Keya says :
On 24 April 2013, at least 1,132 people were killed and more than 2,500 wounded by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which housed five garment factories. At least 112 employees lost their lives in another horrific accident just five months ago, trapped inside the burning Tazreen Fashions factory on the outskirts of Dhaka. These incidents, among the worst factory accidents on record, have raised the world's attention to the poor working conditions faced by employees in Bangladesh's ready-made clothing industry. Millions of people, most of them girls and women, are subjected every day to an unhealthy work atmosphere with high incidence of work-related accidents and deaths, as well as occupational diseases. The fast fashion industry has brought upon us, various such incidents. The lives of various women and children are put at stake every single day as they have to bear with the exploitation that they are subject to. Bounded by the troubles of inhuman working conditions, meagre wages and child labor, these young migrant women and children see no future ahead of them other than spending their lives in these factories for the sole purpose of keeping their bodies and souls together.
Here, fast fashion refers to clothes that are produced and made as quickly as possible and sold at incredibly low prices to customers. It emphasizes on speed and low prices, continuously driving fresh stock every single month, demanding quicker production times. The cost of these clothes is so cheap that many times a year, several individuals can afford to load their wardrobes with new outfits and then toss them out as soon as they go out of season. This has it’s very own side effects not only on human lives, but the environment as well. However with the awareness about these casualties spreading like wildfire, several people have resorted to the concept of sustainable fashion and thrift stores. The concept of sustainable fashion has been familiarized in many countries since the 70’s and 80’s where people ejected the traditional idea of fashion, preferring unique second-hand and vintage pieces and mixing styles. With the advent of thrift stores and eco-friendly fashion, Indians have revived the practice of buying pre-owned apparel. The newer generation believes in purging their closets for the clothes they no longer use; they choose to sell or donate them. They, in turn, indulge in pre-owned branded apparels sold by other customers.
Sustainable fashion as a natural practice goes back to the earliest human civilisations. However, movements for sustainable fashion resurfaced in the 1980s as a competitor to fast fashion. From the beginnings of human civilization, sustainability in clothing has always existed in some form or the other. However, a variety of reasons led to a decline of sustainable fashion, and this led to movements demanding the resurfacing of sustainable fashion. As class distinctions arose, clothes became more of a status symbol and the styles of the rich and the elite came to dominate the fashion market.
As the demand for new styles started shooting up, industrialists could no longer keep pace with the demand for clothes and had to switch to artificial fibres such as nylon and polyester in order to manufacture clothes at very fast speeds. While this led to the emergence of popular brands such as H&M, it also started taking a toll on our planet by 1947. Sustainable fashion re-emerged after the United Nations started raising the issue of sustainability by 1987 by defining sustainability as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Rachel Kibbe once said, “The only true sustainable way to shop is to not shop at all, unless you’re buying clothes that already exist” which is why, thrift stores have found themselves amidst rapidly rising popularity. A lot of sustainably constructed clothes tend to feel heavy on the pocket and hence, supporting sustainability in an economic manner would obviously involve buying second hand clothing. Recycling is a huge part of sustainable living, so why shouldn’t clothes be recycled too?
Comentários