by Philippa Ryder

We all love a fashion fix. The joy in finding that new outfit for a special occasion is palpable, yet when we engage in ‘fast fashion’—buying cheaply made, rapidly produced clothing for only a handful of wears—we are complicit in the destruction of the planet’s resources. Fast fashion encourages companies to produce more and more cheap clothes, often in sweatshops in the Global South where employees face inhumane conditions, paid pennies for producing garments that they themselves couldn’t afford to buy off the racks. 

It's not just lower-cost brands. Many designer brands and high-street stores are also contributing to fast fashion, even as they claim to be green. Studies show that ‘greenwashing’, defined as unjustified and misleading claims that products are more sustainable than they truly are, is prevalent in the industry. Often brands that appear to be eco-friendly or sustainable may only have one very small environmentally friendly line in their product range: the surface veneer of sustainability being just a marketing tool that continues the never-ending churn of new products to unsuspecting consumers eager to do their bit to support a greener future. 

The impact of the fashion industry on our planet cannot be overstated. The World Bank estimates that 20% of water pollution comes from textile production. Another study indicates that fast fashion will increase by 30% by 2030, depleting resources and increasing pollution. Most high-street stores have fashion lines that claim to be ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’ or ‘recycled’—yet when these claims are examined, over half of those lines don’t align with the most basic definitions of these terms.

Rachel Blanckensee, a graduate of the fashion programme of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin, Ireland says, “I was horrified when shortly into my course I was hearing of the unsafe and polluting practices in the far-east sweatshops which frequently lead to illness and death among the workers. My generation is split between wanting cheap, stylish clothes and wanting to buy sustainable clothes that don’t ruin the environment.” Online giant SHEIN—one of the worst culprits in the fast-fashion world—adds up to 7000 new lines weekly, delivering purchases to shoppers in less than a week. 

Former model and Friends of the Earth spokesperson Laragh McCann says: “Leaving this task to the fashion giants is the equivalent of staying on the Titanic and looking at the iceberg looming ahead.” She has set up her own sustainable brand, Climate Love Fashion, which labels second-hand clothes with its heart symbol. She also says that she uses the ‘Good on you’ ethical fashion app. “When in doubt I'll always do a quick check of a brand through this app, they do a simple rating of brands and provide simple explanations of where they are at.”

There are ways to buy sustainably. Irish Member of European Parliament (MEP) Ciarán Cuffe says that he is “encouraged by the growing success of online marketplaces for second-hand items, like Vinted and Depop. At the EU level, we are taking action to diminish fashion's role in climate change and ensure that products on the EU fashion market last longer and can be recycled, too. These are the aims of a new law called the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation’, which will introduce new and mandatory minimum standards for the quality of textiles sold in the EU.”

So what can we do? Alongside advocacy for climate-conscious legislation and government action, we can also look at our choices and plan our purchases with sustainability in mind: 

Apply the thirty-wear rule and consider versatility and rewearability, mixing and matching to give longevity to the items.

Research your store and your brands to look beyond the label to understand how a brand approaches sustainability and ensure they align with your values.

Consider new versus vintage and seek out second-hand finds to give clothing a new lease of life through charity shop hunting, or explore Rental Fashion options for special occasions.

Shop for clothes that are multi-seasonal to choose items that can be worn different ways or layered, encouraging maximum wearability over the course of a year.

Donate your clothes to a local charity shop to help others and the planet.

Repair clothes or, if you can’t, put them in the hands of a professional; a tailor can also work wonders to update and refit clothing that may be in need of a style or sizing overhaul.

Think quality over quantity and buy only pieces that are likely to stand the test of time. You can’t go wrong filling your wardrobe with well-designed, well-made staple items that you’ll reach for again and again.