Last week’s newsletter (and this one upcoming) covers Shein, a wildly popular and super cheap ultra-fast fashion retailer. Do you have certain clothing items where you have trouble finding sustainable alternatives? Let’s help each other out! Ask for recs for something you need trouble finding and answer others if you know brands that might work for them!
I'll start first. I used to buy leggings that were made of recycled water bottles, but I'm really not a fan of them anymore. Got any favorite brands for leggings made of natural (or mostly natural fibers)?
(This isn't a recommendation, but I feel like its a good relevant discussion!)
Trust me I don't like Shein and other fast fashion retailers, but I think that spreading the narrative that their clothing falls apart after a couple uses can be harmful. Now don't get me wrong, fast fashion clothing is definitely not as good quality as 'slow fashion' clothes, but a lot of these pieces can actually last years. Naturally (given the cheap quality of the materials, cheap labor, and insanely quick production time), there will be some clothing that does break after a couple uses, but I personally only really see clothes at thrift stores that are still in good shape. With the fast fashion trend cycle, the average wear cycle of these pieces is a lot shorter than it should be (I know as a college student that a lot of these clothes get donated after about 2-3 months), but they still have life left in them. Most times, these clothes are being donated because the original buyer wants the newer clothing, not because its unwearable. By spreading the narrative that the fast fashion clothes fall apart after a couple wears prevents people from buying something they might find cute at a secondhand/thrift shop. I have seen it firsthand wear someone says "Oh that's so cute but its Shein" and doesn't buy the top. Even if you buy a Shein top from Goodwill and you need to repair a seam after wearing it a couple times, it is still a wearable top. It is frustrating when the fast fashion pieces at secondhand stores are priced higher than on the company website so I understand that reason being a deterrent. I 100% agree that we need to stop buying from these fast fashion companies, but being a Shein or Forever 21 top doesn't automatically mean its going to break right away. These fast fashion pieces that are in secondhand shops will just end up in the landfill prematurely if not purchased. By purchasing these pieces, they get an extended life and could even be repurposed!
I hope this makes sense and I'd love to hear what others think :)
TLDR: Buying sustainably is the best way to purchase clothing, buy secondhand fast fashion should not be disregarded immediately.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I totally agree that anything goes once it's secondhand. It's already in the market, so we may as well use it as long as it lasts. I apologize that my 'it falls apart quickly" comments implied one shouldn't buy these brands secondhand. I didn't mean that at all. If someone finds it secondhand and it still has life, go for it if it works for you. Thanks for adding that angle to the conversation! It's a great point.
I'll start first. I used to buy leggings that were made of recycled water bottles, but I'm really not a fan of them anymore. Got any favorite brands for leggings made of natural (or mostly natural fibers)?
(This isn't a recommendation, but I feel like its a good relevant discussion!)
Trust me I don't like Shein and other fast fashion retailers, but I think that spreading the narrative that their clothing falls apart after a couple uses can be harmful. Now don't get me wrong, fast fashion clothing is definitely not as good quality as 'slow fashion' clothes, but a lot of these pieces can actually last years. Naturally (given the cheap quality of the materials, cheap labor, and insanely quick production time), there will be some clothing that does break after a couple uses, but I personally only really see clothes at thrift stores that are still in good shape. With the fast fashion trend cycle, the average wear cycle of these pieces is a lot shorter than it should be (I know as a college student that a lot of these clothes get donated after about 2-3 months), but they still have life left in them. Most times, these clothes are being donated because the original buyer wants the newer clothing, not because its unwearable. By spreading the narrative that the fast fashion clothes fall apart after a couple wears prevents people from buying something they might find cute at a secondhand/thrift shop. I have seen it firsthand wear someone says "Oh that's so cute but its Shein" and doesn't buy the top. Even if you buy a Shein top from Goodwill and you need to repair a seam after wearing it a couple times, it is still a wearable top. It is frustrating when the fast fashion pieces at secondhand stores are priced higher than on the company website so I understand that reason being a deterrent. I 100% agree that we need to stop buying from these fast fashion companies, but being a Shein or Forever 21 top doesn't automatically mean its going to break right away. These fast fashion pieces that are in secondhand shops will just end up in the landfill prematurely if not purchased. By purchasing these pieces, they get an extended life and could even be repurposed!
I hope this makes sense and I'd love to hear what others think :)
TLDR: Buying sustainably is the best way to purchase clothing, buy secondhand fast fashion should not be disregarded immediately.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I totally agree that anything goes once it's secondhand. It's already in the market, so we may as well use it as long as it lasts. I apologize that my 'it falls apart quickly" comments implied one shouldn't buy these brands secondhand. I didn't mean that at all. If someone finds it secondhand and it still has life, go for it if it works for you. Thanks for adding that angle to the conversation! It's a great point.