A couple of days ago I would have scoffed at the mere suggestion that I’d be writing with such passion on the subject of fast fashion.
You can blame Stacey Dooley for this. I watched her documentary ‘Fashion’s Dirty Secrets’ on BBC iPlayer.
Mainly thanks to David Attenburgh, we hear about the effect that plastic is having on our environment on a daily basis, so it’s in our consciousness most of the time. It’s visible. It’s in our hands virtually all the time one way or another.
Clothing is in our hands every day too, but I had no idea that it can be as deadly as plastic.
There’s been a lot in the press on the topic of ‘fast fashion’ recently. I’ve read the articles and mentally filed the information. I hold my hand up to not being the worlds best advert for being environmentally friendly and certainly wasn’t expecting this programme to do anything except add to said filed information. How wrong I was…… It’s had a profound impact on me. I make no apology for being a bit evangelical about it.
The documentary explores ‘the shocking impact our insatiable appetite for cheap clothing is having around the globe’.
Facts about fast fashion
Did you know that:-
- the fashion industry is one of the top five most polluting industries in the world – alongside the oil industry?
- it can take over 15,000 litres of water to grow the cotton to make a pair of jeans?
- chemical waste is discarded during manufacturing which releases toxic chemicals on a daily basis into waterways? Local communities rely on this water. They are forced to wash, bathe and swim in water containing mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic on a daily basis.
- brands including some of my favourites e.g. Zara, Asos, M&S, Primark, Monsoon, Next and River Island refused to speak to Stacey when making the documentary? Levi’s were the only company contacted who would.
- the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs wouldn’t answer the questions put to them either?
- MPs launched an inquiry in June this year to investigate the impact of fast fashion and it has yet to report its findings?
What’s being done about fast fashion?
So, it would appear that there’s little being done in terms of legislation and no policy statements from the retailers so it’s down to us to make them accountable and the only way to do that is by putting our hard earned cash elsewhere!
I strongly urge you to take a look at the programme as the visual impact was what really got to me.
If something isn’t done soon ‘the planet is gone because water is our life. Water is our future’.
I’m not saying for a second that I’ll never be seen again in Zara or M&S, etc. but I certainly will be thinking long and hard before I purchase.
So, to play my part, I’m offering you discounted rates on Wardrobe Reviews. I want to help you make the most of what you already have before you buy more. Contact me for chat.
