I loved retail therapy — until I discovered slow fashion
My Journey Towards an Ethical Lifestyle
I wasn’t always an advocate for slow fashion. In fact, I am guilty of shopping from fast fashion brands for a huge part of my life. While shopping plays a huge role in anyone’s life, I used clothing to express myself throughout a large part of my life. Eventually, it became a habit, a part of my comfort zone. During my teenage years, and until I turned at least twenty-two years old, I used to go shopping every opportunity I got. I felt like I never had enough.
Watching clothing hauls, keeping up to date with recent trends, and experimenting with fabrics and cuts of clothing played a part for most of my life in university. It wasn’t until one day, only over two years ago when I was hit with a “lightbulb” moment that changed my entire outlook on life. While many people are fashion enthusiasts, a lot of teenagers and young adults buy items to simply fit into the status quo. I had hit a breaking point in my life for various reasons, and retail therapy simply wasn’t working. For the first time in my life I decided to look for other ways to express myself, and my emotions in a healthy manner, that did not involve ending up in a mall.
I know my story sounds cliche so far, but there’s a twist.
I was an art student, and in my final year when I discovered ethical fashion. It was an assignment based on discussing environmental issues. While a part of me wanted to discuss water pollution in the beginning, another part of me wanted to dive deeper into what caused this pollution in the first place.
Upon discovering that clothing played a huge role in causing pollution, I instead began my research on the root cause. This led me to a documentary titled The True Cost. This documentary highlights the environmental, social, and political impact of the fast fashion industry.
I began reflecting on:
why I felt the need to shop?
why I felt the need to follow certain trends?
what triggered my need to shop?
how I felt at the moment?
was this feeling momentary or long-term?
leading me to discover who I am and what I truly stand for. Who would’ve thought that one simple assignment could change the entire course of my life? These are questions I continue to ask myself when I want to purchase an item to avoid overconsumption.
As my research continued through countless documentaries, journal articles, and books, I began turning away from shopping. I began noticing labels on clothes from countries that employ workers in sweatshops for major fast fashion brands — such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Vietnam,
and the list goes on.
Fast fashion impacts the planet in several ways, environmentally, socially, and politically. Major fast fashion brands continue to create clothing based on 52 seasons a year rather than four. This in turn means that new clothes are shipped to stores every week. Brands produce large amounts of items that are later discarded by the consumer or the retailer — ending up in storage rooms, thrift stores, and landfills.
Whereas, ethical fashion promotes buying only what you need, avoiding overconsumption, and being a conscious consumer in order to create a more sustainable lifestyle that promotes a safe working environment for workers and a cleaner planet.
Consumerism plays a huge role in modern society. Since we’re children, we’re constantly shown ads from major companies selling the idea that once we have a certain product, we’ll achieve happiness. This is an idea that is fed to us through advertisements and movies in order to purchase said item, promising a better tomorrow.
As a child, I was attracted to the lifestyle of Barbie. I wanted all the clothes she had and the life she lived. As I grew older, this role model changed to celebrities that changed over time, each selling the same idea that once you had a material possession of some sort, be it looking a certain way through make-up or dressing in a certain style, suddenly life would make sense.
However, in time you discover that material possessions only cause momentary happiness. In time, as my research continued, instead of seeking material possessions, I began seeking experiences.
A life of fulfillment does not consist of material possessions but precious moments and experiences with people who really matter.
Now, I ask myself a thousand times (I’m exaggerating) before purchasing anything.
Is this necessary?
Do I need it?
Is it important?
Can I live without it?
While I am still guilty of buying things I can probably live without, I have slowed down significantly. My art practice now focuses on unpacking larger concepts such as capitalism and consumerism while largely focusing on the fashion industry. Though I still love dressing up, I can say that being a part of the slow fashion movement through non-profits such as Remake and Fashion takes Action has had a great impact on my life.
My journey towards an ethical lifestyle will continue to be a work in progress.
