Is the demand for sustainable fashion creating unsustainable shopping habits, and are platforms like Everused allowing people to turn sustainable fashion into a successful business?
What Is Sustainable Fashion?
I presume that still some of us don’t know the precise definition what sustainable fashion. Let me share my definition. Sustainable fashion encompasses clothing and accessories designed, produced, and distributed with consideration for environmental and social impacts.
Sustainable fashion prioritizes practices that aim to minimize harm to the planet. The practices involve using organic or recycled materials, reducing water and energy consumption, and promoting fair labor practices throughout the supply chain.
Moreover, eco-friendly fashion extends this concept by emphasizing biodegradable materials, non-toxic dyes, and renewable energy sources in production. These approaches aim to mitigate the fashion industry’s negative effects on ecosystems, wildlife, and communities while promoting a more ethical and circular economy.
I hope that is more understandable now. Important to mention that by supporting sustainable and eco-friendly fashion brands, consumers can contribute to preserving natural resources, reducing pollution, and advancing social equity within the fashion industry and beyond.
After conducting extensive research on sustainable fashion, I understood that purchasing contemporary sustainable fashion from stores can be more costly than buying fast-cheap fashion. For example, Mother of Pearl is well-known UK fashion brand that has been selling sustainable fashion for women since 2001. Their brooke red watercolour dress cost £395.00 which is cut from a 100% TENCEL™ Lyocell jacquard and is traced from fiber to final. Reliably, the dress is beautiful and surely presented nicely, but not everyone will purchase a dress for almost £400.
https://motherofpearl.co.uk/collections/the-edit/products/brooke-dress-redwatercolour (on the left) https://www.shein.co.uk/SHEIN-Clasi-Floral-Print-Butterfly-Sleeve-Ruffle-Hem-Dress-p-14051483.html?src_identifier=on%3DIMAGE_COMPONENT%60cn%3Dshopbycate%60hz%3DhotZone_1%60ps%3D5_1%60jc%3Dreal_2030&src_module=All&src_tab_page_id=page_home1714658896730&mallCode=1&pageListType=4&imgRatio=3-4 (on the right)Especially, when the consumer does not know about sustainability, traceability, and value of the process of making the dress, in this case. When we can buy a similar-looking dress from Shein for almost £10 we do presume that it is cheap because in China everything is cheap. But consumers should stop and think maybe there are other reasons why it can be cheap. That includes poor working conditions, unfair pay, and others. The cost has a huge difference indicator in these factors. Also, cheap fashion has a huge negative impact, but do we think about that often enough to make a difference?
Next, What Is Unsustainable Fashion?
Unsustainable fashion refers to the prevailing practices within the fashion industry that prioritize profit and rapid production over environmental and social responsibility. It encompasses a range of unsustainable practices, including the extensive use of non-renewable resources such as petroleum-based synthetic fibers and excessive water consumption in textile manufacturing.
Unsustainable fashion often involves exploitative labor practices, such as low wages, unsafe working conditions, and lack of labor rights, particularly in developing countries where many garments are produced.
Fast fashion, a key component of unsustainable fashion, promotes a culture of disposable clothing, encouraging frequent purchasing of cheaply made garments that quickly go out of style and end up in landfills. Additionally, the carbon emissions from transportation and the disposal of textile waste contribute to environmental degradation and climate change, exacerbating the industry’s negative impact on the planet.
So perhaps, now makes seven more sense the price difference when Mother of Pearl compared with Shein or other fast fashion companies.
Another Question Is, Why Fast Fashion Is So Popular As Shein’s Profit Turns Over 2bn This Year?
Well, fast fashion has gained popularity due to its affordability, accessibility, and constant change of trends that align with consumer desires for variety and instant gratification. Shein adds over 2,000 new product profiles daily which indicates that fast fashion brands can produce garments quickly and cheaply, allowing consumers to keep up with the latest styles without breaking the bank.
In addition, the aggressive marketing strategies employed by fast fashion companies further fuel demand by creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity around their products. In contrast, sustainable fashion often comes with a higher price point due to the use of ethically sourced materials and fair labor practices, making it less accessible to budget-conscious consumers.
Sadly, the fast-paced nature of modern life prioritizes convenience over sustainability, leading many consumers to prioritize immediate needs and desires over long-term environmental and social considerations. Despite growing awareness of sustainability issues, fast fashion’s dominance persists due to its widespread availability and perceived affordability.
How we could all afford sustainable fashion now rather than supporting fast fashion?
More options are becoming available for us online. One thing that I found is that shopping on marketplaces can be very useful. I have been an active seller on Everused. If you have not heard of Everused before, it’s a UK sustainable and preloved fashion marketplace platform. Everused’s core focus is to connect fashion-conscious sellers and buyers for a greener future. There are many other second-hand platforms such as Depop, Vinted, and Vestiairecollective. However, their main focus is second-hand fast fashion and used designer brands. Whereas, Everused focuses on sustainably made brands which is very different.
Everused has really helped me to shop more sustainably whilst still giving me the dopamine hit of buying things online. I have been selling some items I don’t wear more recently, using Everused, these days it’s easier than ever to be part of the circular economy. The items of clothing, shoes, and accessories that I don’t use as much anymore are placed into a box, when I get a spare moment I’ll take an item from the box and photograph it with my phone and then upload it onto Everused. The whole process only takes about 5 minutes.
It has really changed the way that I buy things and has encouraged me to downsize my wardrobe and sell off items from my collection. I love Everused, I love shopping sustainably and I love the uniqueness and creativity of the fashion available. Not only is it a great platform for reselling and upcycling, but it also has a variety of independent sustainable designers and brands.
