What does a fashion revolution look like from an economic perspective? Understanding the detrimental factors of waste production and overconsumption, how long will it take for the industry to overturn an ongoing crisis of a linear economy into a circular one that requires a paradigm shift where consumers reduce, reuse and recycle their items?
If living in a pandemic has taught the world anything, it has taught us that reforming the way individuals interact with clothes is deeper than reusing, repairing, and recycling. Of course, people have always lived in a pandemic; climate change, food waste, overpopulated landfills, forced labour, mismanaged supply chains, and racism. COVID-19 turned the world upside down, demonstrating how the planet is being treated. How can the world be repaired? The first step is pointing out key components that stem as the staple of redirection. Transitioning towards a circular economy requires a microscopic look into the indicators that create the problem. Such examples are business models, that are being sacrificed for specific business methods to benefit a select few of the population. Manufacturing is a vital mode of production, and after the collapse of Rana Plaza in Dhaka, where 1,134 workers lost their lives, garment workers across the world are still being devalued for their work by a lack of receiving a proper living wage.
Revamping the economy means valuing garment works and treating them with the ultimate respect. Hard labour affects all aspects of the body, physically, mentally and spiritually. So how does the importance of mental health come to play when anyone can be the tenant of a person’s inability to prosper? Another way to reform ancient practices is to strategize new business models and new ways of producing well-equipped product designs that protect the people and the planet. New legislation requires a move toward financial responsibility, meaning reducing how many clothes are made, building safer working environments, and allocating funds to level the playing field. It sounds simple when implementing better business practices. But some corporations are concerned about a new way of system building. Shifting from a linear economy to a circular one is a concern on a micro-level. Traditional fashion companies, considered fast fashion, receive value from new products, and repairing is not an integral part of their business model. Constructing new modes of production - one that produces a take-back system, is not a priority no matter the outcome. There’s no romantic ring to it, it seems. However, creating a sustainable approach is about forward movement. It aims to protect everyone. If not, the world will continue to create barriers that will cause the ultimate catastrophe—an expiring economy and planet.
Dead white man’s clothes
“It’s the dirty secret behind the world’s fashion addiction. Many of the clothes we donate to charity end up dumped in landfills, creating an environmental catastrophe on the other side of the world.” - Linton Besser.
Dead white man’s clothes explore the ragged cliff about 20 metres high of landfill located in Accra, Ghana. Reports indicate that it carries an estimated 60 percent of unwanted clothes. These were supposedly garments shipped to Ghana for resale, sourced from charity collections. Unfortunately, none of these clothes were worn or resold due to poor quality. At least 15 million used garments are shipped weekly to Accra from the U.K., North America and Australia - creating a sprawling clothing market. Although clothes are dispersed in Ghana, some get sent to Burkina Faso and even Cote d’Ivoire; primarily residing within West Africa’s biggest second-hand clothing exchange, Accra’s Kantamanto markets - overflowing with the West’s unwanted fashion.
Keeping up with the Jones’ ever-changing fashion trends
According to Linton Besser, since 2000, global production of clothing has doubled. Consumers are buying 60 percent more clothes now than 15 years ago. As a result of quickly producing low-quality clothing to keep up with the Jones,’ keep our clothes for half as long. World Economic Forum states that an estimated 85 percent of all textiles go to the dump every year. Australia alone hit $22 billion in sales in 2020. On a per-capita basis, it is the highest consumer of textiles outside the US. Only seven percent of clothes sold in Australia are recycled.
“Waste is a part of the business model of fashion. Many brands overproduce by up to 40 percent.” - Liz Ricketts, an American fashion waste campaigner.
Social media is one of the drivers of adopting a ‘take-make-waste rationale,’ having young consumers attracted to trends set by celebrities or influencers. Fashion brands become the catalyst for overconsumption and a “what’s in” ruling. Unfortunately, we may be misguided about who or what we need to keep up with because climate change is not one to miss. Climate.gov reports that in 2020, global sea-level set a new record high-91.3 mm (3.6 millimetres) per year from 2006-2015. In many locations along the U.S coastline, high-tide flooding is now 300% to more than 900% more frequent than it was 50 years ago. It’s believed that with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, sea-level rise could be as high as 8.2 feet above 2000 levels by 2100. An agency based in Australia is currently building ‘Earth’s Black Box, which will record and store climate change data with hopes for a happy ending.
“Consumers are somewhat complicit. We have decided that convenience is a human right and we think that when we go shopping, we should always be able to find exactly what we want. We should find it in our size and the colour that we want. That also contributes to this overproduction.” Liz Ricketts
The State of Fashion
The recent McKinsey report: State of fashion 2022, targets major themes defining and affecting the fashion economy while examining a path to recovery amid a global pandemic. Such key factors dissect the global economy, consumer shifts and fashion systems. Due to the pandemic's impact on businesses, it has shifted our business acumen to a tech-focused apparatus intending to champion fairness in our fashion systems, streamline operations, and call attention to social justice, all in the face of adversity. The McKinsey report states that the "COVID-19 pandemic tracks an uncertain trajectory," therefore, the world can no longer afford to continue in a linear economy that is subjective to be one of the possible underlying cause.
"To manage ongoing uncertainty, companies need to enable flexibility and faster decision making and balance speed against discipline in the pursuit of innovation."
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