Being at LaSalle College for the pas 2 years and especially considering the fact that I am in the Fashion program has led me to meet many design students. The issue that i’ve heard the most coming towards them is the fact that it is very hard to find a job coming out of the 3 year program even with the many teachers that work in the field. I’ve been able to make the link between this phenomena and the fact that most of consumers have lost the conception of value in clothing. Quality is now less important than price and people don’t want to pay for hand made clothing.

With this being said, capitalism has mislead most of mainstream fashion consumers into thinking that buying cheap clothes frequently is better than investing in quality and ethically sourced garments. Consequently, talented designers like the ones that graduate LaSalle after paying thousands of dollars for their education, are now left discredited in the shadows of fast fashion companies that put no effort into designing new things and rather copy whole collections.

Furthermore, the rise of « self-made » designers on Instagram are also shadowing the hard work, quality and recognition that educated designers should be getting. Because of the capitalistic ideology that has been implanted in consumers minds where only the money they spend is the main concern, average and unqualified individuals are now self-titling themselves as « designers » and « trendsetters ». As a consequence these people who put no effort into the clothing they « make » (printing logos on Gildan t-shirts) are getting more attention and getting more revenu than what actual designers deserve and even receive themselve. Consumers would rather pay a 50$ plain t-shirt with a small logo on it than pay 200$ for a custom made pair of pants that is completely hand made with passion.

Because of the lack of recognition and job placement that is offered at the end of programs, many design students that have studied for 3 years in sustainable, ethically sourced and ecological clothing conception, are left to go study in something else of even settle for jobs that undermine their qualifications. I find this extremely sad because most of the graduated design students are passionate about their work and have put so much time into perfecting the actual qualification to be a designer. In today’s society too many people are labeling themselves without the actual competencies and I think this needs to stop so that people would be less entitled to lean towards undeserving people and give credit to the individuals that have actually deserved their title.

This post is a follow up on the one previously posted last week that spoke about local players that are fighting against capitalistic multinational clothing corporations that are destroying our world. On another hand, all around the world countries and communities are taking action against capitalism in the fashion industry and want to take matter into their own hands. Here are some ways companies are boycotting cheap and reprehensible practices, since the beginning of the year.

In Ontario Canada, the ethical-apparel industry is proning collaborations, transparency and innovation that embraces the DIY approach and creating new networks between designers, dyers, knitters and farmers, in order to fight overconsumption and the growing anxieties that are linked to climate change. Kristi Soomer is the CEO and founder of Encircled, a small factory boutique in one of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. They make 10% of their inventory but 100% of their products are made locally in Toronto. Because they are not ashamed in being openly transparent with the fact that their supply chain is entirely open-source, the company has created an informed and thoughtful clientele.

On the other side of the globe, in Australia, the Australian Circular Fashion Conference (ACFC)  is ready to tackle the rising issues that are challenging the current fashion industry model, such as global warming, climate change, waste, environmental pollution and water scarcity. Circular fashion is a production model in which the production of fashion goods follows a circular form that recycles residual waste rather than, as quoted in the article, “take, make, waste”. Therefore, textile mills and manufacturing facilities follow this linear form of production and contribute to the fastest-growing waste streams in landfills over the last ten years. This process might cost more money for companies who want to invest in this practice but in my opinion profit should now be a second thought after the environment.

Rêve en Vert is a British online luxury shopping destination that fills in the retailer’s four ethical principles: organic, local, and re-made. Many people think sustainable clothing can’t bestylish and that luxury brands, like fast fashion will not adopt better ethical practices for the sake of the consumer, n exchange for a loss of profit. Although, Rêve en Vert proves quite the opposite. The site carries items from designers who care both about the planet and the people behind the products. The company also donates regularly to reforestation organizations so that they can tackle the environmental impact of international delivering. Moreover, I think it would be important to highlight a part of their « about » that i think every fashion retailer should also live by; « We are committed to driving awareness of how consumers think about the fashion industry. Rêve En Vert exclusively features designers who operate their businesses with respect for people and the planet. Our highly-curated collections deliver long-lasting fashion you can feel good about ».

I find it very refreshing to see that many companies are actually putting the consumer as well as our planet before the personal interests of the company (profit). It makes me hopeful that one day people will start putting morals before greed in decision making for big companies.

