Now more than ever, shoppers are becoming mindful of where they shop, what they’re shopping, and how often they’re shopping.
From the shady practises used to dispose of excess inventory and the alarming rate fast fashion items make their way to the landfill, to wasted resources, poor working conditions, and so much more, the negative affects the fashion industry has on the environment is no secret.
And if you’ve ever wondered what affect your shopping and fashion habits have on the environment, well, now there’s a tool to calculate that!
ThredUP, the world’s largest online consignment and thrift store, recently released a tool that helps calculate your fashion footprint.
Inspired by a study that found that most consumers don’t believe their individual fashion choices affect the planet, ThredUP’s Fashion Footprint Calculator “aims to show how each one of us can play a role in reducing the carbon footprint of our individual closets to collectively create a more sustainable fashion future.”
With a series of questions like how you shop, wear, and care for your clothes, ThredUP’s Fashion Footprint Calculator will determine the total carbon your closet generates annually and how you compare to the average person.
When you complete the questions, keep in mind that the Fashion Footprint Calculator is not meant to shame you!
The calculator is simply a tool to help you understand the impact you make on the environment as an individual. As ThredUP says, “The more we understand the impact of our fashion choices, the easier it is to make smart decisions.”
Check out ThredUP’s Fashion Footprint Calculator.
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In most industries, copying someone else’s work could result in steep penalties and major consequences. But in fashion, copycats abound, ripping off hardworking designers’ pieces like doing so was going out of style.
And it’s totally legal.
Fast fashion is a major culprit when it comes to the copycat game, and some of the world’s largest fast fashion retailers are known for eagerly replicating the designs of others.
Brands copying designs is nothing new. It doesn’t take long after a runway debut that knock-off creations emerge – just weeks in some cases – offering the same look at a fraction of the cost for fashion-lovers on a budget.
How are brands able to get away with it?
Thanks to extremely dated, red tape-ridden copyright laws in the United States that set the criteria for patent-protecting a fashion design extremely high, copying someone’s design is pretty simple to get away with. As Vox highlights, a set of rules outlined a “mere” four decades ago essentially views fashion as a manufacturing industry instead of a creative one like film, literature, or music. Unless designers have incredibly unique and specific design details or patented or trademarked logos, they are pretty much out of luck in the U.S. when it comes to protecting their unique creations.
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That isn’t to say that designers haven’t called out bigger, design-stealing companies before – and very publicly. Everyone from Forever 21 and Zara to Urban Outfitters has been slammed for copying designs from small producers.
Last year, Old Navy found itself in hot water (especially on social media) when British designer Carrie Anne Roberts called out the retailer for blatantly stealing the design of her graphic t-shirts. Old Navy was selling the attention-grabbing tees – which read “Raising the Future” (adult) and “The Future” (child) – for half of the original price. In response to a barrage of social media backlash, Old Navy pulled the shirts from its online shop – but not before claiming that they did nothing wrong legally because Roberts didn’t trademark the phrases or the font and graphic design of the shirts.
Instagram/@mre.soeur
The thing is, even if a total knock-off was completely questionable and offside, few smaller designers have the cash to take legal action.
Unless funded by the bank of mom and dad, the reality is that any barely have enough money to create their next collection, let alone the funds for a lawyer and the time taken away from the business to spend in court. What designers can do to protect themselves is trademark things like company names and logos and patent-protect some technical design elements.
So, while getting an affordable, trend-forward item of clothing may help the wardrobe cause of the savvy shopper, it’s pretty much a slap in the face to hard working designers who have pounded the pavement for years in an incredibly competitive and passion-driven sphere.
Furthermore, the cheaper recreations are often made with subpar materials in subpar conditions, often unethically.
Tight regulations and absence of proper copyright laws aside, fast fashion retailers can also get away with replicating other designs by pointing fingers at their vendors and suppliers if they don’t design all of their merchandise in-house. Although private labeling between brands and suppliers is a massive market, the issue is that big brands often have little control of the happenings in countries around the world – from business practices to design inspiration and replication.
The victims of design stealing in the fashion world aren’t just the smaller indie designers. Zara had no shame in bigging up its footwear game by copying both Kanye West’s Yeezys and a pair of Balenciaga sneakers. Furthermore, it’s not just the fast fashion brands who are the copycats. High-end fashion houses like Gucci and Chanel have been accused of ripping of designs.
Zara X Yeezy ?? pic.twitter.com/RTv2HrClKP
— joe richards (@jrichy14) February 4, 2016
Until copyright laws change, there is little that can be done to prevent copycats from happening.
While they may be asked to credit the original creators or pull certain pieces from stores, the absence of legal regulations means that the problem will likely persist. And, while they may not always see the inside of a courtroom, the trial by social media is a whole other issue – and that’s a lot more ruthless than a typical jury would ever be.
Featured image: Flickr/Gabriela Pinto
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Every shopper knows that the next stop for picked-over racks of sale items in the back of the store is it being removed from the sales floor. For one reason or another, the discounted price tag couldn’t help it appeal to customers and the items, sadly, likely won’t find a home in anyones closet in the immediate future. So, what really happens to the items that stores can’t sell?
