5007597

Sofia Kohn

Mr. Wood

Period 3

April 25th, 2022

Fatal Fabric

“What pile does the orange striped shirt go in again?” My mom asked me as she held up

my old shirt from middle school. She was reorganizing the three piles of clothes we had

accumulated over the past hour or so.

“It shouldn’t go in the trash, put it in the Goodwill pile. Someone might want it,” I

responded as I got up and grabbed another stack of clothes to sort through.

It was the summer of 2021. The peak of lockdown from the pandemic. Since there was

nothing better to do, my mom and I decided to tackle my closet. So far we had found

moth-hole-ridden scoop neck H&M shirts in three different colors, miscellaneous brands of

ripped skinny jeans, and a few stretched out hoodies covered with obnoxious graphics. As our

piles got larger it was evident that my closet definitely needed a makeover.

For the last couple months I had only worn pajamas and sweatpants around the house. I

barely grabbed anything out of my drawers or closet because I had nowhere to go. This was a

result of school ending dismally online, with half-ass finals, and inconclusive goodbyes. At first I

was thrilled that school was canceled due to covid. But after spending a few months at home, it

felt less like vacation and more like a life-sentence. Summer wasn’t feeling like summer. There

weren't any vacations to be had, or friends to go see; at least safely. It was all unknown from that

point on. So instead I focused on what I did know, that my room was a mess.

1
 5007597

After cleaning out my closet, I ended up finding the perfect hobby to get myself back on

my feet. When those piles of clothing sat in front of me, I had an idea. I thought about how I

could resell my items online across the nation. How I could go thrifting for unique items I could

share with other people. How I’d learn marketing strategies, customer communication, and

economics. It was a dream right in front of me. It didn’t look pretty, sure. Some rag-tag clothing

from middle and high school wasn’t too exciting, but it was a start.

I got my shop up and running after many photo sessions modeling the clothing, writing

out the descriptions, and accurately pricing the clothing. After posting my items and organizing

my page, I got some sales pretty quickly. It was invigorating knowing I could start something out

of nothing like that. I ended up getting a couple five star reviews and a substantial following. But

after those first sales that jump started my account, things began to slow down. I started trying to

find more clothing to put on my site to inject life back into the shop. When I went thrifting, I

started looking for marketable pieces that would sell easily. I tried not to go to stores for the

purpose of buying in bulk for my store. I only browsed when I was out for myself. I also didn’t

want to mark up the prices too much when I sold them since I got them for dirt cheap. Selling a

piece for double what I paid for it seemed ethically wrong. I didn’t want to make otherwise

affordable clothing out of people’s price ranges. But I still needed to make a profit in order to get

a return on my purchases. The moral problem that dilemma raised, made me question my

opinions on thrifting, fast fashion, and sustainability. I wanted to find out why fast fashion was

so bad, and if the industry could ever be sustainable.

Fast fashion is defined as “a design, manufacturing, and marketing method focused on

rapidly producing high volumes of clothing.” These brands such as H&M, “utilize trend

replication and low-quality materials (like synthetic fabrics) in order to bring inexpensive styles

2
 5007597

to the public” (Stanton). Like H&M, all of the stores I was shopping at fit this definition.

Victoria’s Secret, Ross, and Uniqlo, which are deceptively unique in terms of the product they

produce, are still the same in terms of production. They have carefully regulated a system in

which a garment can go from conceptualization to being shipped to customers within 2-3 weeks

(The Fashion Law). Due to the sheer amount of garments these companies can make with this

system, there’s always new clothes on their website and in stores. The same Zara location you

went into last month could have switched out its whole inventory within a week to hop on a new

micro-trend. These short lived trends arise from social media and are often replicated by fast

fashion. As said by Audrey Stanton from The Good Trade, “Nowadays, fast fashion brands

produce about 52 “micro-seasons” a year—or one new “collection” a week” (Stanton). Trends

can last around two months or weeks as opposed to full seasons or years in the past (Mendoza,

Huxtable). Constant shifts in trends can make having in-style, fashionable clothes harder to

obtain. But despite how much clothing is produced, consumers are throwing away more and

more clothing to make room for the hottest new trend in their closet.

