For most of us, the fashion world is reserved for the rich and famous. It is a foreign world of runways, catwalks, supermodels, and eccentricities that are beyond the bother of everyday people.
But, fashion casts a line longer than what we might be aware of. Fashion and the wider industry of textile and footwear mass-produce a basic human need. Every person in the world will, at one point, need to buy clothes. The everyday consumer is steeped in the advertising, selling, and the wearing of it.
Off The Rack
Fast fashion is the term for most consumer brands we know today. Easily available in malls, department stores, or stand-alone outlets, you can wear them right off the rack. Consumers are tempted with the opportunity to look like their idols or to be the first one to a trend every day. You can get the runway look for daily wear if you please. People who look towards fashion for self-expression or, perhaps, validation are availed a wider range of options.
But by now we know modern conveniences have terrific downsides. Fast fashion companies have repeatedly been found unsafe for the environment and unsafe for the workers they employ.
Continue reading “It’s Getting Haute In Here: Fashion and Climate Change”