Companies have options and the least desirable of which involves a demise that does the environment no favours.
Worst-case scenario, the duds nobody wants could end up in a landfill, just like the billions and billions of pounds of counterparts that have come before them.
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According to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, an alarming 92-million tonnes of solid waste is dumped into landfills each year. With a move away from fast fashion – and its mass produced cheap and trendy offerings – the hope is that this figure doesn’t continue to rise.
Dodging the landfill, other unwanted items could simply sit in a warehouse collecting dust until somebody decides they are a waste of space – not an ideal situation either.
One option is to give back to charity via third party organizations. For example, the decades-old UK-based In Kind Direct – founded by the Prince of Wales – accepts all kinds of unsold stock to help the less fortunate through some 8,000 charities around the world.
The organization accepts everything from food and toys, to clothes and household items. Brands affiliated with the charity include major players like Johnson and Johnson, Procter and Gamble, and L’Oreal.
Locally, Toronto boutique Poor Little Rich Girl has worked with Canadian charity the Corsage Project, donating prom dresses (unsold items from seasons past) to girls who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford one.
While giving back sounds like a no-fail way to discard of unwanted goods – and help countless people in the process – some brands simply don’t want their product getting into the wrong hands, fearing it will degrade the exclusivity factor and value of the label, or lead to counterfeiting.
That’s where the burning of perfectly good clothing and accessories comes into play. For some of the worlds biggest brands, it’s become a way to prevent items from being stolen, replicated, or sold for vastly reduced prices. But it’s obviously nothing to brag about.
Last year, luxury British brand Burberry made headlines – and, not surprisingly – faced major backlash – when it announced that it had burned about $37 million dollars of unsold clothing and cosmetics.
While the company said at the time that the products were burned in an ethical manner – with the energy created from the burning goods captured – it later announced that they would end the practice, becoming the first company to publicly declare to do so.
Sadly, it is still a reality for many retail brands though very few will admit it, nor are they required to.
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Naturally, the best-case scenario for the savvy shopper is that the items find their way into warehouse sales and outlet stores where they can be scooped up for extremely discounted prices. The fact that an item may be from last season is of little consequence to shoppers.
This comes at a time when many are shifting toward sustainable staple items with a longer shelf life, as opposed to the cheap tends of the moment that won’t see the light of day next season. These days, the quality-craving customer also wants to save money. So much so that traditional retailers have long gotten the hint, and many now have more discount outlets than full-priced stores.
Another relatively simple-to-execute option for companies is to pass off aging and unwanted inventory to third party discount retailers like Winners or Nordstrom Rack.
Of course, a natural solution to dealing with overstock is to not produce so much in the first place.
Instagram/@hilarymacmillan
One way to gauge how much to produce is by hosting presales which are sales on items before they are widely available to the public. Canadian vegan brand Hilary MacMillan, for example, produces with sustainability in mind. Hilary only does runs of the items placed through retailers or seasonal presales because this way, there is little or no overstock left after the season ends which is cost-effective, as well as environmentally conscious.
Of course, for massive global companies, this isn’t possible. Future improvements in retail technology, however, will hopefully offer a better insight into the needs of customers and, subsequently, more strategic buying.
In the meantime, the hope is for anything except the unwanted items ending up landfills or up in smoke.
Featured Image: Pixabay
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Fast fashion is associated with being, just that, fast. Items that you buy from retailers that don’t prioritize quality tend to fade and wear much faster than quality pieces, which can be disheartening. Buying quality items from brands that you trust is always the preferable route to take, but hey who doesn’t indulge in a little fast fashion once in a while right?
But today I’m here to talk about the success stories — the unicorns. There are lots of “fast fashion” pieces that stand the test of time with grace and ease. For me, that item is a faux-leather jacket from Forever 21 that I got about six years ago for just $45.
A quick scroll of my Instagram will show numerous pictures of me in this jacket because it goes with pretty much everything! Spring, fall, winter, summer, dressed up, dressed down — it can do it all!
I sat down with 6 Toronto women to talk about the fast fashion pieces that have held up well for them over the years. Read on to hear about these sturdy garments; it’s not all doom and gloom for the fast fashion game after all!
Lindsey Middleton, Urban Planet Dress
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Occupation: Actress, Theatre gal, and Co-host of Happy Her
“I’ve had a dress from Urban Planet since I was 22 years old. Six years of dancing, travelling, summer dates, and valentines events later and this red number is still slaying it! In hindsight, I wish I had invested in a few different colours because it’s just such a great fit. This dress has been to over 15 countries with me, and I plan to take it to many more before finally retiring it.”
Julie D’Uva, Zara Boots
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Occupation: Brand Strategist
“I have a pair of boots from Zara that have held up soooo well over the years; I’ve had them for about five years and I can’t believe that they’re still in such good condition! I get them shined and repaired every year to make them last longer, but they’ve just held up so well.”
Sydney Lauren Anne, Forever 21 Purse
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Occupation: Freelance writer/blogger
“I bought this purse from Forever 21 in 8th grade, and it’s lasted me 12 years! I still wear it all the time and it’s still cute; I’ve taken that bag with me on trips around the world, so I’m surprised it’s held up so well.”