Statistically, people are wearing clothes less as a result of the takeover of fast fashion.

“The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by

36% compared to 15 years ago. A survey of 20 countries showed that consumers now wear less

than 50% of items in their wardrobe. And the average American in 2019 bought 68 new pieces of

clothing. In 1980 this figure was 12. Half of these items are now worn 3 times or less” (Clean

Clothes Campaign). These figures explain the drastic amount of clothing ending up in landfills

across the country. As more and more clothing is thrown away, even more is being made to

satisfy demand. The downside of fast fashion lies within the ecological impact it reaps on the

environment and our atmosphere. Earth.org wrote, “Fast fashion production comprises 10% of

3
 5007597

total global carbon emissions, as much as the European Union. It dries up water sources and

pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year” (Maiti). Because of

the extreme pollution from textile factories, the EPA has to classify them as hazardous waste

facilities. Polyester, nylon, and acrylic are all synthetic materials used to make clothing. They

shed microfibers when washed, which pollutes the air and our oceans. Furthermore, “The United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD) considers fashion to be the second

most polluting industry in the world, after oil. The UNCTD also claims that between 2000 and

2014, global clothing production doubled. Projections suggest it will more than triple current

production by 2050” (Bliss). As shown, clothing companies under the fast fashion umbrella

aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Producing items in large factories overseas is extremely

accessible because it’s so cheap. The problem with this is that the companies selling the clothing

are making the money, while their workers just barely get by.

Fast fashion companies are not only bad for the environment, but they’re also known for

exploiting their workers. Since most manufacturing plants are based in low income countries,

paying them little to nothing is “acceptable” when it wouldn’t be in a 1st world country.

“Workers suffer from poor working conditions with long hours and low pay, dangerous working

conditions due to unsafe processes and hazardous substances used in production, with evidence,

in some instances, of modern slavery and child labour” (UNECE). There have been several

controversies around the unfair treatment of garment workers ranging from petty accusations, to

full blown tragedies. The collapse of Rana Plaza, a nine story manufacturing building in

Bangladesh, is an example. The collapse occurred in 2013, killing more than 1,100 workers and

injuring 2,600 more (Rahman, Yadlapalli). The Rana Plaza tragedy highlighted the poor working

conditions staff members have to work in daily. Many news sources and publications chose to

4
 5007597

cover the disaster in order to raise awareness. The news of the tragedy spread all over the world,

gaining attention from many philanthropists. Over the past decade there have been many steps

towards improving workers’ situations through foundations, alliances, and unions. There have

been many campaigns and charities started for the purpose of securing rights for garment

workers. But the average Bangladeshi worker is still making only $64 per month (Epatko). There

are still deep rooted problems in the fashion industry that need to be addressed. In order to make

further strides in reducing the damage caused by fast fashion, eyes need to stay on this issue.

Although, as consumerism, trends, and production increases in the modern age, is it possible to

change clothing companies’ methods? Can clothing manufacturing ever be sustainable and

ethical?

As someone geared towards being environmentally and socially aware, I want to say

“yes!” ecstatically. Unfortunately, on a global scale, it’s not as easy as that. But there are a lot of

things we can do as individuals to cut down on clothing waste. An example of this is the “30

wear challenge.” When purchasing new clothing, ask yourself if you’ll really wear it 30 times

before clicking ‘add to cart.’ This helps you think first before buying something purely based on

trendiness. I asked my aunt, Karen Lefebvre, if she had any advice for teenagers determining

what’s worth buying these days. She replied that it would be better to simply sift through their

own closets instead. She said, “I’d ask yourself how often do I really wear this stuff in my closet,

what are my favorites, and is it realistic that I’m going to wear this party dress ever again.” After

sorting through your own closet, you can rediscover clothing you would’ve overlooked if you

had bought new pieces. And if you find that your closet’s style is lacking, try and transform those

pieces into something new through sewing or altering. Lefebvre continued, “I’m trying to go as

minimal as I can. I think less is better; owning less is better for me. It’s less time deciding what,

5
 5007597

it’s less space you’ve got to live in, it minimizes your impact everywhere.” Owning less and

extending the longevity of an item is extremely important to cut back on waste. “In the UK,

continuing to actively wear a garment for just nine months longer could diminish its

environmental impacts by 20–30%” (Ro). By buying less and wearing more, people can

successfully combat the excess clothing and waste produced by the fast fashion industry.