I started buying and selling second-hand clothes and accessories when I was expecting my first baby. I was working part-time and needed to increase my income and saw an opportunity to sell on Everused. I do not have many sustainably produced clothes, however, I find many second-hand ones on the platform. Especially, there are plenty to choose from for babies and toddlers. I now mostly sell a mixture of designer, vintage, and trend-lend fashion items (all second-hand or old stock) which I ship in recyclable packaging.
The price of second-hand clothing is rising as some sellers are turning Everused into a second income. But does that mean we should be encouraging people to sell less second-hand clothing?
According to the independent article, under the new rules, digital platforms such as Everused, eBay, and others need to report the income sellers are making and seller need to register as self-employed when earning more than £1000 a year.
Moreover, many are against people sourcing high-quality, affordable goods from charity shops and reselling them at a higher price, as it makes that clothing less accessible to poorer shoppers and communities. But for them, I may count as a job when registered as self-employed.
It’s an honest observation, but it’s worth noting that charity shops don’t technically exist to serve less affluent shoppers – they’re there to raise money for the charity they’re supporting. Plus, the majority of charities sell only 10%-30% of donated items and the rest are send out to overseas. Then, the items are distributed to the resellers and finally thrown into the landfill and washed into the ocean. So, buying from charities and reselling on the platforms is a more positive impact for the environment.
Sourcing and selling second-hand fashion also helps contribute to a circular economy and extends the life of our clothes, reducing the amount which ends up in landfill.
Today, the stigma around charity shopping has dissolved as more people join the marketplaces like Everused. By making it accessible, educational, and user-friendly it made more popular to the public and for some number one choice when shopping. I want to believe, that the future is bright for the second-hard clothing market.
Should we be ignoring the negative environmental implications of shopping fast fashion because of the increasing cost of second-hand clothes?
The problem is that, when you say fast fashion is cheaper than shopping second hand, it’s a big generalisation in many cases. It might be cheaper at the point of purchase, but once you consider the material, construction, and provenance, the cost – in carbon emissions if nothing else – stacks up fast.
I have become a very conscious shopper and during the Covid-19 pandemic, where online shopping sales soared, I became even more aware of the demand for fashion– a demand that hasn’t seemed to slow down even when we’re locked up inside our own homes. It didn’t make sense why people are still buying cheap clothing while staying at home. I believe that it can be boredom, unknown where else to spend their time and money, and constant notifications from brands. Even now, I receive marketing emails with offers ‘only for me’ to buy now. I understand that it is a profitable business with no environmental considerations.
Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing saw profits soar this summer, loungewear became a lockdown must-have as we transitioned to working from home and Friday night quizzes in front of our screens. The fact is that consumer awareness has increased since the pandemic and talked more about fast fashion, but the sales are still soaring. I am certain that sooner or later fast fashion brands will need to take this seriously and adapt to the changing world.
So what’s the solution, if second-hand clothing is getting expensive and fast fashion is so bad for the planet?
Pundits in the business world enthuse about the “circular economy” created by apps that market “pre-loved” garments as a means of extending the lives of clothing and other consumer goods. As with other online resale markets such as Facebook Marketplace and eBay, these apps are firmly situated within the commonsense understanding of the circular economy, as they enable unwanted goods to move on within the system, rather than being consigned to the bin.
A truly circular economy ought to not only recycle goods but also prevent the future production of waste. And by that measure, clothing markets are failing intensely.
By 2030 we will produce more than 100 million tonnes of new clothing each year, contributing to climate change more than international flights and shipping combined, according to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Consequently, second-hand marketplace apps are not a solution that we all might we think we found. This is not so simple to solve. Although, secondhand reselling is helping to contribute to the environment not as fast as mass production in the international textiles market. I believe that second-hand marketplaces are one of many ways that help to reduce the demand for fast fashion.
Until the consumer stops or reduces fast fashion consumption, the market will stay strong and keep production as normal. Here are my tips for being a conscious shopper:
- Educate yourself & others: Spreading the knowledge and sharing your experience while shopping sustainably can help other people to learn available options. I always check the labels of the materials while shopping, traceability, and what brand do to be more sustainable. If I cannot find exactly where the clothes are coming from, that’s usually a red flag and I don’t buy them. I try to look for 100% organic cotton materials when shopping on marketplaces, but there are many other things to look for.
- Shop sustainable second-hand: Look at Everused, Ebay, Vestaire Collective, charity shops, and more. It might take some time to find what you looking for second-hand marketplaces are full of cheap and low-quality pieces. However, you can find high-quality sustainable pieces at Everused. It might be getting more expensive, but you are often paying less money for longer-lasting pieces.
- Shop less: It might sound easy to do but with all the marketing attacking current consumers that they need to buy something all the time, it’s hard.
- Take care of your clothes: Wash your clothes when necessary, sew them before throwing them away and care for your cashmere and delicates.
I strongly believe that making small steps towards sustainable fashion is crucial for creating a greener planet. As a consumer, we must choose eco-friendly and ethically produced clothing. It would most certainly help to reduce the demand for environmentally harmful practices and support brands that prioritize sustainability. These small actions, when multiplied across millions of individuals, have the power to drive significant change in the fashion industry, promoting responsible production methods, reducing waste, and protecting natural resources for future generations. Nowadays, embracing sustainable fashion isn’t just about wearing trendy clothing; it’s about making a conscious choice to contribute to a healthier planet and a more equitable society.
