Overcoming The Impulse
Making It Last: A Column By Willow Bullington
There is a chance I am alone in this, but I feel like I do my best, most introspective thinking in the airport. This past week as I ventured home for spring break, I was met with two delays on my flights. While I sat aimlessly at the airport I lost myself in my mind allowing myself to wander and daydream endlessly. In my cloud of thought, I began to ask myself the existential question; Why?
Why is choosing to live sustainably so difficult? People are aware of the cruelty of child labor, poor wages, and working conditions. Yet, oftentimes people still chose to shop fast trendy unsustainable fashion. So why?
I want to again reinforce the idea that I am speaking about people who are in a place financially and circumstantially to shop ethically yet do not. Why does this serotonin release of buying cheap clothing override our empathy for humanity? That is quite a harsh assertion to put forth but, it reveals the harsh implications of our shopping habits.
In previous installments, I have touched on the idea that shopping has become a very passive habit. Focusing on the short-term benefits rather than the long-term effects of buying clothes on a whim. A vital part of answering the question of why sustainability can be so difficult is to examine the brands we chose to shop at. Examining the speed at which new styles are released, the quality of a product, the rate at which products are being released, and overall the way in which companies outsource labor and resources.
Sustainability is a blanket term that can refer to many different aspects of a brand, not only the way they source their labor but the quality of their products. In general, ethical sourcing resources and labor yields a higher quality product. I try my very best not to bring up specific brands and trends but for the sake of this article I will be naming specific brands.
Think of a company like Zara, if I were to order a blouse today, in three weeks it is likely that blouse will no longer be for sale. This is a large red flag. When a brand is producing so many products, so many variations in order to stay on-trend it is likely their products are not being ethically sourced. An important trend to notice with a brand is how often they release products. I have noticed that most mainstream brands are constantly advertising their “weekly drops” and “new collections”, constantly pushing products off shelves in order to chase the newest trends. And there is nothing wrong with following trends, but following trends to the point that your company is releasing new products and collections weekly speaks to the quality. I have my fair share of Zara clothes, but I cannot tell you how many times I have had jeans ripped, shirts were torn, and just overall poor quality clothes from Zara.
Secondly looking at the sizing and consistency, again I will be talking about my dear friend Ms. Zara. I could purchase jeans in a size 6 and I would bet if I bought the same pair the next day the jeans would not fit the same. Many fast brands do not focus on creating last products, they are focused on creating products that will last long enough for the trend to die out.
And with this being said, fast fashion is cheap, I do not enjoy spending hundreds of dollars on a going-out top. I enjoy that fast fashion is cheap, that is what is so attractive about it. And I have spent these past few months seeking to combat this, trying to find ethically sourced cute clothes and my best option has been Depop. Depop is a secondhand online store where users can sign up and list items, some people use it to clean out their closets while others spend hours and hours sifting through goodwill bins and secondhand to curate collections of stylish vintage clothing. I have begun to shop for tops on Depop because there are Depop sellers who will sell a “rare brandy Melville top” for 80 dollars. There are high-quality lost-cost options. However, looking on Depop takes time scrolling and searching for the right top and right styles.
Depop Describes itself as a place “where the next generation comes together to discover new items … transforming what fashion looks like.” I have found the easiest way to shop is through the app, however, there is a desktop option available. Shopping on Depop is arguably an art and it has a bit of a learning curve. But, it is worth it, I urge you to read the articles I have linked below. They have some of my favorite tips and tricks to mastering shopping on Depop.
Depop: (add a little description, then hyperlink it)
What is Depop? How It Is Changing the Fashion Industry
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-depop
Depop: How to Steps on purchasing an item from a seller
https://depophelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360001772548-How-do-I-buy-an-item-
5 Tips for Effectively Shopping on Depop:
https://www.becc4.co.uk/2020/07/tips-shopping-on-depop.html
How To Buy and Sell on Depop Like a Pro:
https://fashionjournal.com.au/fashion/how-to-buy-and-sell-on-depop/
With Love always,
Willow