Students shop sustainably to save the planet
PHOTO: Senior Paige Carlock thrifts to spend time with friends.
By Grace Kishiyama,
BlueDevilHUB.com Editor-in-chief-
The environment cannot keep up with fast fashion.
Fashion trends are constantly changing and evolving, and the effects it has on the environment are detrimental.
According to research done by the United Nations, “it takes nearly 8,000 liters of water to produce one pair of jeans,” and nearly 3,000 to produce a “simple cotton shirt.” Yet, with the ever-changing trends, these pieces of clothing are discarded, contributing to the 80% of clothes that end up in landfills or incinerated (McKinsey & Company).
The fashion, or trend cycle, has sped up significantly in recent years.
“Whereas fashion/trend cycles were seasonal (four collections per year for most of the 20th century), the cycles have sped up too fast for that,” said Susan Kaiser, a UC Davis professor of Textiles and Clothing, and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s studies. “They’re more like two weeks than three months.”
As a result, major fast fashion companies such as SHEIN and Zara are constantly changing the clothes they are selling in an attempt to keep up with trends, which only encourages consumers to buy more clothes.
“There’s always something new coming out, and because fast fashion is inexpensive, their life cycles in wardrobes are shorter, and they are not likely to hold up to much laundering,” Kaiser said.
While Kaiser says fast fashion promotes the idea that trendy clothes are “here today, gone tomorrow,” that is not the case.
“ […] The clothes don’t go away and generate a lot of waste, which is difficult to deal with for reasons that are simultaneously material, cultural, economic, social, etc.,” Kaiser said.
However, a number of Davis High students have become aware of the environmental impacts of fashion, and are working towards supporting more sustainable means.
“Not everyone can afford to always be sustainable or have the access to make those choices, but little changes in our lives can be so impactful in the long run,” DHS junior Anna Szymoniak said.
She runs an account on Depop called “koalaklothes” where she sells clothing items that she has reworked herself and donates 10% of the profits to savethekoalas.com.
“Making your own clothes is unique and rewarding,” Szymoniak said. “I love upcycling because you can save money and reduce waste by taking pieces you already have and just reinvent them.”
Junior Nola George thinks it is important that other DHS students are made aware of the environmental impacts of fast fashion.
“The fashion industry pollutes our water with toxic dyes, spreads microplastics all over the Earth and uses animals for furs and leathers,” George said.
“I think that more students should know about the impacts […] of fast fashion, because with so many trends changing and everyone following, students are constantly consuming and throwing away old or outdated items.”
Similar to Szymoniak, George is also passionate about sustainable fashion.
“[I love] using second hand fabric so that the end piece is something new but also [has] a life before it,” George said.
“[Sustainable fashion is] very important because it can help spread awareness on the impact of the fashion industry on the planet, while also being cute and wearable,” George said.
Senior Syrah Chinn supports sustainable fashion not by reworking clothes, but by shopping secondhand.
“I love finding pieces that were made decades ago that you would never see in other retail stores today,” Chinn said.
Senior Paige Carlock supports sustainable fashion through two ways.
“I like to thrift and also just get clothes secondhand from friends,” Carlock said “It’s cheaper and more sustainable.”
Kaiser thinks it is important for consumers to take into account the environmental impacts of fast fashion.
“The fashion system contributes to global warming when clothes end up in landfills or are burned in incinerators, and consumer responsibility is an important part of the solution,” Kaiser said.
