Nothing is like it used to be, and it will not be! Heraclitus was right; everything changes, and we are trying to adapt to all this change. Yet, the future scares us a bit, of course. Cause, while some of these changes serve a much more comfortable and quality life, some of them, to put it mildly, is becoming a bit of “shitter.” Thanks to fast fashion.
These days, everything we buy has a shorter lifespan than our grandmother’s relationship with the cellphone. Yet, in our closets, we have dozens of vintage pieces from our grandmothers. All of them are as solid as a rock. The truth is, we no longer have the clothes that we hoped would accompany us throughout our long lives and be left to our grandchildren!
So yes, our purchasing power says “fast fashion it is!” But have you ever wondered, what happened to the quality clothes of yesteryears? Amid the consumption frenzy, we wanted to embark on a journey towards our life quality, which feels like it’s constantly falling.
Curse of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion significantly impacts the environment through its intensive resource use, pollution, and waste creation. This industry relies on cheap materials. Rapid production cycles meet consumer’s demand for the latest trends, leading to excessive consumption and an overwhelming amount of textile waste. Brands consume vast amounts of water for dyeing and finishing processes. It is contributing to water scarcity and pollution in regions near manufacturing plants. Additionally, the use of synthetic fibers, like polyester, releases microplastics into the water systems, further harming aquatic life and ecosystems.
The production of fast fashion emits a large quantity of greenhouse gases. These emissions exacerbate climate change, highlighting the environmental toll of maintaining fast-paced consumer trends. Despite all the damage, fast fashion encourages a disposable culture. A culture where clothes are seen as temporary and replaceable.
Despite all this production, so much waste? Because everything is terrible! Now, the lifespan of no product exceeds 5 years. So, what is the cause of this horrifing decline in quality?
Mina Le, a famous fashion and popular culture content creator known for her YouTube channels and podcasts, tells the story of the decline in the quality of products through those famous Aran sweaters, a.k.a the famouse fishermans!
What is this Aran Sweater?
You will recognize this with a single glaze. They named after the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. These white, rope-patterned sweaters and cardigans were once essentials for fishermen battling the cold seas. Being made from the finest wool, their quality was top-notch.
The Aran sweaters gained fame in the 1930s with the advent of advertising. With the proliferation of airlines in the 1950s, Ireland became a popular destination for Americans. Hence, the Aran sweaters added another golden star to their status as a symbol of quality.
On top of all this, in the 1960s, an Irish group named The Clancy Brothers began to popularize the product by wearing thesm on American television. Then, it was worn by names like Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. Even though the character Harry in the movie When Harry Met Sally wears this sweater in only a few brief scenes, it becomes a legendary item that everyone is still searching for 35 years later. Of course, it’s not easy to find something like this even if we turn our eyes to brands.
Goodbye Quality…
With the cooling weather, these sweaters taking their place on the shelves are unfortunately not original Arans. Moreover, nowadays, it’s much more difficult to buy a sweater of that quality compared to the past. The rapidly increasing world of mass production has turned more towards harmful synthetic materials to keep up with the speed of its own created trend wind. We are at such a point now that no matter how much money you are willing to pay, it has become almost impossible to access sustainable products away from fast fashion.
What we bought in the past was an asset, but with the increasing fast fashion mindset, we can now look at everything we buy as future waste. It’s not possible to find the best quality, nor is it economically feasible to purchase it.
Handicraft Deserves Its Throne
You can try stepping out of the never-ending fashion wheel to follow your own style. Fashion is fleeting, style is permanent. As long as you own timeless and valuable pieces, it’s impossible for you to be out of fashion!
We may not be able to buy an original Aran sweater, but it’s possible to achieve true quality by supporting handmade products, various crafts, and artists. You’ll not only own unique items made with effort but also escape the shackles of fast fashion and support sustainability.
For those who want to embark on this path, we have a few directions. First, you can take a look at our Coventum store. Our handmade products, produced entirely by our women suppliers, are both completely handmade and it’s impossible for you to end up wearing the same item as someone else. We aim to produce our products without waste by recycling old clothes and waste fabrics in our small workshop. Another option is to open your own sustainability workshop.
Recycle Old Clothes at Home
Here are several creative and effective methods for transforming your old clothes into sustainable recycling practices at home:
1. Making Cloth Bags
You can make a shopping or beach bag out of old t-shirts. Cut the bottom part of the t-shirt and tie or sew the cut edges together to form the bottom of your bag.
2. Making Pillow Cases
Transform your old sweaters or large t-shirts into decorative pillowcases. Cut them to the required size, fill them up, and close with a stitch.
3. Knitting Yarn
Old clothes, especially wool sweaters, can be turned into knitting yarn. Cut the sweaters into slices, stretch them into long strips, and use these strips for new knitting projects. You can now use leftover wool pieces in many creative ways.
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4. Patchwork Projects
Cut old clothes of different colors and patterns into pieces and combine them to make patchwork blankets, tablecloths, or pillows.You can also make your stained clothes wearable again with creative patching methods.
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5. Natural Dyeing
Fruits and vegetables are sources of natural dyes. For yellow, try turmeric, mints, thymes, or celery leaves. For blue and purple hues, use blueberries, blackberries, black currants, mulberries, or plum skins. For shades ranging from orange to brown, you can experiment with tea, coffee grounds, carrots, or yellow onion skins.
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