Fast Fashion: Short-lived Clothing Creating Long-term Consequences
Harley Woods | March 10, 2022
Ruby Jane Moser
Sarah Puterbaugh, a first-year at WWC, at the Free Store.
The term “fast fashion” refers to the cheap and speedy process of producing low quality clothing for quick in-store access.
At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be anything inherently wrong with supplying a growing demand for trendy clothing. However, the industry is one of the most polluting in the world, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global wastewater.
The Community Oriented Regeneration Efforts (CORE) Crew on campus at Warren Wilson College (WWC) has a specific section of its operations devoted to clothing recycling and repurposing.
Junior crew member and art major, Quinn Barlow, works closely with clothing recycling efforts.
“There’s always stuff people don’t want anymore,” Barlow said. “The big reason why it’s still around is because people always have stuff they don’t want and there’s a constant flow of waste as far as textiles and other homegoods go.”
Clothing recycling efforts such as the Free Store at WWC are a direct result of textile waste and the need to be clothed. This is an accessible resource for students who come from different climates than at WWC and may need more outerwear or outdoor-oriented clothing.
The store operates from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and is entirely free. Their supply includes clothing, textbooks and nonfiction books, writing supplies, shoes, board games, kitchen supplies and other miscellaneous items.
WWC — which prides itself on sustainability efforts — is one small example of the way that a community can recycle and repurpose clothing.
“I know one of my goals I think is — at least for the Free Store — is broadening our efforts of where we send things to,” Barlow said. “Kind of working more with the Asheville community and getting close to other people in Asheville who need it as well, and also trying to bring more awareness to folks on campus about clothing recycling and fast fashion.”
Efforts to curb textile waste have become increasingly relevant as fashion trends shorten in season.
“Clothing trends have been moving so quickly recently that people want to stay on top of it and as soon as it's done they throw it away,” Barlow said.
Short-lived fashion trends along with lower quality clothing design has led to a climbing increase in textile waste.
“The UK alone throws away 300,000 tonnes of textiles every year that could have been repurposed,” according to an article from Concrete. “Shortening trend cycles will inevitably only worsen this unsustainable figure as shoppers make a regular habit of throwing clothing away.”
An infographic on the European Parliament website states that the amount of water used to create one t-shirt is approximately enough drinking water for one person over two and half years.
“The mass production of so much cheap clothing is an enormous waste of resources such as fuel and water,” said Elizabeth Cline in an article by NPR. Cline is the author of “Overdressed: Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.”
While there are many arguments to be made regarding the ethical implications of buying from a company with poor labor practices, this concern is not one that everyone can afford to think about.
“I don’t blame anybody for buying fast fashion. It’s accessible,” Barlow said. “It really makes a difference for people if they want to get a job or if they have a nice interview and they can’t afford to buy a really nice dress or something. These fast fashion brands have things that could look similar but at a quarter of the price.”
Another student, senior and art major Mya Goodman, shares the same perspective.
“If you’re a poor person, this is what is accessible to you,” Goodman said. “There’s a reason these things exist, or at least there’s a reason people shop (fast fashion).”
Both Barlow and Goodman spoke on the importance of mending clothing and working with the material present.
“When I think of repurposing clothing and turning it into something new I try to make it a fun creative process too,” Barlow said. “There's so many things we can use old textiles for instead of putting them in the landfill.”
Others interested in working with fiber can attend mending workshops with the Fiber Arts Crew every Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“I want clothes that last a very long time and I want to be able to fix them if they have a hole in them,” Goodman said. “I was also interested in visible mending, like mending but making it a part of a piece of clothing.”
Repurposing clothing or mending clothing is one small step that individuals can take to combat a global pollutant.
“So much clothing that gets donated to thrift stores or Goodwill gets thrown away anyway,” Goodman said. “Their final destination is a landfill because they’re plastic.”
One article from the HuffPost suggests that textiles should be banned from all landfills.
“As they decompose they release methane, a harmful greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to global warming,” said author Mattias Wallander. “Also, dyes and other chemicals can leach into the soil, contaminating surface and groundwater — further harming human and wildlife.”
Statistics regarding the amount of textiles that wind up in landfills are readily available through search engines.
“I love fashion; I love clothes,” Barlow said. “They’re so fun. They shouldn’t be one of the largest contributors to the landfill.”
Anyone with additional questions regarding the Free Store and other campus initiatives to reduce waste can contact the CORE Crew at core@warren-wilson.edu. Those who wish to contact the Fiber Arts Crew can reach out to fiberarts@warren-wilson.edu.