mexico is a cheap labor/fast fashion. it does not compare at all with China
+Dolly H. Overall you are right. But it depends on the brand, really. For the record: countries like China are able to produce good quality too! But their biggest volumes go to fast fashion brands unfortunately.
And Mexico produces fast fashion too...
Love your videos! I especially enjoy hearing more about fast fashion. There is very little out there about 'fair trade' vs 'free trade' in clothing options. Any/all extra information you share is much appreciated! Thank you
+Lauren Vassilico I did a follow-up video about how & where to find sustainable fashion. But that's it for now... Though I might tackle this topic again, as I get many questions about it. Interested? Do you have specific questions?
Thanks, I checked the second video out just now. I've only started this type of research, so I unfortunately don't have additional questions at this time. My husband and I live in a sort of tiny home (250 sq ft), and I consider my wardrobe to be capsule, even though it isn't of the upmost professional grade. I also had to make some health changes, and I've lost about 18 lbs. All this to say that I will need to go shopping for new clothes soon...hence my recent interest in "good shopping." So. Yes, I'm definitely interested in this topic, and I appreciate your work on it!
Thank you for addressing this in your channel, I think the disposable culture that is cultivated does not need to exist and ideally we would do best to try to source our clothing, toys, hobbies, and even food as ethically as possible. Whether that means something made by a person down the street, or buying from a small company or designer like you across the globe, let's keep our wealth in our own hands instead of funnelling it upwards in exchange for cheap crap made by exploiting the labor or other human beings.
Only 33 for one season 😂😂😂😂 I think overall I have 33 pieces. If I don't count jackets and coats. I'm from Russia
I am so poor that all I own are few pairs of jeans and a few shirts and t shirts form UNIQLO. (and 1-2 sport clothing from nike etc for the gym and hiking and whatnot) And I heard that UNIQLO is fast fashion now? So were can I find good new clothes that is as cheap?
My mum used to buy nothing but H&M back when it was still called "Hennes&Mauritz". Because they used to actually make affordable (not cheap) clothes that would LAST. This all changed in the 90s and early 2000s. The prices dropped and so did the quality. It got so bad that a piece of clothing would only last a season, MAYBE two. Honestly I don't blame H&M. They saw they're sales dropping and realized that people wanted cheap clothes now rather than reasonably priced ones that would last a while. But I can see the consumers perspective too. With even quality brands getting caught up in scandals concerning poor working conditions in so called third world countries, many feel overwhelmed and unable to make an informed decision (of course that sort of intransparency is intented both by fast fashion sbd "reputable" brands. Also many can't afford better clothing and as someone has mentioned below Second Hand isn't a viable option everywhere. Here in Germany it's almost exclusive baby and children's clothing. However it's not all looking grim. I've made good experiences with apps that offer peer to peer selling which are becoming more and more popular so I hope that's a sign of the trend changing
I also still have one pullover from "Hennes&Mauritz". Honestly this thing is indestructible. It must be close to 20 years old at this point and the only "complaint" I have about it, is that it doesn't fit right anymore because my body has changed a bit in those 20 years lol. So I wear it only around the house now, but I could never part with it as long as it's so good. None of the clothes I have bought in the past years have come close to this pullover's quality. I haven't set foot in H&M in probably over 5 years now, because nowadays their clothes fall apart after the second wash.
Justine - I love your videos so much!!! Thank you for educating people on this issue