That opening montage is a master class in effective narrative exposition. In under 30 seconds you showed so clearly the vapidness of it and the horrible, widespread nature of the problem. I'm so glad that talented video makers like you are using your talents to draw attention to this issue and the impacts of it. You hook people in and then hit them with deep conversation and professional input. It's really well done and I hope you continue to work in this field.
@@CronesBones Not unlike watching an addict! seeing all that thoughtless, mass consumerism on steroids. I feel physically sick when an influencer rips open a delivery now. We've for real reached a strange place that so many young RU-vidrs earn income and sponsorship for what? shopping like it's a drug, and trying on their hauls. I guess Fast Fashion democratized modelling in a way as well.
The switch to thrifting is really good, but not to the point where you're thrifting a LOT of items every week (like some influencers show), because ultimately are you not just doing the same thing = overconsuming? It's a mindset. It's being happy with what you have and curating that (marie kondo = does it spark joy?), because you're literally convincing yourself all the time that you NEED more. Greenwashing is polluting our minds too.
@@LiarFireDesire Thank you! I agree, I didn't want to make this doc too long but I wish I could've gone into the issues of overconsuming secondhand items, and greenwashing too! Maybe I'll make a part 2 in the future
No, because it doesn't drive new production like sales of new clothes. However, personally I'm set with my wardrobe and rarely buy anything. The reason to not over thrift could be just to be more organised and mentally calm.
@@user-ov4wr5yu4r I think it could drive sales though. It's easier to convince yourself to buy something when you know that you can resell it on Vinted or so if you don't like it anymore.
It stinks because people were shopping at thrift stores to resell at a profit, and the big thrift stores caught on, so they jacked up their prices. They figured that if people are willing to go on Poshmark and spend $20 on a used shirt from a mall store, why not raise the price and collect the money themselves?
It really blows my mind when I see people constantly buying clothes for trends or just wearing it temporarily. I didn't think much about style when I was younger, I just wore whatever was mine and wore it comfortably or to my liking. I was lucky enough to fit in clothes I had since middle school until college because of a change of style and had my mom second hand some of her old cute clothes. The first time I was able to shop for new clothes was last year. If you're ever tired of a clothing, keep it to use as rags(if not wearable), put it in a bucket of clothes you don't want/can't fit anymore so future kids can wear it or donate it and don't forget recycle it into a cute ribbion tanktop for example if possible. You can be a DIY queen aha
We need to regulate quality of fabrics which are sold in Europe and North America. There should be quality scale 1-10 and inspectors should rate each fabric. Rating should be written on every product sold in Europe and North America and it should be ilegal to sell products from fabrics which are under certain rating.
I grew up shopping garage sales and second hand in the 90s when it was looked down upon as being only for low income people. It’s really great to see that this attitude has changed and this generation is more open to buying recycled looks
Good video- I only shop second hand now - it’s like I can’t even get myself to buy something new- I have no interest. I think if you just don’t even give yourself the option to buy from fast fashion it gets easier. You also know the places to go and you start to build a wardrobe that lasts. It takes time but I feel is worth it. A fun thing I did once was a clothing swap party with friends. Also if you consign with a store you can use that money to buy more things there- to update and refresh.
Years ago we never had fast fashion things were more expensive but the quality was good. I always wanted a Chanel suit but could not afford one so I managed to get some lovely wool material and made one. That’s what we did if we could sew we made our own clothes material was cheap so it was a better way of doing things, even material is expensive now and sadly the Chanel like suit went off to pastures new.
