By Jerzy Nicolas and Alex Gageanu
The fashion industry is facing consistent criticism on its unsustainable practices regarding the production of clothing.
On the one hand, sustainable fashion often caters to individuals who do not conform to mainstream body standards – but it’s usually more expensive than fast fashion.
On the other hand, cheaper price tags mean that fast fashion has become the solution to buying clothes quickly when keeping up with trends. Its limited size range – think Brandy Melville – is one reason why fast fashion is cheaper, as some fast fashion outlets produce a smaller quantity of garments in limited sizes.
Limited size ranges reduce the amount of production processes needed, as the clothes are mass produced. It can be argued that this helps minimise waste and decrease carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and transportation, as designers are then able to efficiently calculate their processes and materials as a contribution to a more environmentally friendly industry.
But is it really fair that plus-sized shoppers have a lot less choice?
“Plus-size people, regardless of whether we’re talking about ethical fashion or fast fashion, have really only been able to buy pieces in their size with any level of trendiness — and even that feels tenuous as a plus-sized person — in the last few years,” writer and photographer Marielle Elizabeth said in an interview with Refinery29.
“[Many] plus-size people are still figuring out their sense of style and how they want to dress themselves.”
Photo by Jerzy Nicolas
The cost of ethical fashion
Plus-sized women in particular earn less money than their slimmer counterparts, and often their opportunities in the workforce are marginalised, Marielle Elizabeth added. “And so all of those things compound in a way that makes it, in my opinion, much harder for plus-size people to confidently spend the amount of money that ethical fashion costs.”
Others are a bit more cynical. “In general, they have a bigger size range because they want to reach as big of an audience as they can and they can make their products really cheaply, so they don’t care about the sizes as long as they’re making money,” said London Metropolitan University Journalism student, Sarah Kramer, 20.
She was referring to sellers on second-hand apps like Depop, Vinted and Etsy; although their items may seem expensive, as the market grows, sustainable fashion could eventually become more accessible onto bigger platforms and possibly cheaper.
Journalism Film and TV student, Delphine Queen, 29, who also is a frequent user of sustainable clothing, said: “I think people are just lazy and I think it’s so easy to be like, I’m a bigger size and I can’t find anything.
Video by Jerzy Nicolas and Alex Gageanu
“I think if you went out and you looked for longer, you will find clothes in your size, and I think that yes there are more plus size options going to BooHoo or anywhere else, but I think if you spent longer looking for sustainable ways to wear clothes, you will find a way.”
Vintage apps
Indeed, fashionistas – whatever their dress size – who spend enough time searching should be able to discover what they’re looking for on apps like Vinted and Depop, which usually provide a sizing filter that makes it easier to find the right size. And finding something that is trendy, fits and is also sustainable lessens the negative effects on the environment and works to improve it.
Twenty-two-year-old Interior Design and Architecture student, Shania, who didn’t want to give her surname said: “I recently started shopping on Vinted. I don’t really shop at Zara just because they don’t have my size range.”
If brands offer a broad size range, sustainable practices and reasonable prices, they are sure to attract lots of customers.
Video by Jerzy Nicolas and Alex Gageanu
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