A Tulip, Truck Driver, and Pyramid Stop Climate Change

As the cherry blossoms bloom and the sun comes out, the season divorce and I am faced with fashion dysphoria once again. The winter season wraps up (slowly but surely), and I do not know what to wear. I realized that my hasty decision to sell all the spring clothes that had been clouding my closet all winter has left me high and dry. I feel like I have no clothes. This phenomenon, I assume, is slapping many college students in the face. Because, honestly when living in a dorm there is little to no room for fashion, only essentials. And while my personal style has seen vast change over my first year in college, it also does not feel fully formed. My personal style feels a bit like a tulip beginning to bud. While my sapling form is quite beautiful and coveted by many, I know that it is not my final form. That I still have a lot of growing to do. 

The season turns and I experience my first spring and summer feeling comfortable in myself and my style I am trying to decide how to shop. While my previous advice regarding thrifting and shopping second hand has proven true, it is increasingly difficult. I love scrolling through Depop, Ebay and Poshmark but I do not feel like it offers the same excitement that passively shopping online does. 

I think one of the main points of criticism I have for my past self is that my optimism that just shopping ethically was the same as shopping sustainably. I often use sustainability and ethically interchangeably. 

Let me clear the air, for my own sake. 

Sustainability seeks to build a closet and lifestyle that minimizes the need to buy. Seeking to build a closet, kitchen, household and overall lifestyle that is seeking to minimize waste, minimize the need to buy more, or replace things. 

Shopping ethically refers to the kind of product you buy. That your products are derived from an ethical source, examples would be, fair-trade, fairly compensated labor, fair hours, and on and on. Essentially that the products and their inputs are sourced fairly. That the clothes you wear were farmed by workers who were working in healthy fair conditions making a livable wage, and the production facility is using consenting compensated workers who are able to survive off of their wage, and the driver who drove your package are also making a fair wage, and are able to take breaks, and don’t have to spend upwards of 15 hours in a hot van, without access to water and food. 

I mean attempting to live holistically ethically is a daunting task, think about how little control one has over what shipping company a brand uses. Think about the truck driver, is it really ethical for someone to spend that much time sitting down? Is it fair? Are they compensated for the risk? These issues feel so out of my hands that it can be challenging to dare to take the first step. 

And one thing is clear, living ethically is really hard. Living ethically refers to this idea that one must pledge to know everything about everything which is arguably impossible. I honestly cannot even explain how hard it is to find reliable sources. That I can go on a website and a brand might claim that their brand is fair trade, and ethically sourced when in reality their workers are making less than a dollar an hour. 

I titled my first article “Breaking Up with Fast Fashion”, that was my hook line and sinker, that I was breaking the cycle. But I didn’t. While I have spent the whole year without shopping fast fashion, I have still been a pawn in the overconsumption chess game. And that is disappointing. I guess I am asking myself which is more important. 

Because, breaking it down, if I buy a pair of reformation jeans (a well known sustainable brand) every 2 months am I really mitigating my effect on the environment? No, No I am not. Because When I do that I am still producing excessive waste. 

I am seeking to reframe my thinking. That just because you shop “sustainable” does not mean you live a sustainable life. I would almost make the argument that buying a top from a fast fashion brand that you would wear for years is more sustainable than buying a trendy top that you will wear for a month from an “ethical” brand. 

As the climate crisis grows more and more imminent it is clear that the change we need to see in order to create a viable planet must happen at the corporate level. But, please do not let that trick you into thinking your efforts are in vain. I know this installment is more hypothetical and asking tough questions not only to you but myself. I guess just take a step back and really evaluate what change we can make, because while it will be up to the big contributors to help reverse this change, this climate crisis was built off the backs of overconsumption. Looking back at the small little steps we have taken to get her are all on the foundation of getting more. So even if  you cannot change your lifestyle (which is normal), shifting your mindset to seek to buy less is enough. 

Creating change does not need to be as daunting as it is often painted to be. While it is important to look into the ethics of your shopping habits the first step is to shift your thinking. Without that your efforts would be in vain. It is a pyramid, building on one another, and you cannot get to the top without taking that first step. I encourage you to not get caught up in the minutiae of breaking down every part of everything you own because honestly, almost everything you buy no matter how sustainably came at someone or something’s expense, start with the first step. 

So let's break it down. 

MINDSCAPE MOVEMENT: In order to be successful, to stand firm, you must have a solid foundation. Your mind must shift in order to drive change. We are often programmed and taught that shopping is a chance to get what you want, not a chance to curate what you need. Taking a step back and beginning to move toward thinking about clothing and consumption in general as much more than an afternoon treat but a chance to make an impact. 

REALITY CHECK: Aligning your mindset to your habits is one of the most difficult parts of taking this journey. Choosing to allow internal shifts to dictate external choices creates a consciousness that fertilizes the soil of making change. Shopping less, shopping with intention, and making it last are derived from this principal of becoming mindful of your actions. 

SHOPPING SPREE: As your habits and priorities shift it is important to seek change within your shopping habits. Examine the places you like to shop, look for campaigns that seek to create positive change in the world. There are many channels in which brands can create change, decide what matters to you, in this case brands that seek to mitigate their waste and environmental impact. However, your goals may be different, it is important to  find brands that support people and issues they face in our world. Decide what matters and what you want to support. Shopping is a huge vessel for demonstrating support, use that power wisely. 

LET'S GET ETHICAL : In order to decide on the ethical impact of a brand you must determine your own ethics. In terms of fashion, how they are sourcing labor, how are they sourcing their means of production, what is the impact of their production, do they value supporting employees outside of the workplace, these questions are a few of many, because the ethical side is the most personal and most complex. That is why it is the last step, one must ace all previous steps in order to truly be able to examine the ethics and ethical standings of a company. I am not reffering to things like where they donate money, or their political alignments but the ethics of their products and production per say. 

with all my love and more, 

Willow