The Price We Pay for Style
Edder Martinez, Staff Reporter
Fast fashion has taken over the clothing industry. A lot of cheap alternatives have popped up, with worse quality as well as the production process being questionable. Now the topic of ethics and morality is being injected into the conversation of fashion due to a worsening global environment and a shaky economy.
American fashion brands have become popular worldwide. Think of the Converse Chuck Taylors, Levi’s Blue Jeans, and the iconic leather jacket. Many Western fashion brands, such as Adidas, Dr. Martens, and Reebok have also become popular in the US. Many people have been buying these same timeless pieces for years but there seems to be a recurring theme when you look at reviews and anecdotes of longtime customers, the adage, “they don’t make them like they used to.”
Many shoppers today are willing to pay a premium for old products solely because they were made, “better,” than the clothing that is produced today. Due to various factors, yes clothing isn’t made to the same standard it used to be. The faltering quality of clothing is a trend that has been present since the Industrial Revolution, but why?
Fashion designers no longer care much about the quality of their clothing, the major ones at least. It’s simply easier to make clothing more simple with lower-quality materials in abundance. It makes production faster and cheaper and doesn’t rely on expert craftsmen. This trend has only become more apparent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. No longer are denim jeans able to be pulled by 2 horse carriages and refuse to rip, but today jeans will start ripping at the crotch and pockets. It makes sense If you are the company making them because malfunctioning pieces mean more customers coming back to buy your product and often name alone is enough justification to keep buying the same clothes time and time again. This culture of throwing away clothes and buying more does have a malicious side though, and it leads to a lot of waste caused by the fashion industry.
According to theroundup.org, about 100 billion garments are produced each year and 92 billion tons of clothing will go to waste; Only a fraction of that will be recycled, about 20% of textiles. This scary trend is propelled by the whole fashion industry, but there is one major culprit and that is fast fashion brands you will find in malls or online. This scary fact is also what makes buying quality vintage clothing very appealing. You can get a “pre-loved” quality garment for cheaper and it won’t contribute to waste. Buying second-hand crafted clothing is no longer frowned upon and now shopping for pre-loved, vintage garments is what’s in vogue and some cases more fashionable than buying the same item new.
Buying secondhand still comes with its own set of problems as now thrift stores are having to raise their prices and lower-income people who have traditionally relied on these establishments for their clothes are being priced out. Many, “entrepreneurs,” now make a living of going out to thrift stores and buying rare trendy clothing and marking up the price to sell online. It has become a whole business on sites like Depop and eBay and the people paying the price are low-income individuals.
Companies making so much cheap clothing are also a by-product of our economy.
Clothing can be made the same because the logistics aren’t the same. Homegrown brands in the US are no longer able to put that “made in America ” label because those American workers are more expensive and with our new interconnected global economy workers overseas are cheaper and don’t require the same protections. As well the dollar back then was able to buy more than our own current measly 2023 dollars. Inflation seems to keep getting worse and is making buying clothes much more difficult. Rampant consumerism makes people want more for less and thinks consumers and corporations will no longer be sustainable. The focus should always be on high-quality clothing that will last you as long as possible at a price that fits your means. The trend of buying second and even third-hand clothing overall is a positive one and many companies are aware of it. Many companies have more sustainable premium lines, and let you recycle their clothing but ideally, that would be the norm.
A lot about buying clothes and the fashion industry has come into question but a lot of good is being done. It’s good that people are having these conversations and both people and corporations are becoming more self-aware.
