Fighting Fast Fashion

It's easy to feel helpless in the face of the ever-growing industry of fast fashion. But big change starts small, and even here in Bellingham there are a variety of ways you can contribute to helping end the problem. More than 34 billion pounds of used textiles are thrown out in the US every year. We hear a statistic like that and feel powerless. We imagine that 34 billion-pound pile of clothing and feel tiny. But it’s not just you versus that giant pile of clothes. There’s a huge community of people united in tackling the fast fashion problem. That community is especially prevalent here in Bellingham and at Western Washington University. At Western, people are openly and actively seeking to diminish waste produced here in Bellingham. 

Buying fast fashion

Thanks to the activism surrounding fast fashion, awareness about it is growing. However, awareness can only take us so far. Sure, once people educate themselves about fast fashion, they won’t want to buy it, but sometimes people have no choice. Many people know what fast fashion is and why it’s harmful, but they continue to buy it. Why? Because it’s cheap. 

In a recent survey of Western students conducted by The Rage Magazine, 58.8% of respondents reported buying fast fashion. However, many specified that they would prefer not to have to buy fast fashion but find themselves having to for financial reasons. A simple black puffer coat from Patagonia, a famously sustainable brand, will run you about $279 right now. Many people want to avoid fast fashion, but can’t afford the price tag on sustainable brands. Meanwhile, a similar coat from Forever 21, a fast fashion brand, goes for around $31.

Thrifting

Thrifting is a great and affordable way to combat fast fashion prices, thrifting can be a useful alternative. Thrifting is like a form of recycling. 

Clothing reseller (celeneshop on Depop/Instagram) and organizer of the Church of Vintage clothing sale, Jade Weston (she/her) thinks it’s possible for us to stop producing new clothing entirely, and simply rely on recycled textiles. Weston says sustainability is a part of why she participates in the thrift scene. 

“I only wear preowned clothing, and find tons of other basic necessity items secondhand, it feels good to keep things out of the landfill and find special unique pieces,” said Weston.

Curated thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange and Worn Again Thrift (both located in downtown Bellingham) offer nifty little pieces hand-picked by employees. Classic thrift stores like Goodwill sell donated clothing only lightly sorted through. If you donate a bag of clothing to Goodwill, all of it will likely end up on the rack unless it’s found to be unwearable. Curated thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange are more selective with what they’ll accept, only accepting clothing they deem desirable and worth reselling. If you bring a bag of clothing to a curated thrift store, they’ll likely accept some of it and send you home with whatever they don’t want. Curated thrift stores usually offer commissions for the clothing they accept.  

Because of the extra effort that goes into the inventory at curated thrift stores, prices usually run a little higher compared to classic thrift stores. This is a real pain, but when you consider the time and energy behind the selection at curated thrift stores, you get what you pay for. Besides, curated thrift stores are still usually cheaper than buying new, and they’re more sustainable by a long shot. 

“I try to have really affordable prices, especially at my Church of Vintage markets at the Karate Church on Maple St. On the stage we make a $5 pile heaped with clothes, and prices can be as low as $3.33 per item with the $3 for $10 deal. The goal is to have options at almost any price point to make curated thrifting accessible to anyone,” said Weston. 

DIY

While people like Weston try to keep thrifting affordable so people can continue to use it as an alternative to fast fashion, people like freshman Meg Spidle (she/her) explore other ways of avoiding fast fashion. Spidle sews some of her own clothes from scratch, she says she wears something she made, mostly skirts and dresses, once every few days.

“I think it’s fun to find fabrics and see what I can turn them into. Most of what I do is fairly simple, so I can design my own pattern or work with one,” said Spidle.

Depending on the project, Spidle refers to her own experience, sewing her own clothes can be fairly cost-efficient. Spindle made her own prom dress for $35. Unfortunately, homemade isn’t always cheaper. When you factor in the cost of materials, sewing clothing from scratch can be less affordable than buying from stores. The real value of making your own clothing is in the quality of the material. 

“When you account for the hours of unpaid labor it’s definitely pricier. My projects are more well made and longer lasting for the cost though, and I have a lot of fun sewing so it’s worth the extra time,” said Spidle. 

Making your own clothing can sound like an intimidating task. It isn’t always as hard as it looks though. Spidle thinks it would be easy to learn to sew the way she does. 

“As long as you’re interested in putting in the effort to learn. In my opinion, it’s important for everyone to know some basic sewing, at least enough to mend their preexisting clothes. It’s mostly a lot of repetition until you’re comfortable enough to move on to more complicated things, but the complicated stuff is optional,” said Spidle. 

What now?

Go thrifting, hem that tear in your jeans instead of throwing them away, try your hand at sewing, do whatever you can to help fight fast fashion. There’s already a substantial community here at Western and in Bellingham working to do something about fast fashion, and you can join them.