By Fiona Vitija
Since the pandemic began, many of us have altered the way we shop. Covid-19 allowed many of us to revaluate not only the way we view our clothes but how our shopping and consumer habits affect our planet.
Apps such as TikTok allowed creatives and small business owners to raise awareness on the importance of sustainability and the ethics of a brand. This has seen a large rise in people shopping locally, buying items at charity shops or second hand, or even just lowering their consumer habits.
A recent survey conducted by Vogue found that customers had become a lot more concerned with brand’s sustainability packs, reporting that 65% of people were focused on sustainability in October 2020, compared to 69 per cent in May 2021. The report said that people wished that their favourite brands would switch to being more sustainable as they would rather than swap to a sustainable brand.
While this is great news for the fashion community, it also comes with many downfalls. While the importance of sustainability is growing, it has also opened doors to fast fashion brands promoting a false representation of themselves. Called “green washing”, it is where brands advertise themselves as being eco-friendly and fighting the war on sustainability without addressing the fact that they themselves are the biggest contributors.
These brands are the true monsters in disguise. Sustainability blogger Bianca Foley has reported that fast fashion brands use an estimated 1.5 trillion litres of water annually to produce their garments, with 350,000 tones of clothing sent to landfilled in 2018 alone.
More and more people using social media also creates an issue. Many of us are posting about our day-to-day lives, and while some of us are honest and present a real view of ourselves, not everyone does.
Social media apps like Instagram have become overrun by brands and social media influencers, where almost every post you see is some sort of promotion or advertising for a brand. They not only influence people about what to purchase but also put pressure on them to constantly look good and wear new, never seen before outfits.
In a nutshell, they are telling them to shop and consumer more.
Public opinion
To get a better understanding of exactly what the average person thinks, Holloway Express questioned 103 people about their shopping habits and their opinions on the fashion industry.
When asked about if they felt pressured to shop for something new every time they went out on a night out, 48% voted yes, 17% voted no and 35% voted sometimes.
Now when many of us go out we feel the need to post our presence online, to show that we’re looking good and enjoying ourselves. This in essence snowballs into the idea that to feel good about ourselves we need to be seen in a brand new outfit.
When asked if they felt pressured to keep up with trends, 52% of those people surveyed said yes, while only 22% voted no.
Yet when asked where they shopped for upcoming events, 16% voted for Asos, 21% voted other (Vinted, Depop, Urban Outfitters, eBay, Zara to list a few), and 2% voted for Pretty Little thing. Another 57% voted that they work with what they have.
This questionnaire shows that many have grown fonder of second-hand shopping, yet still felt pressured to have a new outfit for a night out or an event. So, while we have begun to tackle the issue of sustainability, the next thing we need to focus on is consumption and how not to over-consume.
“I find myself being drawn to more creative and unique looks when looking at what to wear but, I do still find myself wanting to constantly have new and different outfits when going out or else I don’t really feel good,” said Mary Holland, a London-based university student.
Paulina Stepnik, 22, works in a London law firm. “I find it quite hard to shop second-hand and vintage due to my busy schedule at work. It’s a lot easier for me to go shopping on my lunch break or buy something online from websites like Asos, as I know that I will be getting exactly what I am, looking for.”
Maybe it really is in the hands of the consumer to make their own decision on what really matters to them?
How to become more sustainable
What can we do to tackle brands that are green washing and ensure that we keep shopping sustainably?
“I feel like as the consumer it really is our job to dig deeper to understand what is happening. A lot of brands aren’t being transparent, they are greenwashing us – but with the new ‘Green Claims code’ hopefully this will be the end of that,” said Bukola Dagiloke an advocate for sustainability working in PR.
“We need to start normalizing things like swap parties and borrowing things from our friends, there’s nothing wrong with it. If anything, we can prolong the lives of our clothes this way.”
Maybe we should start looking at what we already own, and start experimenting with our own clothes. Planning outfits in advance could be helpful if you have the time, and renting an outfit or borrowing a dress a friend is also the answer.
Leave a Reply