Some of my favorite people disappoint me on this issue. When I suggest they curb their enthusiasm with the fast fashion, they look at me like I’m taking food out of their children’s mouths. Or that I’m leaving them naked and shivering in the town square. Or that I’m some sort of triggered safe-space-seeking social justice warring kale-eating snowflake who dyes their clothes with beet or avocado to meet the new season’s color trends. Their eyes roll. Their defenses go up. They work hard for their money, they scold. They come from a family of bargain hunters, they boast. They have a right to look cute like everyone else, they lament. H&M take back old clothes for recycling so they’re really doing something good. Or with a sniff they say they don’t have the budget to shop elsewhere, like some people (but their jeans cost less than their Pret sandwich––which was prepared fresh this morning?)
The biggest excuse repeatedly lobbed at critics of those who consume fast fashion with apocalyptic zeal––and it’s a clever one, designed to shut down the argument––is the one I address in this piece for FashionUnited. So if you are unsure why you should be against fast fashion or are looking to be armed with facts for your next confrontation on the threshold of Zara as the weather heats up and the AC beckons you invitingly in, you might find this helpful. Click here to read…
Jackie Mallon 