A staggering 44% of all the New Year’s resolutions worldwide is to embark upon a healthy diet.
My new year’s resolution is to contribute towards sustainability by aligning my sartorial choices with conservation of the ecology. I have decided to go on a Fast Fashion Detox.
This was prompted by alarming statistics I came across recently:
Textile industry uses 93 billion cubic liters of water annually
More Carbon Dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by textile industry than Global Shipping and Air Travel industry combined together
500 billion plus pieces of T-shirts are produced every year for 8 billion people
On an average, just 20% of a first world country’s average citizen’s wardrobe is utilized
2700 litres of water go into producing 1 t-shirt which is enough water for one person to drink for 900 days
Cotton requires approximately 15000 liters of water to grow one pair of jeans
At least 8000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world’s pesticides are used to grow non organic cotton
I can keep adding to this list….
Responsible fashionistas around the world are now turning to Slow Fashion which is the opposite of Fast Fashion. Bandana Tewari, a former Vogue India editor articulates accurately when she points that something is very wrong if a piece of clothing costs less than a cup of coffee. Slow Fashion encourages slower production, unifies sustainability with ethics and ultimately invites consumers to invest in well made and long lasting clothing. As a fashion professional, I will not wish for this industry to degrow, but I would definitely want to attribute the right value to the corresponding product and ensure fair price. The workers of third world countries must be guaranteed fair pay for their talent and hard work. Let us buy less clothing, but let us value it for its craftsmanship and longevity. Use and throw Instagram- able fast fashion apparel go on to fill landfills and cause irreparable damage to the environment.
This new year, I resolve to reduce my consumption of attire by 25% at least.
I invite everyone to do their bit for this environment by buying less pieces of clothing as compared to previous years.