EnviroLink Forum

Hi all,
I am really interested in looking at how we can facilitate the demand for ethical fashion within the current fashion industry, as part of my dissertation research. I'd love to hear the views from any ethical consumers on this current topic. If you're interested please participate in my questionnaire, all responses are anonymous. Thank you so much!

Hi,
Would be particularly interested in the results. What fashion brands did you review? I'm writing a list of arguments for our online debates on Philosophy: ethical relativism vs environmental ethics.

I find ethical fashion to be a conflict in terms.

After all, fashion was invented to sell more textiles as it involves buying new clothes while the old ones are still serviceable.

They do this in two ways:

1) The endless: This is old, last years style and colors, don't be seen in it -- and be sure to shame anyone who is crass enough to be seen in last year's fashion. Instead buy these new colors and a new style that is probably a reworking of something old. Wear it for a year and buy something new.

2) Making clothes that wear out soon. Example: Blue jeans last for years. How is the fashion industry going to make money next year? First of all styles (see above) and second of all do things like make them out of light material, stone wash them to damage the threads, bleach them, or worst of all, sell them with holes in them already.

Ethical means don't by the latest style or fashions that are designed to wear out soon. Instead, buy classic clothes and wear them until they wear out.

But then that is the opposite of fashion, but it's much better for the environment.

Bob

I agree with the ideas above, in great measure the fashion industry isn't sustainable, but I want to highlight that the crux of the problem goes beyond the big companies that make clothes that will be damaged soon; the big problem is the capitalist and consumerist society that has established a thought focus on prejudices, physical appearance, style, among others, which has contributed to increase environmental pollution.

Now we can see "Fast Fashion", that is the result of the current industrial society, this has established that you must have the latest in fashion or that is frowned upon to wear the same clothes in a "short" period of time.

I think that we can reduce pollution in this industry by buying second hand clothes, Have you ever done this before? if you haven't, would you be willing to do this?

Ethical fashion is one thing, but I think we should also focus on recycling our current wardrobes. You can recycle the materials in many places but it's not exactly advertised, incentivized, or well known.

The key is to stop produce new pieces of clothes. We have enough of them already - we don't need new waste which will be "expired" in half of a year. Fashion goes round and round - nowadays you can find every trend from the second hand.

1) Buy clothes that last - example: don't buy blue jeans with holes in them already

2) Don't buy new clothes until the ones you are wearing are worn out.

Fashion was invented by the textile industry as a way to sell more fabric and make more profits.

Fashion is an endless change of everything in our life. And when people complain that everything changes very quickly. But I have a different take on it. Such a quick change in life makes it more interesting and unforgettable. If you are interested, I can recommend you read with confidence. Those who love online games in 2022 will especially understand me.

Hello!

I definitely agree with what "Happy Person" said, specifically that this is a capitalist and consumerist societal problem that has led us to overproduce and over-consume within the textile industry. As humans in the societal structures we live in, we have been conditioned to consume at an incredibly rapid pace so that we keep up with how fast companies produce and how fast trends change. Thus, this issue sometimes feels bigger than my individual choices, as it is many times the industries that produce massive amounts of clothing and pressure us to keep up with "fashion" and "trends." However, I do also agree with Bob, as I think there are things we can do as individuals to help reduce our textile consumption. I've never thought of repurposing and using your clothes until they physically cannot be used anymore, but I think that is a great idea and something we could all strive for.

However, I think that there is benefit in buying second-hand clothing when buying well-made/sustainable clothes isn't accessible due to the price. It is difficult when the price of environmentally friendly clothes can be so high due to the quality and care with which they were produced, as that isn't always accessible to everyone. I think that is an important thing to note, as encouraging people to buying second-hand can be a good place to start when thinking about how to become a more ethical textile consumer, as it can be both an environmentally and financially friendly option.