Thrifting and buying from second hand marketplaces are also great options instead of fast

fashion. Over the past several years, thrifting among today's teenagers has become extremely

popular. “In 2019, around 40 percent of Gen Z-ers were buying second hand, compared to less

than 30 percent in 2016, according to a report by resale service ThredUp” (Watson). When

talking with my Karen Lefebvre, I found out she participated in thrifting when it wasn’t even

trendy, “I just loved going to the Salvation Army because I could find great antiques and clothes

as well. It was something I actually started doing in high school. I would go with a group of

friends to buy our clothes there. We would go because we didn’t wanna look like everyone else.

It was just a fun afternoon to go thrifting.” As teenagers, everybody wants to stand out and be

unique. These thrift stores offer one of a kind clothing that separates the buyer from everyone

else, which makes them attractive. What’s also attractive are the price tags. Millennials and

Gen-Z are more affected by student loans and debt than any other generation. So these cheap,

cool clothes make shopping on a budget easy. When choosing between an H&M tank top and a

bedazzled Hello Kitty crop top from the 2000s for the same price, it’s a no brainer for most teens.

Younger generations are also more environmentally concerned, which explains the epidemic of

thrifting and the recent trendiness of sustainability.

Another popular trend going around related to thrifting is reselling used pieces on online

platforms. Teenagers and college students go out to second hand stores to pick up pieces to sell

6
 5007597

online to a larger demographic. If priced right, this can lead to lower income families having

sustainable, low cost clothing available to them online. This is what I wanted to do when starting

my own online shop. My aim was to help other teenagers find affordable, unique styles, for less

than fast fashion stores. But the clothing market is competitive. Due to how many people are

selling on these sites, sellers are pressured to have more inventory. These online platforms like

Depop and Paypal also take a percentage out of your sale. So there’s an incentive put on the

producer to sell items for more in order to lessen the fee. Because of these factors, people easily

lose sight of their original goals and turn to the dark side of reselling.

Often, popular resellers buy in bulk, and price items 2+ times what they buy them for.

Nanditha Nair from the Berkeley Economic Review said, “Many individuals exploit their online

popularity to make businesses out of reselling thrifted items at marked-up prices. Depop is

notorious for this—some of its most popular users, who started out simply revamping their

wardrobe on the cheap, now go thrifting exclusively to find items to resell for a profit on the app.

Unique and vintage items at affordable prices targeted towards underprivileged and marginalized

communities then end up on an online marketplace that serves both consumers looking to dress

respectably on a budget and those who are invested in finding a unique look for any price”

(Nair). Otherwise affordable clothing has been turned into a commodity labeled as “vintage” or

“y2k.” This spells bad for the brick and mortar thrift stores. “As thrifting reaches new levels of

popularity, troves of people are noticing a rise in prices at their local thrift stores. This can take a

serious toll on the folks who rely on the used market for everyday wear” (Watson).

I interviewed Jessica Ducan, an employee at a local Goodwill store, and this is what she

had to say on the topic, “I definitely see more high schoolers in here shopping than a few years

ago. Some people buy loads of stuff in one sitting. That wasn’t weird I think it’s just more often

7
 5007597

now—especially with younger people.” She went on, “Yeah you can tell who’s in here to shop

for need and who’s here to shop for fun.” There's been a clear shift in the demographics visiting

thrift stores as opposed to a decade ago.