After being sensitized on how horrible the mainstream fashion industry is, it may seem as if there is nothing us consumers can do to fight the issue. Fashion is amongst the most hyper-capitalist businesses in the world. I used to feel so powerless when I learnt about all the issues and the fact of being a Fashion Marketing student made me feel a shamed as well as guilty of my ambitions. Although, after pushing through in my studies and doing projects that go more in depth into the fashion world, i’ve realized that these big fashion corporations shadow many small companies that are trying to fight their negative values such as extremely low labor cost, poor working conditions and sourcing work force in impoverished countries in order to save money.

As you may already know the main thing you have to do if you operate in a capitalist system is to create profit. Fast fashion companies do this my sourcing cheap fabric and suppliers, underpaying their employees in already poor countries to then sell their garments at almost 8x the cost of it’s actual fabrication. Although because these practices ultimately effect our environment because of overconsumption and pollution, some companies are opening to go against these practices. In the past few years, there has been a rise in ethical, organic, cruelty free and other types of morally correct fashion brands. Yes the selling price of the garments are a little more expensive but in my opinion, I think it is time people start investing slightly more money because of the positive values these companies have at heart.

Furthermore, in Montreal we have many examples of brands revolutionizing the market by introducing sustainable fabrics and practices throughout their supply chain, for example, Frank and Oak. They have started using organic GOOD cotton that does not use harsh bleach, polylife recycles polyester, recycled wool and hemp. They have also introduced a variety of eco-conscious methods such as cruelty-free insulation, hydro-less denim, eco dyes, lenzing TENCEL and machine washable Merino. The selling price of the garments from Frank and Oak are reasonably pricer but like I said, if we want to help our planet and support ethical companies, we need to give our part as well and fund their practices. Additionally, in 2019, with an emphasis on recycled materials to reduce waste, approximately 50% of their products will be made with minimal impact processes. Moreover the styles of clothing to stay the same. Frank and Oak have good variety of garments that offer a clean and trendy look that mimics some fast fashion companies’s garment and even better.

Personally I think consumers need to have deeper analysis on what they buy and not only consider the price. What I find unfortunate is when someone critics another person for paying more money because they prefer quality over price. Some individuals are not aware that price always depends on the cost of the garment BUT it isn’t because it is expensive that the quality is necessarily equivalently proportionate. Just like when we buy electronic products, it is important to do research on if the product is good and will last a while. I think this mentality should be applied to fashion as well since your money is going into someone else’s pockets. I wouldn’t want to pay for something that harms people, the environment or whatever, this is why I do my shopping very carefully.

At the end of the day, consumers need to understand the value of money and the values they invest in. It is hard to imagine anything wrong when walking into a Zara for example because it is so aesthetically pleasing. Normal customers are not aware of how many steps there are before the final product arrives at the store and if the horrors that happen in the manufacturing channels were not normalized and barely talked about, I think a good majority of people would of changed their buying habits a while ago.

It is not unknown that the fashion industry is one of the leading causes of global warming. In fact many people know but our materialistic and capitalist society manages to trick our brain into forgetting these things and impulse buying instead. Major fast fashion companies use various marketing techniques to trick the consumer into buying their products and in my opinion i think this is a problem that needs to be highlighted.

In the past few years, there has been a rise in veganism and animal cruelty awareness, all around the world. This factor has ultimately affected the fashion industry where big companies that are use to use leather, for example, are using the term « vegan » for their own advantage. Companies like Dr. Martens that has been around for many years has jumped onto this trend by introducing « Vegan Leather » products. As much as the word vegan might sound pleasant to hear and might feel good for the conscience, what consumers needs to know is that vegan leather is actually plastic and the process of making it is absolutely horrible. The same goes for people preaching fake fur instead of real fur. Yes I do agree that synthetic alternatives are a lot better morally but the process of making these substitutes is extremely toxic for the environment. All synthetic imitations of natural fibers like Arcylic for wool and polyester for cotton are all petrolium based. In addition, the textile mills that produce these synthetic fibers are always in impoverished countries that already have environmental problems like China or India. Big fashion companies love to jump on trends just because it would be beneficial for them and not necessarily the consumer.

