Picture this…
You’re at a braai. A friend turns to you and says “I love your jacket! Where did you get it?”. You thank them for the compliment, it’s a new jacket and you absolutely love it. You tell them where you bought it. Your friend loves that brand. They always have great clothing at very decent prices. The two of you are still sharing your best buys when someone interrupts.
“You know that brand is fast fashion.”
The person then goes on to explain every way in which the brand you love is bad. They dump millions of unsold garments into landfills. They pollute the rivers. The underpay their workers. The list goes on…
Well, this has really ruined the mood. You didn’t know this about the brand. And now you feel embarrassed, guilty and awkward. On top of that, you still really like your jacket. This mixture of emotions turns into annoyance and anger, because what does this person know anyway!
But, your “annoying” friend at the braai is most likely right and here are the facts:
1. Fast fashion is a real problem. Here are some great, reliable sources to check out if you want to educate yourself: Geneva Environmental Network Fashion Checker Clean Clothes Business Insider
2. Feeling angry, annoyed, guilty or embarrassed doesn’t help.
3. We all have fast fashion items for reasons ranging from affordability, accessibility to just because we didn’t know – and that’s ok.
When we know better, we can do better and there are many ways in which you can do better when it comes to being sustainable with fashion. Some ways are easier than others. We’ll explore these in depth in upcoming blogs, but for starters you can join the Vincii community. We’re on a mission to create a sustainable fashion space in South Africa. Our app is an “online mall” which will hold the curated shops of local, sustainable designers and community members selling their pre-loved items.
Watch this space, we’re launching soon!