I would've loved to have seen your Chanel suit! As someone who sews & is slowly building a handmade wardrobe, I just want to jump on & say - yes, fabric is expensive & I could spend the same on something in a store. But how much longevity (in style, fit & quality) is a £30 pair of fast fashion shorts really gunna be Vs something I slowly & thoughtfully put together myself? I tell friends who ask, sewing your own stuff costs the same up front plus the hours it takes to make. If you were to charge yourself an hourly rate it'd be extortionate! But when you know exactly how to deconstruct something to fix it (cause you constructed it in the first place), & when you know exactly how hard wearing it is (cause you're the one who reinforced sections & finished your seam), & finally when you know EXACTLY how long it takes to make something well, you value & care for your items far more & they last a lot longer in your wardrobe. So £30 for a pair of handmade shorts that'll last me 7+ years Vs £30 for a pair I'll need to replace in 18mo? If I can guarantee I'll have the time to sew them (appreciate this is a massive luxury, ya girl here sews in 30min increments before work), I'd pick the expensive fabric & the better item any day 😅
I love the opening collage, if that’s the right word? It really shows what we experience on social media, just a tsunami of cheap, trendy, polyester clothes and plastic accessories hauls, day after day. I only shopped fast-fashion during the pandemic, looking back, I suppose it gave me something to do and prevented me from going nuts (I was on home isolation for 2.5+ years because of my high risk as a pneumonia/sepsis survivor with the inevitable damaged lungs). I ended up with a huge wardrobe of cheap, unwearable, but “cute”, for that moment, crap. When I came to my senses again, I went back to my former more careful, thoughtful shopping as I had always done before. Quality was always my first priority, especially in fabrics and materials. Then fit, style and color. In the last year or so, I’ve acquired only a few, much better-quality items that I really needed. At my age, 63, I want my wardrobe purchases to be timeless and to last for the rest of my life, I don’t want to get, say, a new beige sweater in a cheap fabric every year because the trends change. It’s modern classics for me, forever. Buy natural-fiber fabrics from only, your items will have intrinsic value, so others will want to wear them after you. No one will want a sequined, butterfly poly bra top in a year!
I have bought items from H&M and Forever 21, the only ones I no longer wear are the ones that are outrageously out of fashion e.g. pants that are low rise, the kind in fashion back in 2007. Otherwise I still wear some from more than 15 years ago. The problem is addiction to shopping.
It’s def on the companies. They get away with so much and their impact on the world carries way more weight than any one person not buying fast fashion clothing.
Unbelievable! It seems to have gotten worse since the pandemic, and spiralled out of control. I prefer to shop at charity shops, thrift stores and second hand stores. I always donate 'stuff' I no longer need to these places.
recently ive completely switched to handmade clothes and only buying from small makers and it has transformed my style for the better and it feels great knowing these pieces will last years and years.
I've never bought from Shein and I never will. Thrifting is good and so are second-hand reselling apps like Poshmark, where you can find tons of discounted brand new or nearly new stuff that people are reselling for cash. We also have to get over the obsession with changing "what's in" like every year. Just chill and keep appreciating what you have. I've been broke so I haven't bought new clothes in over a year and life is fine.
It’s ruining the planet and it is also ruining us emeotionally and mentally - too many options fry our brains, I think. These hauls make me think of sad people, including me. Those the things that occupy them (and even me with my own current addiction to planner stuff). It’s good to step back and slowly strip away wanting more. For me, I do it in my pace.
So glad RU-vid algorithms recommended me that video. I am surprised it didn't have more views, brilliant work, and good idea with the interviews. It is always interesting to listen to multiple opinions on the same topic. Keep up the good work! As for myself due to personal circumstances I left most of my clothes behind and resold them, now I don't buy a new item until the item with the same purpose is not completely falling apart. I have only 2 pairs of shoes (one for warm weather and one for cold), and I've noticed that I really do not need more, which really opened my eyes. Yes, clothes are pretty, but let's not forget their initial purpose and replace it with social, marketing, and media influences.
What's really interesting to me is that all these people look the same. Boxy t-shirts, sweatshirts. Not really put together or extremely stylished/polished. So why are they buying all these clothes? For what? If you spend you'r days dressed as if every one day was a sunday, why soend do much money on clothing, supporting fast fashion, crappy qyality etc.? It's just about buying, not about adding to some style because you represent yourself, an employer etc. It just makes no sence!
