Who Pays for Fast Fashion?

image sourced from ethicalfashionforum.com

The garment factory fire and building collapse in Bangladesh the other week was brutal and shocking. In some ways it feels like worlds away, in a country many of us Westerners know little about. But the reality is that our day to day lives are closely connected to this tragedy. We can see this connection more clearly because the factories in this building quite literally provide the shirts on our backs.

We have more clothes than ever and yet clothing represents a much smaller proportion of our monthly budget than it did 50 years ago. Somewhere along the line someone is paying the price for that savings. Have you noticed an increase in “Made in Bangladesh” labels in your clothes from popular brands? That’s because Bangladesh produces garments cheaper than China can nowadays. Cheaper than most other countries in the world.

So what is the solution? Do we refuse to buy anything “Made in Bangladesh”? And where do we draw the line? This would be a simple solution but not the best solution. In fact many “sweatshop” factory workers would choose their jobs over the alternatives. Tom Murphy for Humanosphere provides a good overview of the situation here.

Sweatshop clothes are also called  “Fast Fashion” a reference to the disposable nature of clothing nowadays. We buy cheap clothes, lots of cheap clothes. They don’t last long both style and quality wise. And when we tire of them we dump them. Often we give them to a charity and feel pleased that our garbage is “helping” someone else.

So what can we do? Here are some tips to help, from the simple to the more demanding:

1) Respect your wardrobe. Take good care of the clothes you have and try to keep them in good shape for as long as possible.
2) Buy quality items. Buy the best you can afford and stop seeing your clothing as disposable.
3) Admit that every time you donate your used clothing, the reality is you aren’t really helping anyone but yourself. Is this better than the garbage? Yes. Is your old tank top going to help someone in need? Not really.
4) Buy used clothing (ahem... vintage clothing) in your home town and prevent it from being shipped overseas.
5) Choose clothing that is “sweatshop free.” These items are often more expensive, but they are better quality and last longer.
6) Shop in locally run stores that pay attention to where the clothing they sell is made. Ask the shopkeepers if their clothing is “sweatshop free.”
7) Research what brands are “sweatshop free” and share this information with your friends.
8) Encourage big brands to be accountable to their workers. Get involved in a campaign.