“Seventy-five percent of fashion supply chain material ends up in landfills. This amounts to ‘the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles per second.’”
— Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2018 Report
We’ve all been victims of fast fashion at least once, buying too many items per season and donating even sometimes unworn items to charities. Without a doubt most of our unworn clothes land in landfills. In developing countries, this may not be as profound yet, as charity organizations are not as overloaded with supply. Nevertheless, it’s all of us who have been the antagonist that contributed to the second largest polluting industry in the world.
So, how is slow fashion tackling this issue?
Slow fashion is a reaction to fast fashion. The movement encourages you to stop and think before every purchase. To be more intentional and thoughtful in your buys.
Slow fashion brands focus on quality, whilst producing limited quantities each month. The pieces are not based on fashion trends that are currently in, but rather focus on timeless designs that can be worn over and over again. They are meant to last.
Finally, what can you do to become part of the solution and not the problem?
- Make more thoughtful purchases. Before buying a new item make sure you don’t have something similar in your wardrobe. Think of the item’s versatility. You need to be able to create at least 9 different outfits including your new purchase for different occasions and settings.
- Shop vintage! A great way to tackle the issue from the top is to look for second-hand stores. There are so many out there but if you are looking for ones in Egypt, email our team at hello@zakeia.com and they will be happy to share some nice recommendations with you.
- Look for sustainable brands and do your due diligence. Contact the brand to make sure that the information they are stating on their website is true. Ask them about their production process, how many items they produce each month, where they source their fabric from, what makes them sustainable, and whether they support any social causes?
... there are so many other ways, we can all shop more sustainably.
Make sure you buy less, choose well, and make it last.
We would love to hear back from you. If you have other suggestions, please feel free to email us and we will add them to the list, for others to benefit from.
6 comments
So excited for the launch of the Zakeia blog! This is what I have been waiting for 🥰✨
I usually try to give an old item a second chance at life by remaining how to wear it differently. Invading my sister’s closet and try to create a different outfit with it or seek the help of a tailor to change its length or its style to make it feel like a brand new piece in my wardrobe.
Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. What’s more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year. The fashion industry is a major contributor to microplastic pollution of the ocean. Over a third (35%) of all microplastics released into the world’s oceans are from synthetic textiles.
Here’s a link, for a really good article by Sanvt I found about the benefits of slow fashion!
https://sanvt.com/journal/advantages-of-slow-fashion/
My favorite brand. Not only is it sustainable, the pieces are just stunning!❤️
To put all the pollution of the fashion industry into perspective, it is worth mentioning that the yearly fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions is about the same quantity as the greenhouse gases emitted by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined in a single year.