The fashion industry is bad for the world.

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Forum -> Fashion and Beauty

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amother

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:18 am

I understand this may be offensive to people who love fashion, but the existence of the fashion industry as we know it today is bad for society and the environment. Designers churn out new designs for every season, finding some new combination of details that people will recognize as new, and pressure people to purchase new clothing in ridiculous styles at high prices to replace clothing that is still in good condition and could have been worn for several more years.

amother

Fuchsia

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:24 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

...so? What's the point of this thread?
This is common knowledge for maybe 100 years already.

amother

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:29 am

People are not only not fighting back, they are following fashion more than ever.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:50 am

People like new and updated clothing. That's how the fashion industry came to be.
Maybe at this point it's gone a little crazy. But so has everything else. At least it's not toxic, like the food industry, where they keep churning out new items full of cr@p and toxic ingredients, to stores with overstuffed shelves and to a world struggling with obesity.

amother

Plum

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:54 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

The people working in sweatshops to produce our disposable fashions would beg to differ.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:56 am

amother [ Plum ] wrote:

The people working in sweatshops to produce our disposable fashions would beg to differ.

True, but slave labor is not limited to clothing. And is a whole nother topic.

miami85

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 10:59 am

Free commerce is good for the world, the problem is the lack of common sense and lack of priorities. People are spending more on clothing than they can afford. Once upon a time people would buy hi fashion clothing, but 1-2 outfits, not 50.

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:06 am

Let's look at the positive.
It fosters the economy and clothing donations. If styles didn't change and people wore the same thing for years and years, there would be a lot less clothes donated and more really poor people would be without.

DrMom

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:06 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

At least it's not toxic, like the food industry...

Actually the textile industry is a big polluter, mostly due to the dyeing process.

Edited for spelling mistake

Last edited by DrMom on Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:38 pm; edited 2 times in total

ShishKabob

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:08 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

I think they work hand in hand. If you gain or lose weight you for sure need new clothing.

amother

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:11 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

True, but slave labor is not limited to clothing. And is a whole nother topic.

The fact that it's not limited to clothing doesn't mitigate the fact that the clothing industry is a huge part of the problem.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 11:26 am

"Fast fashion" is a huge problem. Cheap, trendy, disposable clothing that is meant to be tossed out as "nerdy" after a single season. Most of it is polyester, which means it will be in landfills for eternity. Pretty much any synthetic will, which is one of the reasons why I only buy natural fibers.

The social pressure to match, have the latest, have the cutest, etc. causes so much stress, especially in families that can't afford it. Pity the husband who's wife and children are crying because they can't afford $60 hair bows. Pity the mother who feels that all the neighbors are judging her. Pity the poor children who just want to be accepted by their peers.

Fashion is putting completely unnecessary strain on the entire family structure, and yomim tovim are stressful, instead of full of joy. This is NOT what our lives are supposed to be about.

There are nice, modest clothing that is better for the environment, ethically made, in very pretty colors. There is no crime in looking pretty, but it needs to be done in an educated and conscientious way.

Donating high quality clothing to gemachim is a good start, but we also need to look at how we purchase our day to day clothes, and most importantly, our attitudes toward clothing.

Clothes are just pieces of fabric that cover up all of our private areas. WHO we are is what makes us beautiful, not what we put on or take off.

weasley

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 12:09 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

This is so nice! Especially love that last paragraph!

southernbubby

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:03 pm

amother [ Royalblue ] wrote:

Thrift stores can't sell all of it and then it goes to third world countries where it wrecks havoc with their economy. More clothing than all the world's people can reasonably buy or wear is produced, some of it endangering the lives of those who produce it and the unsold merchandise is sometimes destroyed rather than selling it at bargain prices.
The only redeeming qualities about the apparel industry is that it stimulates the economy. Obviously it makes sense to use up something before disposing of it.

meyerlemon44

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:30 pm

I've been follwing this issue for a while, and it's really encouraged me to start buying used. I save up and buy great quality, barely used designer clothing that lasts for so much longer than stuff you buy from target. There are loads of online second hand outlets now that help simplify the process so you don't need to shlep from thrift store to resale boutique searching for the right piece.

amother

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:36 pm

I've been shocked at the negative reaction I've gotten from people when I've mentioned shopping secondhand.

southernbubby

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:40 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I've been shocked at the negative reaction I've gotten from people when I've mentioned shopping secondhand.

They don't know what they're missing. Invite them along to make a fun day of it.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:42 pm

Coming from a different perspective- I love that I can cheer up by spending less than 20$. It's called retail therapy.

southernbubby

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 1:46 pm

amother [ Forestgreen ] wrote:

Coming from a different perspective- I love that I can cheer up by spending less than 20$. It's called retail therapy.

I buy at cheap stores and find that the stuff lasts for several seasons but cheap clothes usually equals exploited labor. Amazon apparently is a huge offender.

amother

Lemon

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 3:45 pm

The issue isn't fashion per se - there have always been "fashions" in terms of clothing, furniture, architecture and everything else that is "sold".

The difference in terms of clothing is the rise in fast fashion/disposable clothing. Not only is it generally made by exploited labor but everything involved in it from manufacture to shipping to distribution and then ultimately to disposal wreaks havoc on the environment and exploits people.

One can be fashionable without purchasing an entire new wardrobe every season from Target or other cheap store. It is far better to have a few really flattering well cut items than a stuffed closet filled with trendy cheap polyester stuff. I think most people are more conscious of an elegant well cut outfit as being enviable versus a woman dressed in multiple cheap shmattas. :-).

Of course this whole "fast" disposable consumer goods seems to have seeped into areas beyond clothing and into areas which one would think would be durable. I recently remodeled and for the first time in my life used a decorator. I was shocked when she said that furniture now is only "rated" to last for about seven years maximum. I was shocked and said you mean IKEA or other cheap stuff and she said that the "middle class" stuff sold at Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn - sofas for example in the $2000 to $3000 price range - are designed to last only a relatively short time. I remember when my mother bought furniture and it was intended to last for 20 years or so - solid hardwood construction with 8 way hand tied springs and a durable fabric - of course let's be happy that the plastic wrapping is no longer done but that's another issue.

It also seems to also include kitchens and bathrooms. Growing up my parents would never have dreamed of gutting the kitchen because the cabinets were no longer in style. My father would periodically paint them whatever color my mother thought she wanted and they might change the wallpaper. Similarly the bathroom was only redone because it had reached the end of its useful life - not because it was no longer the latest fashion.

Ironically the item that was once the poster child for planned obsolescence - AUTOMOBILES - are now designed to last years longer than when I was growing up because they are made better.

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