Don't we all love shopping? Going to the mall, trying on new clothes, and putting together outfits. But do we ever stop to think about the people who make these clothes? So much effort is put into making clothes that fit the ‘trend’ going on at that particular time. Buying clothes from big brands might be very easy but the people who actually make the clothes are underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated. We might enjoy buying clothes made according to what is trending at that time but in reality, these clothes are mass-produced and of low quality. These clothes are called ‘fast’ for a reason. They are produced fast, bought fast, and also worn out fast. Most garments are worn only once or twice before they are thrown out.
We might think that we are buying imported and branded clothes, but in reality, these clothes are made by underpaid workers locally. If we look at the tags of our mall-bought clothing we will be able to see ‘MADE IN INDIA’ or ‘MADE IN BANGLADESH’ written there. The workers who make this are exploited, paid less than minimum wage, and forced to work under miserable conditions. These works have minimum to no rights. Aside from this, fast fashion also has a negative impact on the environment. The materials used by these brands are non-recyclable and often end up in landfills. It wastes water and also contributes to the rise in greenhouse gases which can lead to global warming.
We should switch from the clothes produced in bulk and switch to sustainable clothing from home-grown small businesses and boutiques. This will have both a positive effect on the environment and it will be one of a kind. If you are not able to afford this, we should make sure that wherever we buy our garments from we should wear them at least five times and restyle them in different ways. As I said, don't we all love fashion, but is it really worth destroying so many things?
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