Maria Frankis, H&M Top
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Occupation: Actress
“This black tube top cost me $8 from H&M and I’ve owned it for at least eight years. So simple, so versatile. I love how it makes my neck and collarbone look, I’d definitely mark it as a successful buy; I don’t think black tube tops will ever go out of style, they’re timeless.”
Olivia Lotton, Zara Turtleneck
Photo via Olivia
Occupation: Student
“I bought this turtleneck about four years ago, and it’s just so perfect. A black turtleneck is really a timeless piece that I don’t foresee going out of style any time soon. It was about $25 from Zara and has held up so well. I’ll be very sad the day it finally decides to give out on me. But the good thing is, there’s always another one on the rack at Zara waiting for me!”
Cierra Badhwar
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Occupation: Student
“I have a small purse from garage that I bought in grade six that has lasted me for soooo long, and I still love it! I actually use it almost every day. It’s so simple and minimal that I don’t think it will ever go out of style. I try in general to buy pieces that I think I’m going to love for a long time, but this one really surpassed my expectations.”
Featured Image: Instagram/@fashionhippieloves
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A cute shirt for a date when you don’t have time to go home and change after work; a closet full of clothes to ensure you don’t end up on social media in the same outfit twice; the ability to indulge in retail therapy regularly even on a super tight budget: These are the appeals of fast fashion.
But for all the affordable, on-trend finds offered by retail chains that fall into the “fast fashion” category – the Zaras, H&Ms, Forever 21s, and Fashion Novas of the world – the industry has a dark side that is tough to ignore once you know the details.
By now, many of us are aware of the detrimental environmental impacts of the fast fashion industry: cheaply made and super trendy clothes have a short closet life and make their way into landfills at alarming rates, where they take hundreds of years to break down. Not to mention, the fast fashion industry is one of the biggest consumers of water globally. On the positive, a growing awareness of this has helped business for the resale industry, as stigma-free consignment stores are back with a vengeance.
Instagram/@littleblackpencilskirt
Damage to the planet aside, there’s another ugly side to fast fashion that’s made headlines in recent years: Copycats.
Fast fashion retailers are known for ripping off designers’ pieces, not only infringing on creative ownership, but contributing to larger global issues and concerns as well. Fast fashion retailers have replicated looks fresh from both the high fashion runways and smaller labels, offering knock-offs at a fraction of the price for fashion-lovers on a budget.
Hard-working fashion designers – who have pounded the pavement for years in an incredibly competitive sphere — are now seeing the designs they created mass produced for a fraction of the cost, with subpar materials, and often unethically.
Instagram/@zara_globalf
In short, many big businesses are taking advantage of the entrepreneurial fashion designer.
The reason why the fast fashion players can get away with it is that ripping off the designs of others is pretty much completely legal in the United States thanks to dated copyright laws that set the criteria for patent-protecting a fashion design extremely high. The details and red tape involved make most designs unqualified for copyright protection thanks to a set of rules outlined over four decades ago that essentially views fashion as a manufacturing industry instead of a creative one like film, literature, or music.
Unless they have incredibly unique and specific design details or patented or trademarked logos, designers are out of luck in the U.S. when it comes to protecting their creations. Even if a total knock-off was completely questionable and offside, few smaller designers have the funds to take legal action.
Aside from the tight regulations, fast fashion retailers can also get away with copying other designs by playing the blame game, pointing fingers at their vendors if they don’t design all of their clothing in-house.
Private labelling between brands and suppliers is a much bigger market than many may assume, accounting for almost one third of the apparel market. The shady part of the practice of private labelling, however, means factories in parts of the world where brands have little control of any happenings, from business practices to copycats. Though it may be easy to turn a blind eye to for some, many of fast fashion’s third party factory workers are poorly paid and endure terrible working conditions.
What does private labelling mean for the average shopper?
It means you can purchase the exact same item of clothing from two different stores – most likely at different price points – because the two retailers buy from the same vendors. Identical items of clothing are sold to a handful of labels at different price points to the often blissfully unaware customer. Private labelling, in theory, also makes it difficult for customers to easily compare prices the way they could a brand – say Levi’s or Ralph Lauren – that are sold at a variety of retail outlets. That’s not to say that savvy social media users haven’t taken to Instagram to compare and contrast virtually identical pieces from different retailers – they definitely have and continue to do, as brands’ posts continue to generate double taps.
Instagram/@fashionnova
Speaking of social media, fuelled by a “like”-obsessed and an on-demand culture that moves faster than ever, fast fashion is moving at an accelerated pace.
Fashion Nova – who famously created a capsule collection inspired by Kylie Jenner’s 21st birthday party outfit just two days after the billionaire blew out her candles – releases 600 to 900 new items per week. Meanwhile, new items are delivered to fast fashion giant Zara’s 2,238 stores worldwide twice a week.
Between the beating it takes on the planet, the way it can exploit workers around the world, and the fact that it rips off hardworking designers, it may be enough to make you think twice about maintaining a closet full of fast fashion finds.
Featured image: Pexels
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