The intro montage of layered tik toks was so overwhelming to my senses…. It was beautiful So accurately captured the severity of this problem I boycott Amazon and shein, my family and husband love Amazon and tell me it’s convenient but Amazon will be my absolute last resort most things on there are not made to last: synthetic clothes, cheap plastic home items, cheap plastic tech I’m so saddened that nothing is made to last anymore
Definitely that last statement that’s been on my mind soo much lately! It’s so sad how quickly things break and the only solution to some is to replace it, which a new version of said product will be out later and those will replace the old. And if not, then the other solution would be is to buy a whole new product. It’s sad really.
I think a huge part of the problem is inflation and how people are just poorer and poorer and therefore turn to the cheapest option, as opposed to just overconsumption. At least here in France, that is.
Being in Eastern Europe where Zara is considered expensive, I agree. Most of the time when I see these videos about fast fashion and overconsumption it just very much feels like a USA/influencer specific problem. The majority of people buys fast fashion because they simply cant afford more expensive clothes and most of the clothes are bought to be worn for years. Basic T shirts simply wont last too long due to wear and tear but everything else.... Hell I still wear an H&M blazer I bought like 10 years ago. And second hand shops are awful here. At best if you want to buy second hand you can try digging through online markets to find something decent.
Hard disagree. I think that most people who buy fast fashion do it because they just don't WANT to pay more per item because they WANT to buy so many new items to go along with trends. People have totally forgotten the value of things, because things are priced so low these days (because they are made from garbage materials, not made to last, made by people who get exploited, and made whilst polluting the environment). I do understand that people who genuinely are poor shop at fast fashion outlets but if you own a large number of garments, you aren't poor, even if they are all from Shein. With that same money you could have bought fewer items that are of better quality/not made by slaves, and still have had enough clothes to wear.
COVID & Consimption: Once able to shop I hit the Thrift instead of the shops.I still buy some Fast but it is basics & underwear to make the most out of what I have and can't thrift. I understand "Young People" trying to sort out their own style & having a high turn over in their wardrobes. A little mindfulness goes a long way. 😎☕💋
Sorry if I ramble but I loved this and I am soooo passionate about us being better in terms of how we dress ourselves! If you're into fashion, a healthier approach would be old school french fashion. It's all about letting your inner beauty shine, your natural beauty shine, focusing on your health, minimal makeup, healthy hair and nails AND buying clothing you will wear time and time again that really doesn't go out of style. If you look at fashion it's the same shit over and over that really makes a difference in how you look. A lot of the creative stuff IS beautiful! but maybe just buy three really cool and unique items every few years and rock that style! Graphic tees or something with an interesting pattern....If you are shopping at a thrift store find two REALLY nice pair of pants, One really flattering long dress, one flattering short dress, three flattering shorts one black, one blue, one white or beige and the shirt can be whatever? Then it's just a cardigan...a blazer if you're into that? a leather jacket if you're into that? Maybe a skirt? It's not necessary to have ALL of these clothes! IS what I'm saying! And how often do we even wear them!? Most people wear lounge wear. I'd say find some classy lounge bohemian wear and invest in jewellery and a nice lip shade...you will always look good if you are healthy and wear clothing that fit. Buying online it's hard to find things that fit or are flattering so you are just wasting your money anyway...Think of the people you love. Do you love them because of their clothing? OR do you love them because of their demeanour, their cadence, the way they smile? You don't recognize a person first from their outfit, it's their silhouette and the way the walk from far away. Then it's their voice you recognize, and up close the personality and personal scent if they have one? It's the glint in their eyes? Their sense of humour, their sexy shoulders, their hair in the wind, the way they respond and the intensity in their eyes knowing that they know we are both human and that is beautiful? Find your style and move slowly as you age with fashion. Some people keep their graphic tees for decades even after not wearing them because that was a part of who they were. You know a good article when you see it. And if it wears well on you then