The purpose of our page is for the clothes that we share to find a new home and be used in the best way  possible , as the production of clothes in the modern world burdens the environment and workers in developing countries. That is why we consider it appropriate that clothes that no longer fit us or clothes we do not need should be reused and not end up in the trash, thus  contributing to a number of environmental issues. The aforementioned problems are largely due to the fast fashion industry.

 

Fast fashion is a modern term used by fashion retailers to refer to designs that flow fast from the catwalk in order to capture current fashion trends. Quick clothing collections are based on the latest fashion trends presented at the fashion week in both spring and autumn of each year. Hence the adjective "fast", intended to capture the latest trends as soon as possible.

 

What does this mean?

It is the production of clothes at a pace that corresponds to the passing fashions of the season. So let's assume that next season, leo print will be back in fashion. In order for the various clothing companies to meet the demand for leo print pieces, they will need to increase the rate of production in order to have the most sales and therefore the highest profit. The average chain launches 52 small collections instead of the established 2 of the fashion houses, every autumn and spring. But how is this achieved?

 

The production of these garments takes place almost entirely in developing countries where labor is incredibly cheap and the minimum wage meager. Employees are forced to work outrageous overtime, which often reaches 16 hours per day or 100 hours per week, in order to be paid sparingly. The facilities of the so-called "sweatshops" , where they work, are characterized by inadequate sanitation and poor infrastructure. Accidents at sweatshops are described by many as "the biggest industrial accidents" ,as many workers are seriously injured or even killed when they occur. A shocking example of this is the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in 2013 in Bangladesh, where 1,100 workers lost their lives and 2,500 workers were seriously injured.

 

Sexual abuse of workers is also a common occurrence in these factories, due to the need to intimidate women  so that they do not demand their labor rights . This method is also implemented in order to put pressure on women. The phenomenon is usually combined with verbal violence and harassment. The issue is not simply a matter of labor rights but has become a topic of concern for many feminists around the world.

 

Ecology

The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world after the oil industry. This is due to a number of factors, one of them being the dumping of large amounts of toxic waste containing arsenic and lead in rivers and streams, ending up in the oceans. These substances are incredibly harmful to marine and human life, as the rivers into which the waste is dumped cover the needs of millions of people. Eventually rivers flow into seas and pollution spreads to the world's oceans. At the same time, the production of such a volume of clothing requires huge amounts of water. Other than the environmental aspect, this production process exposes workers to toxic gases. Especially the creation of denim clothes puts them at risk of developing significant respiratory problems, even lung cancer. Finally,  the issue of the extended use of synthetic fabrics and the volume of waste caused by the fashion industry is particularly concerning. 72% of clothing contains some kind of synthetic fiber that makes them non-biodegradable. The average western family throws away 30 kilograms of clothes every year as fashion and trends are constantly changing, with a mere 15% of these clothes being recycled or donated. As fashion trends become more popular and ever more people purchase clothes only to throw them away after the trend dies out a couple of months later, the numbers only increase.

 

This increased production has led to falling prices for textiles and clothing resulting in more people having access to affordable clothing. Specifically, we have five times more clothes than our grandparents did. Therefore, this change in the way of production has unilaterally benefited the inhabitants of developed countries, since the fashion trends are accessible for everyone. While the right to express oneself through fashion is necessary, someone out there suffers for the clothing we consider affordable, whether one is a fish struggling to find food in an increasingly polluted sea, or a Bangladeshi laborer who has to return to workplace just one week after giving birth, only to receive a beating from her supervisor.

 

What can we do about it?

Our country has gone through a ten-year long economic crisis that has left millions of households at the mercy of poverty. It would be a wild expectation to expect of the average Greek to boycott brands that apply this production process for clothes. What we can do for sure is check what clothes we buy, what fabric was used for their production, if we really intend to wear them in the long run, and finally when they no longer fit us or have to leave our closet, to donate them in order to be reused and passed on to other hands who will make the most of them.

 

 

[1] Sweatshop is a term for a workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. The work can be difficult, dangerous, harmful to the environment or low paid. Employees in sweatshops can work long hours for low pay, regardless of overtime laws or the minimum wage. Child labor laws may also be violated.

 

The supply of clothing to the community is also important to us. In addition to the need to mitigate the environmental and social impact of the fast fashion industry, it is crucial that these clothes reach the people who need them.