The arguments for and against thrifting both have strong points to them. I find myself

simultaneously on both sides. It can be extremely fun finding that gem at the end of the rack after

sorting for an hour at a Salvation Army. But people abusing thrift store’s cheap prices by buying

loads of their inventory don’t make it easier for the people who need to shop there. Reduced

inventory means less options. And if stores know people will pay a higher price, they’ll make

items more expensive. This makes the original points of thrift stores disappear. If we can’t agree

on what’s right, how can we work towards a sustainable future? And this is just the beginning of

the problems we need to solve.

Sustainability comes with many challenges. One of them is company transparency. After

the public started uncovering the truth about their favorite brands, a lot of them felt betrayed and

wanted things to change. In response, a lot of fast fashion brands started “greenwashing” their

products to make them seem better for the environment when they really weren’t. For example,

H&M put out a new line of clothing called the “H&M Conscious Collection.” The pieces in the

collection are said to have at least 50% more sustainable fabrics used in making them. Their

website doesn’t give us much information other than this. Tabitha Whiting writes, “They (H&M)

don’t go into detail about the types of items they’re recycling, how they’re recycled, how they’re

produced, what the carbon footprint of these products is compared to their other ranges, or even

what their definition of ‘sustainable’ is. It doesn’t feel very transparent” (Whiting). Alongside ad

campaigns of models in floral, lush, green settings, it’s obvious that they’re trying to convince us

that they’re doing better. Companies frequently use green imagery to promote environmental

8
 5007597

consciousness. Labels and aesthetic graphics trick the consumer into thinking a company’s

products are better now. Fashion brands make the claim that they’re “sustainable” now, but with

little evidence to back it up. This is due to the fact that there’s no regulation or expectation to

follow when discussing sustainability practices in the industry.

Most of the time the consumer gets very little knowledge on how the garment is

produced. An article from the Harvard Business Review explained, “As a recent Business of

Fashion report noted, “with no standardized language or regulated frameworks, deciphering what

companies are actually doing is extremely challenging.” Most CSR reports do not accurately

quantify the full carbon emissions profile of fashion brands and remain unaudited by external

parties” (Pucker). In other words, companies can pick and choose what numbers and information

they put out to the public. Why would a company voluntarily expose how much waste and

emissions they’re creating? Fashion behemoths like Forever21 have no reason to give out

information because people will still buy their clothing without it. And even with strict

regulation regarding garment production, who would enforce these companies to abide? Because

transparency is lacking, environmental advocates feel the need to “expose” fashion brands. This

push and pull between producer and consumer makes it extremely hard for the fashion industry

to become sustainable.

So what is the solution? To start, sustainability in fashion should be more than thrifting

instead of buying new clothes. Although thrifting is a good way to reuse clothing, it’s only on an

individual level. In order for clothing to be sustainable, the whole fashion industry needs to

change, which is where the true challenge lies. Most fast fashion garments are made with

polyester, acrylic, and nylon. These synthetic fabrics are made from plastics which are not

biodegradable. This is where the first changes need to occur. Retailers that adopt better materials

9
 5007597

like recycled cotton, linen, denim, and tencel, have a longer lifespan than the typical Forever 21

t-shirt. These fabrics are biodegradable, and can be repurposed into another garment after it’s

thrown out, unlike clothing made from poly-synthetics. Recycling clothing is a huge part of

creating a sustainable fashion industry. But as of now, less than 1% of all clothing is recycled

into new garments (Pucker). Clothing should ideally be made with the forethought that it will be

turned into something else in its lifetime. Therefore manufacturers should purposely make it out

of higher quality materials.

After conducting research, I found that the most sustainable model for the fashion

industry is a circular model. Motif.com explains, “A circular fashion industry is defined as a

regenerative system in which garments are circulated for as long as their maximum value is

retained, and then returned safely to the biosphere when they are no longer of use” (Motif). This

system fully maximizes a clothing item’s use, instead of letting it go into the landfill after 10

wears. If individuals and fashion companies both did their parts, we would most likely reduce the

amount of pollution textile industries contribute to the atmosphere.