it is worth the money and you should be able to keep it for a very long time. You don't have to give up being creative. In fact, with restrictions you get to know yourself and you are forced to learn what fabrics, silhouettes, colours, jewellery, textures suit you! If you're into dresses invest in dresses! If you like jeans....invest in jeans! If you like graphic shirts invest in those, if you like jackets or glasses invest in those! It's part of growing up to learn how to dress, but it shouldn't cost you a fortune. You HAVE to try it on before you buy it! Stop buying on a whim! Put the work in for one weekend, find some pieces you can live in for that year and thrift if you can Even when thrifting don't buy it if you don't love it!! If buying new, make sure you love it. All these pieces should be something you could wear up until three years when the clothing starts to show age and even then, learn to mend and take care of your clothing xoxoxo Instead of throwing yourself down a rabbit hole of consumption....learn to find yourself, take care of yourself and the things you wear each day. You ARE beautiful already, but you will feel much better and you will BE much better! xoxo
I’m satisfied this is about one piece of H&M and one piece on thred up matching this season’s pantones and cuts or classic ones being extra popular and coats to linen shirts on Everlane HM
As a reseller there are ALWAYS gems to be had at the thrift store every time you go. We’ve sadly moved away from the materials that last like linen and cotton and to polyester and mixes with heavy dyes with fast fashion which definitely effect so many things. You can find so many new with tags pieces even at the thrift, amazing brand names, or I did find a marked runway piece a couple of weeks ago - you just never know what gems you can find.
Even that thrift store is pricier than other stores I’ve shopped at. I’ve paid $1.97 for vinyl coated jeans at Ross, $3 for tees at H&M, $2 for hats at H&M and Claire’s and $4.98 for a cardigan and pullover hoodie at Macy’s. You can’t beat that.
And rising prices and high inflation are making it worse. Also I agree the resellers in thrift stores are removing good options, and many thrift stores themselves are raising prices in general, again making things worse.
Also, if it's second-handed, I deduce it means that is it better quality, since it has been worn by somone before and it is still usable. (personal opinion)
@s.balisovagarcia2902 The rise of Fast Fashion brands (as shown on the graph) means far more of these lower priced, lesser quality garments have been donated to charities over the last twenty odd years. All members of the ♻Recycle Clothing loop report receiving LESS sellable merchandise and MORE that they have to dispose of via other channels. /All that is a long way of saying - Yes, you are likely to find some older garments - well made, using good quality fabrics. But, depending on your location, you will also see many second hand garments from Shein, Amazon, H&M etc on the racks of your local charity shop. It really can be a lucky dip! Some people like the randomness of thrift shopping - others find it takes them too long to shop, or there's not the range of sizes they're used to.
If all you can afford is fast-fashion, at least avoid plastic shoes and accessory and the synthetic-fiber fabrics and blends made with them, it’s not that easy, I know, but it can be done. Natural fibers and the rayon/viscose/lyocell, family - called the “manmade cellulosic fibers”, which are made from plant fibers, not plastics, are much better, they biodegrade at least. We really don’t know how long it will take for these plastics to break down, the one factor we can’t accurately simulate in testing is time. These plastics have only been around for a hundred years or less. It depends, of course, on the specific fiber and disposal conditions, but as a scientist, I suspect the true time scale for biodegradation of plastics is on the order of thousands of years, not tens or even hundreds. It’s not just that dyes that are polluting the world’s waters, it’s the items themselves and the micro-fibers they produce, too. Most synthetic fabrics are so thin and lightweight that they easily blow away to pollute environments distant from the disposal sites. I once drove a new (to me) freeway here in the San Francisco area, that has a double fence for the train running down its center. The (chain-link) fences were covered with tens of thousands of plastic bags in just a few miles! We scientists are calling our current era the Plastocene because we are leaving huge layers of toxic, non-biodegradable plastics everywhere, including in the bottoms of our precious oceans, lakes and streams. Our descendants won’t thank us for this mess, nor for gobbling up all the resources to use for our disposal fashion.
There is something simple we consumers can and should do - don’t buy fast-fashion! If we don’t encourage it, it will die the natural death it deserves.
