At Predominantly Black, we like to consider ourselves "slow fashion". All items designed and manufactured in fair wage environments. We also don't adhere to a fashion calendar. Although we buy accordingly, we found that clothes being shoved down our throats 4 times a year is not only a turn off but greedy, and terribly wasteful as well.
As stated, fashion production followed four main fashion seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. These traditional seasons have all but disappeared in the face of faster production driven by emerging trends. Apparently, according to Investopida, it is not uncommon for retailers to introduce new products multiple times in a single week to stay on trend.
This type of mass production may seem like a good thing at first glance, but I believe it is causing more problems than it is solving. It is crucial that existing companies and startups become aware of the negative impacts that fast-fashion overproduction is causing because it can and will impact your fashion business.
Below are some reasons and insights to ensure you aren't or don't become apart of the problem.
1. Low Wages And Terrible Conditions For Workers
According to research by Global Labor Justice, female garment workers in H&M and Gap supplier factories in Asia have faced exploitation and mistreatment that includes abuse, poor work conditions, low wages and forced overtime.
However, recently (2018) in China, salaries rose up from 45% compared to recent years, according to recruiting experts and significantly improved working conditions. These changes also includes bonus's and benefits.
We will touch more on the locations that are feeling the impact of the fair trade movement and are making a change for the better in our next post.
2. Polyester Pollution
Per the Guardian, one of the reasons to radically rethink the way we manufacture has to do with the impact on our rivers, lakes, and oceans. According to the article, microfibers from synthetic fabrics are released into our waterways — and, from there, into our rivers, lakes and oceans — every time they are washed in domestic washing machines. The small size of the microfibers means they are easily consumed by fish and other wildlife.
If you want to support sustainable fashion, it could be as simple as buying from designers and manufacturers that are known for their environmental awareness and preference for using sustainable fabrics. There is a new movement in the fashion industry toward creating products from sustainable materials, such as hemp soil, organic cotton, organic linen and bamboo — these are known as vegan fabrics.
3. More Clothing Produced Equals More Waste
The reality is that people don’t keep their clothes as long as they used to, and the rate of production to keep up has resulted in (literal) tons of excess inventory and waste.
Fact of the matter is, our climate has changed, literally and figuratively. It's time to become more conscious of our decisions and how (and where) we spend our money.