Hello lovelies,
Like many of you, I love to shop. I love a good bargain for a hot style. Many of my clothes have been bought from Forever 21, H&M, and Charlotte Russe – retailers who specialize in “fast fashion.”
Fast Fashion Retailers – Many are My Favorite!
Trendy, of the moment, affordable style? Sure, sign me up. Stores like these are super attractive for a fashionista like me.
However, today my view of fast fashion has drastically changed, due to a documentary called The True Cost.
This film showed me how my pursuit of a $8 top is at the cost of workers in Bangladesh, China, India, and Cambodia. Many of these workers are in dangerous working conditions to keep the costs of manufacturing low. In 2013, a large building collapsed in the Rana Plaza where much of the garment industry is centered. 1,100 workers died as a result of factory managers neglecting the deteriorating conditions of the building. This event is just one of the tragedies at garment factories in these areas.
Is it worth the cost?
Not only are people being affected by the low wages and dangerous working conditions, but our environment is taking a hit by the use of pesticides on the cottons used in the material. Dyes used for leathers in India are full of chemicals, which end up leaking in water supplies.
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Most of these women make just $3 USD a day.
I don’t want to preach to others that they shouldn’t buy from our favorite retailers, but maybe we can slow down how much we buy. Maybe we can recycle more of our clothes. Maybe we can give our business to more fair trade retailers and designers.
My mission now is to profile fair trade brands and also show looks I created from secondhand stores.
I hope you will join me! Let’s share our fair trade and recycled looks!
Love, laughter, and shoes-
xo Melanie.
I think it is a good reminder. My mom is tailor and the factory she works in is above nuclear sampling factory. The whole ground is full of radiation. I told her so many times to get away from there. She buys me clothes for almost nothing, the real price of the jacket for instance is £200 and she got it for 5 to £10. It is really sad how they take advantage of them.
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That is so scary, and very sad how people are exploited.
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Great post. I have been reading a lot of these fashion posts, and came across “Trust Cost” in those posts as well. I have not yet watched it (just a trailer), but I plan on it. I have definitely cut down my clothing/shoe sprees; 10 years ago I had a pretty crappy shopping habit. I rarely buy clothes now and refuse those fast-deals at stores because of the light that has been shone on these industries and the workers who make the clothes we buy in western society. Have you found some good fair trade stores that support/value their workers in other countries? Please do share this in your searches!
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Hi Nadine! Thanks for reading my post. I have just begun to look for fair trade retailers, and I’ll be sure to post those I find. It’s important to support those who are trying to do what’s right.
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Absolutely. Since cutting down my consumerism drastically, I take the time to really look into it, and also to support local entrepreneurs as much as possible; in this case, I don’t mind spending the extra money.
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