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Fast fashion, sustainable fashion, ethical fashion.  Whichever way you choose to reference it we all know the impact the ‘buy & toss cycle’ has on the environment.  Our wardrobes are bulging and charity shops are over flowing with unwanted clothes. 

But the consequences of cheap fashion run much deeper.

How did we get to the point where we just don’t care about the clothes we wear and why they cost so little?

We’re all guilty.  Fast fashion is trend led, it’s exciting and it’s fun.  We all buy into it to some extent.

But awareness is growing and part of the Distinctively Me mission is to encourage people to change their buying habits.  The ‘less is more’, ‘quality over quantity’ mantras.  

For many women (us included) this move to a more ethical way of buying comes with age.  The fashion junkie in us all calms down a little as we hit our 40s.  We learn to know our style, buying pieces that look great on us rather than being bang on trend.

When Distinctively Me launched, it was important that it had values and principles we could be proud of.  Values and principles that would resonate with our customers. It was only when dug deeper into buying habits and fast versus slow fashion that we realised how ignorant we had previously been.

So, going back to our original question is it that we just don’t care about where are clothes come from and why they cost so little or is it that we just don’t know the reality?

We honestly believe that people just don’t know the facts.

• Between 2000 and 2014, clothing production doubled. 
• Sales rose from $1 trillion in 2002 to $1.8 trillion in 2015. They’re forecast to hit $2.1 trillion by 2025.
• The average consumer now buys 60% more clothing items a year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago. What that means is a huge volume of textile waste.*
• The production of polyester and nylon release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that contribute to global warming 300 times more so than carbon dioxide.
• The human cost.  When Rana Plaza, an eight-storey industrial complex in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed in 2013, 1,129 garment workers were killed.  Many were young women working in appalling conditions for abysmal pay. It was reported last year that 38 people were charged with murder in connection with the disaster. Lesson’s learned?  Sadly not. It seems that not much has changed since then.

So what can we do to make a difference?

Well at an individual level, we can move more towards Slow Fashion.  We need to slow down our rate of buying clothes by focusing on the clothes that we are going to love and wear for years to come. 

Our capsule collection of timelessly stylish pieces is just a small move in the slow fashion direction. Only a small move but one we are incredibly proud of.

*(Source: Triplepundit - The High Environmental Cost of Fast Fashion by Gina-Marie Cheeseman)