Many of the places where people donate clothes are the ones throwing clothes in the dumpster, which ultimately end up in the landfill. I know of three places near where I live that this happens.
Thrift stores getting real expensive too, making it hard for me choose it over shein or wish. Plus tons of poshmark, mercari resellers already got their good picks bc it is like their main jobs.
it's defo the company's problem. if they don't keep producing, consumers won't buy. we need to train ourselves to make better decisions about what we're buying. and make the garments of better quality so that it does not break after 3 washes. both parties play their roles. if we work synergistically, I'm sure we can reduce the fast fashion problem. not entirely but we try our best
Hi Cassandra, your journalism piece is excellent. I have been in the apparel industry for most of my career, thankfully having worked for some of the most responsible manufacturers in the industry. Iy is very much a pull and tug. As long as there are brands/retailers promoting irresponsible, unsustainable manufacturing and over consumption and consumers that are going to choose to accept that with the power of their wallets, this is very hard to disrupt. It starts with proper education. So thank you. I commented on an Instagram piece by an influencer I respected, but I had to disagree with their assessment. Learning from that piece, I want your viewers to know that there are circumstances in which fast fashion brands are manufacturing in the same facilities that more responsible brands manufacture. There are a precious few out there that provide a fair living wage, and beyond that pay to retain their employees even when there isnt work. They may take on manufacturing at a loss for a brand like that because it is better than nothing. Do not be deceived that these fast fashion brands are ultimately good. It is a fraction of what is done. Seek out a brand's transparency on where they are on their sustainability and worker welfare goals before buying a thing.
yes-it's unethical to ship clothes far distances on Depop since it's not in bulk! it's a better idea to have a local pop-up shops cuz ur item will sell anyways~
This is good and what ive notice in thrift stores . Many have American to european branded clothing then localy first hands are by small independent dressmakers to tailors then part of another group upcoming designers . As im on insta and tiktok whilst learning to make my own and starting theres alot of High end brands marketed to me with a dose of shein . Wouldnt buy from china made its unethical second hand shopping for me is fun as if its a tresure hunt with aforadable prices if its slightly broken it can be repaired to alter ^~^ . Still willing to learn and make outfitd for me and friends.
This was such an important video but so sad. It's just the constant consumption that a capitalist society demands in order for it to stay alive. Like a monster feeding off it's victims. Many years ago i saw fast fashion for what it truly was and decided to make a change. I'm only one person but i can do what i can and try to talk sense into my friends and family.
Great vid. There are almost no practical solutions in this video, and there's a reason for that. Aside from buying less, or secondhand, there is almost no ethical form of clothing consumption today. Any piece of clothing you buy may involve sweatshop labor, pollution, etc - whether at the manufacturing stage, the textile creation stage, the point of sale, whatever. The entire industry is rotten. Regulation is the only answer.
I’m also satisfied this is where if you really have to buy things for $5 or $10 they should last that long (5 years) belt if you need one, alterations too. Then I have to be satisfied that helps you save for $35 at Everlane Sale and $160 for quality outerwear shoes.
Great Video, but it's not only "young people" who buy to much. I think every generation does its part. I know a lot of people older than 50 years buying new clothes and only wearing them once or twice in their life.
id love to get bespoke but im poor as hell. i bought a lot of my clothes on etsy recently but it gets really expensive. me and my friend are going thrifting soon, i want to get back into it since i havnt been since i was a teenager
There’s a lot of things that’s killing our planet and it’s not just fast fashion. The world is so selfish, if we were to take a lot of things away from people to have a better planet.
