"Purchase for a Purpose"
Are we able to change our purchasing habit considering the social issues?
In the recent years, due the climate change and other environmental issue the public interest in healthier ways of consuming and clothing buying habits to help save the planet is growing. And now we are back to wanting to shop the old fashion way, of owning longer lasting, well produced, and loved clothes. There have some positive changes, the whole structure of garment production has climbed up. However, despite some adjustment in the way companies manufacture and the whole talk about sustainability, one can’t help but wonder why the madness of sale season is still the same.
We are still living in a fast fashion world, where the desire to have new outfit for every occasion and outfit for every season (trend) is the main the main force of consumption and production. The access of cheap and affordable clothes has let people to shop mindlessly and without any 2nd thought.
The so-called fast fashion model involves rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing of clothing, which means that retailers have the access to pull large quantities of greater product variety and allow consumers to get more fashion and product differentiation at a low price.
The fast fashion industry not only have huge environmental impact, but it also poses societal issues, especially in the developing countries, such as unfair salaries, unsafe working condition, child labour etc. This clear in the incident of Rana Plaza where 1100 people were killed and 2500 people injured as result of the building collapsing. This kind incident keeps happening in the developing countries due to the poverty, lack of safety measurement and so on.
The problem with the amount of clothing is overwhelming, be that new, second-hand, or handmade. Everything has a limit, even selling and swapping clothes. The constant pursuit of fashion trend is just as unhealthy for the mind as food gluttony is for the body image, says Maria Kossman. But this does not mean we should only blame the fashion industry. Yet it is the consumer’s demand that drive the mass production of the new trend. It’s also the unwillingness behaviour of the consumer and supplier’s that does not want change.
The director of the documentary film “The true Cost” said what if we started by slowing down and not consuming so much stuff just because it’s there and cheap and available. It is amazing how this process makes sense in every aspect of it be it financially, ethically, or environmentally. It is difficult to change the way we have purchase and fight against the system that we, ourselves have not only created but also supported over the years. It takes efforts from both side of the chain: from the supplier and the consumers to slow down the roll of mass production and bring change to the fashion industry.
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