Fast fashion and sustainability have always been put up against each other. The methods

and materials big companies like H&M use are detrimental to the environment. Tons and tons of

textiles are being thrown away after only a few wears. In addition, the workers these companies

employ don’t even earn a livable wage. It seems as if we can’t be sustainable as long as fast

fashion exists. And in this new age of trend cycles and short lived seasons, fast fashion is

thriving more than ever. But through scandals and exposés written on popular fashion brands,

many teenagers have turned themselves away from the mainstream and toward thrifting. Buying

second hand, “vintage” clothing for as low as $2.99 became a trend in itself. Once a trend to

promote environmental consciousness and sustainability, became a source of profit for young

10
 5007597

entrepreneurs. Resellers on online marketplaces began price gouging their thrifted items. This

started a conversation on the ethics of thrifting and supposedly “stealing from the poor.” Though,

this argument wasn’t the only thing preventing sustainability.

There’s hardly any guidelines for businesses to disclose how and what their clothing is

made out of, which has made it difficult for consumers to know if they’re purchasing something

good or bad for the environment. After plenty of thorough research, I’ve come to the conclusion

that a sustainable fashion industry must start with the producers, but end with the support of the

consumer. Companies first need to change what they make their clothing out of, roll out less

clothing per season, and compensate their employees with a livable wage. Next, consumers

should try and cut down on buying excess clothing, and wear what they buy longer in order to

extend the lifespan of garments.

Of course, these are all easier said than done. I believe that as of now, the real way to

combat fast fashion is at an individual level. Unfortunately, as much as we'd like to, we can’t

convince multi-billion dollar companies overnight to change their whole business model. So I

believe that any contribution, thrifting, donating, campaigning for workers rights, or even just

wearing your clothes more is a good thing. And it doesn’t have to be perfect either. Purchasing

from fast fashion brands is hard to avoid, so beating each other over the head about it isn’t

making any difference. Everyone is trying their best and I think that that’s enough. And so,

although there isn’t a quick fix for the fashion industry, individuals can help push for a

sustainable landscape by implementing sustainable habits into their day to day lives.

11
 5007597

Works Cited
Websites:
Stanton, Audrey. “What Does Fast Fashion Mean, Anyway?” The Good Trade, 21 Mar.

2022, https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion.

“Fast Fashion.” The Fashion Law, 13 Jan. 2021,

https://www.thefashionlaw.com/resource-center/fast-fashion/.

Maiti, Rashmila. “Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment.” Earth.Org -
Past | Present | Future, 13 Apr. 2021,
https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/.

Huxtable, Kyrstin, and Gabriela Mendoza. “Fashion Micro-Trends Harm the

Environment.” Daily Titan, 6 Sept. 2021,

https://dailytitan.com/opinion/fashion-micro-trends-harm-the-environment/article_8dfa4d9e-0ea

8-11ec-aa26-b3967f2c6240.html.

“Climate Change.” Clean Clothes Campaign, 1 Nov. 2021,

https://cleanclothes.org/climate-change.

Ro, Christine. “Can Fashion Ever Be Sustainable?” BBC Future, BBC, 10 Mar. 2020,

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-t

he-climate.

Pucker, Kenneth P. “The Myth of Sustainable Fashion.” Harvard Business Review, 13

Jan. 2022, https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-myth-of-sustainable-fashion.

Bliss, Dominic. “The Huge Toll of 'Fast Fashion' on the Planet – and Why the Answer

Could Be Circular.” National Geographic, 18 July 2019,

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment/2019/06/the-huge-toll-fast-fashion-the-planet

-and-why-the-answer-could-be-circular.

12
 5007597

Nair, Nanditha. “Rise of Thrifting: Solution to Fast Fashion or Stealing ...” Edited by

Abhishek Roy, Berkeley Economic Review, BER Staff, 19 Nov. 2019,

https://econreview.berkeley.edu/rise-of-thrifting-solution-to-fast-fashion-or-stealing-from-the-po

or/.

Watson, Sara Kiley. “Thrift Shopping Is an Environmental and Ethical Trap.” Popular

Science, 26 Feb. 2021,

https://www.popsci.com/story/environment/thrift-second-hand-shopping-sustainable-ethical/.

