Fast Fashion "One day you're in, the next day you're out"

Fast Fashion

“One day you’re in, the next day you’re out”

When designer prices have you wanting to crawl back into your mother’s womb, fast fashion comes around the corner and pulls you right out. Fast fashion gives the average human a taste of the newest trends at affordable prices sans good quality. Like it or not we all shop it, even though sometimes we don’t want to. Is it worth it though?

We’ve heard this debate a thousand times, should we be buying fast fashion? What are the implications with supporting such companies, and is it worth it? Don’t get me wrong, working for a fast fashion retailer I can tell you first hand I understand why people would be so inclined to purchase. It’s easily accessible, affordable and trendy! So why not? Well a certain influencer and co-founder of Uncle Studios clothing, Allegra Shaw has a different view on it, and it’s an eye opener!

Allegra Shaw, currently sits at over 750k subscribers on YouTube and almost 200k Instagram followers, you can say she has quite a hold on today’s social media users. So what’s her view? She believes in ethical and sustainable clothing, something which isn’t really as saturated in the market at the moment. Her brand Uncle Studios is about “Creating everyday basics with a unique edge for men, women and anyone in between or beyond, which are high quality, affordable clothing that is both ethically and sustainably made.” They ship worldwide and believe in having their whole design process and manufacturing done here in Canada.

But why buy a sixty dollar t-shirt when you can get one for ten dollars? Well, that’s up to you, as a consumer you can decide what you want, but spending a bit more can be beneficial to not only yourself but to the world around you as well. For example, Allegra explains “People ask us all the time, why the steep price? Well it’s a simple answer when you use ethical and sustainable practices things become a little bit more pricey.” She goes on to say “We want to help the world and not put more garbage in it, so it’s worth it. We also like people and want them to be paid fairly!”

If you really think about it, fast fashion is more like fast faux pas. One season fishnets are in, next season? They’re in the trash! It isn’t sustainable and it burns a hole in our wallets. Constantly having to repurchase basics and trends every season is frustrating. Therefore spending the extra dollars on a good quality sustainable t-shirt is worth the sixty dollar price tag in the future. Even if the ethical side of things don’t excite you, saving your hard earned cash is always a plus!

Allegra being a fashion blogger, I asked her how does she produce so many outfits while being conscious of how and what they’re made of? She said “It’s hard, it’s definitely been a learning curve, I really have to do my research. Sometimes it can be pricey, but when you’re paying for quality, ethics and sustainable fabrics you are going to pay more, but the great thing about paying more is that it will last in your wardrobe for years.”

How to be sustainable without having to pay a huge price tag? Vintage shopping! Allegra touched on this, she believes this is a great alternative if you’re trying to be more ethical and sustainable with your shopping habits, not only that you can get some pretty unique pieces as well. She says “Go vintage, you can find great pieces at thrift stores! You can also upcycle the pieces to make them your own, and it's definitely a great way to be sustainable!”

There’s some great companies out there that like to practice being ethical and sustainable. For example Everlane, a company Allegra says she likes to model her own company from. Their prices aren’t as steep and they provide great basics. Some other inspiring brands are Reformation, Re/Done, and Exhibit. If you do love the higher end brands Acne does a great job with making sure that their workers are being treated well and are paid fair wages.  

I know i know, it’s hard to not get that Versace dupe at Zara and those Balenciaga sneakers for one tenth of the price. Fast fashion is very tempting, easy and accessible, but there’s a lot of negatives that come along with it. Look at it this way, Tyra Banks says it perfectly  “One day you’re in, and the next day you’re out” fashion is always changing and evolving, why not have pieces in your wardrobe that will last a long time and create a better mark in our society and environment? Treat the world around you with care, lets create a more ethical and sustainable world!

Citations:

https://unclexstudios.com/pages/about-us