Traveling from a “developing” country (not “third world”) to the United States has both positive and negative effects, especially for those who are lovers of both places. The pandemic has had its own unique impacts, but that is another story.
As someone who now enjoys learning and trying to educate about the evils of fast fashion through upcycling denim, this was a true, first-hand shock. I must preface by saying that I had only been on the receiving end (country) and not the sending end (country) for many years.
I remember when an outlet clothing store in the US was filled with overstocked and out-of-season items. Occasionally you would find the store corner with damaged, pre-loved or items with something irregular about them. The bargains were based on those elements only.
Perhaps my shopping mistake was going first to an “outlet” mall of name brands. I knew to be prepared for fast fashion at its worst, but wow! The impact on every level was so strong.
Yes, the prices looked enticing, but the quality was so poor. I had images of the workers sewing at less-than-living wages. The textiles/fabrics used were almost exclusively synthetics. I had images of the environmental destruction to produce them. Everything was so very trendy and there was little differentiation between brands. I had images of these items being disposed of after little wear. I had images of the tons of this unsold clothing being sent to landfills or developing countries.
When I asked for garments in cotton, linen, silk, or natural fiber blends, I was looked at like “why?” The men’s selection had a few items more than women’s which puzzled me (reminder to self to research that). The retail malls that carry these same name-brand stores do not carry this same outlet merchandise. Do consumers know this and does that make a difference?
I wasted a few hours going store to store, only to be amazed at people leaving with bags full of purchases. Did they really need all this new clothing? Did they know what higher quality is, how to care for clothing, and that this simple investment is better long-term?
I know that there are more questions than answers, but I do know that fast fashion kills!