“Moving towards a Circular Fashion Economy.” MOTIF, 26 July 2021,

https://motif.org/news/circular-fashion-economy/.

Rahman, Shams, and Aswini Yadlapalli. “Years after the Rana Plaza Tragedy,

Bangladesh's Garment Workers Are Still Bottom of the Pile.” The Conversation, 3 May 2021,

https://theconversation.com/years-after-the-rana-plaza-tragedy-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are

-still-bottom-of-the-pile-159224.

Epatko, Larisa. “5 Years after the World's Largest Garment Factory Collapse, Is Safety in

Bangladesh Any Better?” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 6 Apr. 2018,

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/5-years-after-the-worlds-largest-garment-factory-collapse-i

s-safety-in-bangladesh-any-better.

Whiting, Tabitha. “'Sustainable Style': The Truth behind the Marketing of H&M's

Conscious Collection.” Medium, 27 June 2019,

https://tabitha-whiting.medium.com/sustainable-style-the-truth-behind-the-marketing-of-h-ms-co

nscious-collection-805eb7432002.

13
 5007597

Works Consulted

Websites:

Bonavita, Julia. “The Growing Impact of TikTok Micro-Trends in Fashion.” Pavement

Pieces, 14 Sept. 2021,

https://pavementpieces.com/the-growing-impact-of-tiktok-micro-trends-in-fashion/.

Assoune, Alex. “The Small Number of Times the Average Piece of Clothing Is Worn.”

Panaprium, 16 Oct. 2020, https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/times-clothing-worn.

“What Is the 30 Wear Pledge?” Cariki, 31 Jan. 2021,

https://cariki.co.uk/blogs/the-green-road/what-is-the-30-wear-pledge.

“How the Fashion Industry Can Become More Eco-Friendly.” 4ocean, 1 Feb. 2020,

https://www.4ocean.com/blogs/blog/how-the-fashion-industry-can-become-more-eco-friendly.

Marriott, Hannah. “'Will You Wear It 30 Times? If Not, Don't Buy': The Experts' Guide

to Online Shopping.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Mar. 2021,

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/mar/13/will-you-wear-it-30-times-if-not-dont-buy-th

e-experts-guide-to-online-shopping.

Davis, Nicola. “Fast Fashion Speeding toward Environmental Disaster, Report Warns.”

The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Apr. 2020,

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/apr/07/fast-fashion-speeding-toward-environmental-

disaster-report-warns.

Sicurella, Savannah. “When Second Hand Becomes Vintage: Gen Z Has Made Thrifting

a Big Business.” NPR, 18 June 2021,

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/18/1006207991/when-second-hand-becomes-vintage-gen-z-has-ma

de-thrifting-a-big-business.

14
 5007597

Pierre-louis, Kendra. “How to Buy Clothes That Are Built to Last.” The New York

Times, 25 Sept. 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/sustainable-clothing.html.

“Sustainable Fashion: Identifying Fast Fashion Flaws and Extending the Life Cycle of

Clothing.” Green Business Bureau, 4 May 2021,

https://greenbusinessbureau.com/industries/fashion/sustainable-fashion-identifying-fast-fashion-f

laws-and-extending-the-life-cycle-of-clothing/.

Bick, Rachel, et al. “The Global Environmental Injustice of Fast Fashion - Environmental

Health.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 27 Dec. 2018,

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7.

Claudio, Luz. “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry.” National

Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1

Sept. 2007, https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.115-a449

“Fashion Is an Environmental and Social Emergency, but Can Also Drive Progress

towards the Sustainable Development Goals.” UNECE, 1 Mar. 2018,

https://unece.org/forestry/news/fashion-environmental-and-social-emergency-can-also-drive-pro

gress-towards.

Interviews

Lefebvre, Karen. Interview. Conducted by Sofia Kohn. 6 April 2022.

Duncan, Jessica. Interview. Conducted by Sofia Kohn. 21 April 2022.

15