Furthermore, because the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, companies undermine their ecological impact on our planet and as consumers of first world countries, we do not see what is actually going on the other side of the planet. Most major fashion companies are vertically integrated, this means that they have complete control over the distribution chain and thus lowers the cost of distribution and allows control over the value chain. Fast fashion companies choose these business models because they insure high amounts of distribution and low cost of manufacturing. Major companies such as H&M, ZARA and Forever 21 also tend to outsource their manufacturing thus going to underdeveloped countries and using the cheap labor costs to their advantage. In my opinion this is absolutely not okay because these multibillion companies make a huge amount of profit whereas their labor in other countries are payed less than the minimum wage of the companies origin country.

For me it is important to understand that most consumers run on what they are said and told to do. « Buy this new thing, it’s not expensive », « Buy this everyone is getting it »… For the past couple of years I have stopped shopping and supporting fast fashion companies because I do not like the feeling that the money i am spending and a shirt that cost 0.40$ to make is being sold for 25.99$ and that my money is going into greedy capitalist , corporate CEO’s that don’t care about anything. I’d always rather pay more for a shirt that i know is better quality, most of the time a better fit and that i know the money i spent is being redistributed correctly. This way of thinking is in my opinion, an important one to adopt when wanting to be a conscious consumer that opposes to capitalistic pressures.

For about 5 years now I have been thrifting most of my clothes in various thrift stores all around Greater Montreal. On another hand, a lot of people buy their clothes at popular fast fashion companies like Zara, H&M and Forever 21, and are pushed to constantly buy new garments because of the mass production they offer. Also, Zara for example, is known for copying famous designer clothing and slightly changing them. This gives the company an advantage in attracting an additional target market that seeks high end looks at cheap prices/quality. Furthermore, the overconsumption and inevitable waste of these products leave a huge ecological impact on our environment, for instance, the average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing every years.

My solution to this is to support second hand and used clothing like the popular quote says « One man’s trash is another man’s treasure ». If I give myself as an example, I collect coats and various vests, jackets and windbreakers. I’m actually known for always having cool looking vintage coats and when asked where I purchased them, the reaction is always surprise. People need to change their perception about second hand clothing because usually, they associate thrift stores with being poor or dirty whereas it is so much more than that.

Although, as a consumer you also need to be conscious of which thrift stores are good and which are bad. For instance, the chain Value Village just recently got bought by Walmart. Consequently, when sorting through the given garments, they have a new pile that is attributed to the « curated » articles that they believe they can sell at a higher price because of it’s possibility of being a sought after piece of clothing. This ultimately creates an unethical character for the company that was originally made for people that don’t have a lot of money to begin with. The worst part is that Value Village makes 100% profit on clothes that are donated for free since they do not give back to any community organizations. To fight this greediness coming from unexpected sources, I suggest to shop at local thrift stores or like the Salvation Army for example, that gives back to the community.

Moreover, what people also need to understand is that second hand clothing can be stylish and it all depends on the way you want it to look. Of course not everyone has the eye for styling but the more you go in the thrift stores and see what they offer, the more you can get inspiration. I know how frustrating it is when you pass three stores and don’t find anything but the trick is to go frequently and not fall in the previous fast fashion buying patterns. For me it took a couple of years before making the difference between buying garments for their individual properties and thrifting for styles as well as aesthetics. It took a couple of months before knowing what I liked the most in some stores and how I want to use second hand garments. As much as some people think it doesn’t correspond with their style I always urge to try anyway because I know there is something for literally everyone.

Finally, another high point of thrift shopping is the originality. Having worked at Zara for 9 months, it is absolutely mind blowing seeing the sheer amount of people buying from there and most of the time the same things. In my opinion this loses individuality in the consumer’s styles and most of the time makes them feel unoriginal. In contrast, buying from thrift stores almost assures you by 100% that you will never see a person with the same shirt as you. The up side to thrifting is that you will get asked more frequently where you got the shirt and by saying it’s from a thrift store, it will rise the amount of exclusivity and make you feel a lot more original in your personal style. Shopping in thrift stores has been very positive for me when it comes to feeling different because I know no one can copy my exact look.

At the end of the day anything is better than buying clothing from the big fast fashion companies and my alternative that I preach the most is thrift shopping. Wether it is buying vintage Adidas windbreakers or a nice pair of black trousers in the men’s section I think I will never stop thrift shopping because it makes my style original, make me a conscious consumer and it also helps my wallet feel good too.