My Morals are on a Shoestring budget!!
I am not one who shops often. I can go for months without buying new clothes. And, yet I’m not immune to the longing to shop for new clothes. (I am just restrained by my Budget).
Contrary to what people who know me may think, the desire to shop for new clothes hits me at least once or twice a month. It hits me every time I look into my closet filled with the same old clothes, each of which I have probably worn fifty times over. It’s stale and stifling. Worst still, it’s uninspiring.
New clothes on the other hand, feel good. They’re refreshing and they represent opportunity - to reflect myself slightly differently and the way I feel in this moment. New clothes make my week, quite literally. The feeling’s fleeting, though. It passes after one or two weeks, and I start craving new clothes again. It’s not the addition to my closet that I long for per se, it’s the feeling that comes with it. It’s the experience of shopping itself, the hunt for something special. It’s the hunt for more, really.
"But, why do I feel this way? Why am I only satisfied with my closet, when there are a couple of new clothes interspersed in it?
But, why do I feel this way? Why am I only satisfied with my closet, when there are a couple of new clothes interspersed in it?
What is it that makes me crave new clothes? I know the answer lies somewhere in the space that dictates the shifts in taste I experience so often. It might have something to do with the fact that the racks in stores are almost constantly replenished with new clothes, so that there’s always something new that catches my eye. The fashion industry doesn’t just have two main seasons, it has a different season each month (and more). New styles are churned out in three week cycles instead of several months, fueling our need for more, more, more, now.
It’s the age of speed and instant gratification, and Fast Fashion’s exactly that. It’s immensely successful and as a business model, I can’t help but applaud it. In fact, as a consumer, I love it. Styles from the runway at affordable prices? Yes, please!
Only, it’s not sustainable, which is a buzzword, I know. But, how else do you describe the industry model that has led to the clothing industry being the second largest polluter in the world?
Unethical, perhaps.
It’s inescapable, Fast fashion is wasteful. As a 150 billion new clothes are produced each year, 10.5 million tons of used clothes end up in landfills. This might be because trends come and go rather quickly (although, trends are recycled, and hoarding clothes might not be the worst idea). But, it’s also because clothes are not made to be durable, they are made to be disposable.
"As a 150 billion new clothes are produced each year, 10.5 million tons of used clothes end up in landfills."
We’re stuck in a vicious cycle of wastefulness. One, I do not want to be a part of.
And, yet I am. I am guilty of being a part of the problem and I am not sure if I can stop. It’s not because I’m unconvinced of its toxicity. It’s because I have a Budget. And, clothes that are sustainably made? They’re way over my Budget.
We all have expectations when it comes to how much we’re willing to pay for an outfit. It’s usually a range, but I expect to pay $20 for a shirt, $40 for a dress, $100 for a jacket. Anything less I would consider a deal. Anything more and I bulk. Clothes that are sustainably made? They cost more than I am willing to pay.
And, so here I am willfully imprisoned in a cycle I do not condone, and I’m not sure if I know the way out.
Have any ideas?
Written by Sneha Indrajit.
Illustrations by