Temporary Fashion Trends and The Cost We Have to Pay for It
Clothing in its original form was never meant to become a fashion. Its primary objective was to serve basic functions such as protection against harsh environments, covering oneself up, identification, and modesty. Religion and culture heavily influenced clothing. Initially started with animal skin, fur, and leaves clothing has seen major evolutions which majorly came after industrialization when fashion houses came into being. These fashion houses have heavily influenced the fashion industry setting trends and changing them from time to time.
Evolution of fashion:
Fashion trends have been evolving, and recently, they have become a major part of our lives. Fashion houses and social media platforms have greatly impacted people’s understanding of fashion and made them aware of the ways they perceive it. With airport fashion, street fashion, casual looks, and formal looks being shared by celebrities all over the globe, the fashion world has evolved rapidly, making people consciously or subconsciously look into their clothes with greater interest.
Fashion in recent times:
So, all in all, we come back to the point of what exactly fashion is. Is it a business? Is it one’s own comfort zone? Is it a form of self-expression? This debate can go on for a very long. However, one thing no one can deny is that it is heavily influenced by certain factors. With fashion and fashion trends varying around the world from one country to another, from eastern to western, the trends keep on changing rapidly. Perhaps, that’s what keeps fashion houses in the business. Celebrities, Climate, Fashion shows, and special occasions heavily influence fashion trends. In all these trends one thing that stands out is how temporary they are and how people are in a rat race of getting their hands on each upcoming trend.
Exploitation of labor:
Fashion, on one hand, is a method of self-expression, drawing attention to oneself, as a form of protest and to show one’s creativity. There are certain cons which can’t be neglected such as people blindly following each trend trying to get hold of the latest one sometimes even going out of their budget to achieve this hence ransacking their budget which proves detrimental in the longer run. Advancement in fashion comes at the cost of cheap labor, and exhausted employees who have little to no margin of error.
In places with poverty, no awareness about one’s rights, and no employment opportunities, fashion houses thrive. A report by “The Cut,” a newspaper that sent an undercover agent to a Shein outlet says that “workers in both factories were working up to 18-hour days and were given only one day off a month. In one factory, the outlet found women washing their hair during lunch breaks, and workers being penalized two-thirds of their daily wage if they made a mistake on a clothing item.”
Even though these conditions are against law and the employees are underpaid yet the government fails to protect its citizens from the ill practices of these fashion houses and hence they exploit these workers who work day and night to make a square meal.
Effect on society:
Another detrimental effect of these trends is the impact it is having on our society and how it has engaged the masses in a daily competition of looking better than others even if that takes a toll on their mental health. In this world of evolution, social media has made it too easy for people to see what is going on in the world of fashion. If people are not able to catch up to these, they find themselves lost or left out. They often tend to have a fear of missing out (FOMO) too. But the question remains: Is this obsession a healthy one or is it simply a rat race where once you get in, you can’t escape?
Effect of fashion on the environment:
In creating all these fashionable clothes, we often forget the trash we add to our already overburdened earth. According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions. It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. The use of cheap toxic textile dyes not only adds to water pollution and is a threat to marine life but it also contaminates the water used for agriculture and hence adds toxins to the food we intake.
Ending Note:
The solution to all these problems lies in sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion broadly undertakes ethical fashion whereby the rights of laborers are protected, circular fashion where thrifting and recycling are encouraged, and conscious efforts are made to reduce its impact on the environment. To sum it all up, fashion in its true sense shouldn’t burden anyone, nor should it damage nature and yet be creative and experimental. It should reflect one’s true self and portray their real identity within the resources available to them. Anything beyond that might prove destructive over time.
