5 Tips To Help You Dump Fast Fashion
If we told you that there’s an industry enslaving millions of people, destroying our planet and stealing the childhood of our future generations...
Would you join us in fighting against it?
Well that industry is fast fashion.
Luckily, more and more people are thinking consciously about their consumption.
These steps are great if you’ve already started to break up with fast fashion, or even if you're just starting your journey,
Here are 5 handy tips to help you kick fast fashion out to the curb.
1. 30x RULE
Don’t buy anything unless you can see yourself wearing it 30x times. It sounds simple in theory, but many of us struggle with it in practice.
Our obsession for newness needs to be quelled; wearing the same outfit twice needs to be celebrated.
Gone are the days where we NEED to buy a new dress for a friend’s birthday, or that we NEED to order 5 new outfits for that important conference and then return 4 of them.
Let's place a higher value to the clothes we wear and buy.
We often have many wonderful items already in our wardrobe… free of charge!
But if we do feel as though we need a new item, truly reflect on how you can wear it consistently.
If you can see yourself wearing it 30x times, then it is a great investment - if you can’t, then leave it in your cart!
2. REFLECT ON WHERE YOUR MONEY IS GOING
As consumers, we have the power every day to vote with our wallets for the world we desire.
Through buying fast fashion, we are giving tacit consent to whatever supply chain that brought the garment to us… the atrocious human rights abuse and the destruction of our natural resources (just to name two).
The biggest protest we can send to fast fashion retailers is to let their products eat dust!
Brands serve consumers and it's about time that brands started serving our values.
Unless sales stop flowing through, these retailers will fail to reconsider their actions and improve their supply chains.
So ask yourself “What vote will I be casting with this purchase?”. Only complete the purchase if the vote aligns with your values.
And if you're not sure about how ethical the brand, send them an email asking 'who made my clothes?'.
Ps. Can you imagine the uproar at H&M’s head office if NOBODY walked into any of their stores tomorrow?
3. CAN I REALLY AFFORD THIS?
If you can’t afford to pay for something twice, then you probably can’t afford it in the grand scheme of things.
This rule applies to ethical clothing or non-ethical clothing.
Many of us get sucked in to appealing sales that prey on scarcity and impulse. When you buy that dress that was reduced from $160 to $90, you didn’t ‘save’ $70… you still spent $90!
Never should a purchase make you short on your rent or mean you have to skimp on your groceries.
There’s nothing wrong with not being able to afford new fashion; be patient, save your money and wait until you can comfortably afford it.
We have a funny feeling that when you save for a beautiful garment that you will cherish and wear it over 30 times :)
4. KNOW THE MATERIALS
This one can get a bit tricky and overly science-y for some people, so we'll keep it pretty simple.
You’ve got 2 types of fibres: natural and synthetic.
Natural fibres are made up of plant-based or animal fibres, and these include wool, hemp, linen, organic cotton and many more.
Alternatively, synthetic fibres are man-made and commonly include polyester, acrylic, spandex and nylon.
To focus on polyester, it is made from petroleum and can take up to 200 years to biodegrade… that's horrible for our environment. Thankfully, companies have been able to recycle polyester into new clothing fabrics to minimise its waste!
Where possible, try and avoid synthetic fibres and do your best to buy clothes made from natural material.
Check out the tags for GOTS certifications for organic materials, e.g. organic cotton. Organic clothing is kind to the environment and your skin!
Also, be aware of companies claiming to use natural fibres, when in reality, only part of the garment is actually made from natural fibres. As this is a complex issue, please read more about sustainable materials here.
5. UNFULLOW & UNSUBSCRIBE
Just like with any breakup, there’s no point keeping their number or still following their socials.
This is no different when ending your relationship with fast fashion.
Unfollow their accounts and unsubscribe from their mailing lists to remove the temptation to go back - you know they are no good for you!
And start following more slow fashion and ethical clothing accounts on Instagram too... cough cough, follow us at @stridestore_
TO FINISH UP
At the end of the day, breaking up with fast fashion is a process and nobody expects you to do everything overnight.
The fact that you've read this article and that you're already thinking critically about your consumption is a great start. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Honestly, please do it... we'll wait :)
This is just five out of many tips to help you on your journey.
You're definitely on the right track!
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need some more tips, or if you just want to have a chat!
It can about ethical clothing, sustainability or why we love memes so much... we don't mind!
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