05:08 Cotton is better in some ways, until you consider the damage cotton does to the planet despite being a “natural” material. Cotton requires alot of water to grow. A LOT! So much so that the Aral Sea, which for decades now has been diverted and used to irrigate cotton fields, is 60% smaller than what it was 40 years ago. All thanks to man made intervention. 10:12 equally social media platforms like TikTok are short form, they’re based around quick 30 second to a minute long videos and so require more content to maintain an audience. TikTok is itself the “fast fashion” of the media world. It needs more content than is typical which makes fast fashion stuff ideal for an uploaded because it’s cheap for them to source from fast fashion brands- doing 15 30 second videos about an expensive brand is really expensive, doing 100 30 second videos about fast fashion is cheap- especially if they’re being sponsored by that brand! So it becomes self fulfilling kind of due to the nature of the platform. Unless of course you have a constant stream of thrifted or vintage clothing to make content with like YTr and TikTokr Gabi’s Vintage. 🤔🤷😂
As soneone who tries to sell refurbished furniture and lamps imgiving up because people rather buy new and worse quality. Buyt u cannot sell in the cheap price, as wide array of materials and my time costs too, in addition to the piece itself. There is not enough of a culture change yet too. The people who have the money to buy in such prices, they dont think to first look towards second hand or small businesses, they go straight to big malls with brand name decor. Not all, but what I've seen.
I'm happy for these people to get free stuff because it's expensive but they don't need stuff. I think that it's impactful in a negative way to not only connections to humans but to the environmental factors. It's depressing too scroll SOCIAL media to not see your new pals but endless advertisements. The fact that things are made in larger and larger quantities at the expense of underpaid workers as well as pollution of trashed stuff... It's scary to see.
I only buy clothes when I need it, but most of the time it’s not thrifted. Thrifting where I live started out as a conscious and afforable way of getting clothes, but nowadays it’s way more expensive than the average clothing store… And some specific items I could never thrift like shoes and certain type of jeans and clothes with a turtleneck, The thought of somebody’s bacteria and sweat is a nono for me.
U know what? I think all these ppl has to much income, 'cause for example in Russia, with month salary in 450$, fast fashion for us is so long term items, and ppl can't afford Zara jacket in 20$ or less. Thrift stores available in only big cities -there's only 10 I guess over all. And it's pity, but we do not have free medicine now and have to charge over dollar per liter for gasoline, smile, 'cause we "have" our own oil and gas. Sooo, fast fashion is only fast for whom throw away things after 1 time wear.😅
i agree with everything, but also - if you are watching this and thinking "oh i buy loads of things, but i do it at secondhand shops, so its fine", you shouldnt. its not fine. people who overbuy things from thriftshops are still part of the overconsumption problem. if youre decluttering your wardrobe and donating, and then immediatly going to a op shop to buy more things - whats the point? you dont need that much stuff. 40% of donated items are given to 3rd world countries, which doesnt help because they are only given to those countries because they are bad quality! its just more landfill, Ghana has a mountain of clothing items bc of this - its hurting the enviroment. and if it does get send to a shop to help people, it actually just devalues other peoples clothing items and makes them not buy it from trusted citizens. you dont need 20 items from a thrift store every month, you can make do with what youve got. if you are struggling with this ask yourself "would i buy this if it was 10 dollars more" if thats a no u dont need it. if its a yes ask "would i use this alot, and would i be creative with it? or am i only going to wear it once, or do i need another thing to make it work"
I don't get it, we had this topic in school 10 years ago, now all the teen girls think they are new money LA girls doing nothing but shopping (at least where I live, it's all the girls rejecting education too)
We don’t need to do it and my 5 year old H&M periwinkle is wearable damned near every year and my 6 year H&M linen button up Morris & Co dress is every other year in mustard or brown or both
My 19-year old niece only buys secondhand (or thirdhand or more) clothes and accessories. This is the big trend among California college students, like her. They have great values, this generation. I was a teenager in the mid to late 70s, our values were mostly about “getting ahead”, partly in response to the previous hippie lifestyle. We wanted to work to buy our own nice homes and other things, not live in broken-down buses or trailers, supported by welfare. My husband and I owned a property in a rural area for a while, and every time we went to the grocery store “in town”, we could predict, and signal with a look at each other, each person ahead of us who would pay with food stamps. We were never once wrong. It was both a look and a smell - marijuana, body odor and patchouli. We were disgusted with that generation, but at least they didn’t turn out to be the mega-consumers that our generation did!
