The Truth about your Clothes

Have you ever asked yourself where your clothing came from? Who had made them? How those brands made billions of dollars from selling cheap clothing? I don't know for you, but until a month ago, I had never asked myself those questions. I would just buy this trendy cheap clothing without asking questions. I'm able now to answer all of those questions.

I am going start by writing about the definition of fast fashion.  According to Investopedia, "fast fashion" is a term used by fashion retailers to describe inexpensive designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. Fast fashion retailers introduce new products multiple times in a single week to stay on-trend. Companies create demand by replacing sold out clothing with a new item of a different style making our old clothing unfashionable, creating a demand for continuous shopping.

But the worst is about the labor.  The workers are only paid pennies on the price of the item you buy. They work under very poor conditions. Salaries are so low and jobs are so scarce for an uneducated workforce, that they are dependents on their jobs to survive. As an example, Bangladesh workers are paid 33$ by month which is 27$ under the living wage. Women and children that work in those factories are exposed to dangerous chemicals and are often abused. Those deplorable conditions that the workers of the early 20th century in Montreal and London fought for are gone here but, they still exist in our days, in emerging country, and we are supporting them without knowing so. Fast fashion production is also very bad for the ecology of our planet. Mass produced clothing needs tonnes of water for their manufacturing and it's process uses dangerous chemicals that are released in nature after they use. Famous retailers like H&M are also accused of burning tonnes of unsold garments every year.

There are little things we can all do to help stop this exploitation.  Like buying clothes in a second-hand shop (thrift shop), or thinking more before buying an item we don't need. We can also give our old clothes to thrift shops. If you are keen to learn more on this subject, go research the "fashion revolution" site.