WHAT YOU SEE VS WHAT YOU DON'T SEE: CLIMATE EDITION

The very nature of fashion makes it so we only see the end product. Vary rarely do consumers consider what goes on in the supply chain - what the garment was before it was raw material. Many still need the reminder - the truth behind your favorite fashion garments and trends. When it comes to climate change, here are the things you see vs the things you don't see:

1. LEATHER: Leather is seen as the quintessential item in fashion - leather jackets and leather skirts are iconic symbols that make up many an outfit. However, these are garments are born of cruelty. More than a billion animals are skinned for their hides - cattle, buffalos, goats, sheep, and various reptiles amongst the victims of casualty. 

2. SYNTHETIC FABRICS: Nylon, Rayon, Polyester - fast fashion produces heavy amounts of synthetic fabrics. While you may be in love with that recent activewear or swimwear set you saw online, you have no idea what kind of chemicals the fabric may contain. This material can contain poisonous toxins that the skin can absorb and that is nothing to say of what it does to the environment and the air you breathe.

3. INFLUENCER HAUL: Tik Tok reels. Insta Reels. Eleven minute Youtube videos. Influencer Hauls are an internet addiction that is hard to break, and the only habit more addictive than watching these videos is making them. In reality, buying a bulk amount of clothes often leads to garment waste. You see the influencer try on the clothes but there is no guarantee that they will wear them forever.

4. LOW PRICE TAGS: A good bargain is to die for. Discounted clothing activates those feel-good dopamine receptors in the brain so it's no wonder many consumers see low price tags as an immediate green flag. Unfortunately, cheap clothes are made at the ultimate price - the exploitation of garment workers who are not paid a fair wage.

5. COTTON T-SHIRT: A simple cotton t-shirt is a classic in every wardrobe, but this wardrobe staple is far from simple. The production of a cotton t-shirt wastes thousands of liters of water. Cotton crops also require extra water and can suck agricultural land dry to the point of drought.

6. VIVID, COLORFUL CLOTHING: Bold and vibrant colors will always be in trend - harmful dyes should not be, though. Azo dyes are synthetic colorants that make up 60-70% of the world's dyes. While being seen as revolutionary for their vibrancy, these dyes can actually harm the ocean. Colored wastewater seeping into the ocean can disrupt aquatic photosynthesis and the ability of marine plants to produce oxygen.

7. CUTE POLYESTER SWEATERS: Polyester feels nice on the skin. That polyester sweater you have saved in your shopping cart also looks like it feels luxurious. The fact is, that polyester is a plastic-based fabric sourced from crude oil and petroleum. When they aren't polluting the waters with microplastics they are being sent to die a slow death in landfills. And these garments aren't biodegradable, so they spend years, decades, breaking down and poisoning the water, ground, and air.

Most people think they are aware of the impact their clothes have on the climate, but how many people actually do something about the information? The 'what you don't see' is not so much invisible as it is a difficult reality to confront, but once your eyes are open it's hard to shut them. Now that you have the knowledge, you can act to save the planet.

Sources:

Boston College Magazine "Welcome to the Age of Fast Fashion" via Elizabeth Clemente

Oxfam, "New Shocking Facts about the Impact of Fast Fashion on our Climate" via Armanos Algamal