Fast Fashion vs. Slow Style: Why Your Wardrobe Choices Matter
Let’s face it — fashion is everywhere. From glossy mags and high street shop windows to social media and TV, we’re surrounded by the latest trends. Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping fashion’s influence. But here’s the catch: the fast fashion industry is doing some serious damage to our planet — and to the people who make those cheap, trendy clothes.
The Hidden Cost of a Bargain
Fast fashion is all about speed and quantity — low-cost clothes produced in bulk, shipped across the world, and sold at prices that feel too good to be true. Unfortunately, they often are too good to be true.
In Aotearoa New Zealand alone, we dump around 180,000 tonnes of clothing and textile waste into landfills every year — that’s the same as 6,429 shipping containers full of fashion waste! Globally, the stats are even worse.
According to the UN Environment Programme, fast fashion is helping drive a triple planetary crisis: climate change, nature loss, and pollution. Not exactly a feel-good look, is it?
Let’s break down some facts that might just make you rethink that $10 t-shirt…
Scary But True: Fast Fashion by the Numbers
(Thanks to Earth.org for the data!)
👗 100 billion items of clothing are made every year — that’s nearly 14 items per person on the planet.
🧥 The average person wears just 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. (Yes, we’re looking at that drawer of barely worn stuff.)
✈️ The fashion industry creates more pollution than international aviation and shipping combined.
🧵 Over 60% of clothing is made from plastic-based materials — a major contributor to microplastic pollution in our oceans.
If fast fashion were a country, its carbon emissions would rival the entire European continent. Yikes!
Enter Slow Fashion: The Better Way to Dress
Thankfully, a new movement is rising — slow fashion. It’s all about quality over quantity, making thoughtful choices that are kind to both people and the planet.
Oxfam describes slow fashion as an ethical, sustainable approach to clothing that cares for workers, reduces pollution, and promotes conscious consumer choices. It asks us to buy less, choose well, and make it last.
So, what can you do to join the slow fashion revolution? Actually — quite a lot!
5 Simple Ways to Dress More Sustainably
🌿 1. Buy Second-Hand
I’m a self-confessed Op Shop Queen, and I’ll shout it from the rooftops! Scoring a fab pre-loved piece in a charity store feels like winning the fashion lottery — and your dollars go to a good cause. Oamaru’s op shops are full of treasures just waiting to be found.
🪡 2. Mend and Make Do
Visible mending is having a moment — and we’re here for it! Embrace patching, darning, or try the beautiful Japanese art of Sashiko to breathe new life into well-loved clothes. Every stitch says: "I care."
👗 3. Host a Clothing Swap
Gather some mates, bring the clothes you’ve fallen out of love with, and refresh your wardrobe — no spending required. It’s fun, social, and seriously sustainable.
💃 4. Rent for Special Occasions
Instead of splashing out on a one-wear wonder, consider renting. You’ll save cash, reduce waste, and still look amazing.
🌱 5. Choose Ethical & Natural Fibres
Support brands that care about their workers and the environment. Look for garments made from organic cotton, hemp, wool, or recycled fibres, and steer clear of synthetics that shed microplastics.
Small Changes, Big Impact
We all have the power to make fashion work for the planet, not against it. Every time you choose second-hand over brand new, mend a hole instead of binning a shirt, or say “no thanks” to fast fashion, you’re helping turn the tide.
So next time you're thinking about a new outfit, ask yourself:
"Can I thrift it, swap it, mend it, or rent it?"
Let’s make slow fashion the new normal — in Oamaru, and all across Aotearoa.