Fast fashion is yesterday’s news. Today’s shoppers want ultrafast fashion. And we’re in luck because shopping has never been easier and the lockdown has not put a cramp in our style. In fact it probably fed our one-click addiction. Everyone loves novelty and everyone craves attention and affection. The internet offers the potential for both. We can buy our OOTD (outfit of the day) and then instantly post it on social media for our friends and followers to like. Cheap, easy, fun - but sadly, not without a really dirty downside:
The fashion industry uses a lot of water (For example, some estimates say that one cotton shirt requires water equal to what one person drinks in two and a half years.)
According to EcoWatch, the fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry in the world (after the oil industry).
Textile workers often toil in unsafe conditions for inadequate pay.
According to The World Bank the textile industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.
Business Insider tells us that the equivalent of one garbage truck of clothing is dumped into the landfill every second. And there are more unwanted clothes in the world than people who need them, so donated clothing often ends up in dumps in developing countries.
The fashion industry is one of the biggest offenders in the assault on the natural world, human rights and the rising levels of GHG (greenhouse gases). Fast fashion is a major money-making machine and we are the willing cogs that turn its wheels. Happily however, many are becoming increasingly aware that it is not sustainable and it is becoming increasingly unpalatable even to those who once embraced and promoted it.
So short of an outright and complete rejection of modern society and perhaps taking vows of poverty and humility, what can we do? Here are a few suggestions:
build a capsule wardrobe
ditch the OOTD hashtag and replace it with #outfitrepeater and #sustainablefashion
make a statement that says you are much more than a cog in the wheel of a massive industry
It is very important to us that our Robin Hoodies garments live a long, long life. Maybe a big hoodie will become a small hoodie. Maybe a small hoodie will become a cropped hoodie or several pairs of mittens or part of a two-tone hoodie. We are excited to see the possibilities that our fabric artist comes up with (she is amazing). We love and support eco-friendly fashion, ethical fashion and slow fashion. We believe in capsule wardrobes and repeating your outfit. We believe that a circular economy is the way forward for a sustainable future that allows us and our decedents a good life that includes a stylin’ wardrobe and a healthy natural world.
So when you send back your old garment, we will give you free shipping and 20% off your next purchase. We hope that this will convince you to send us your used RH apparel because we know that you care about the natural world and the future as much as we do.
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