Soko Kenya

 

 

By Sanika Shah

 

Fast fashion is destroying our planet. Clothes have become disposable rather than items to be valued because we have started to live in a world where fashion trends are changing faster than the weather, and we are expected to keep up with them. Each week there is a new style of dressing that is popularized on social media, but within weeks, everyone has moved on, sending the items straight to landfills. Think about how quickly the “vsco girl” and “e-girl” trends disappeared, and yet, thousands of people got sucked in, bought several scrunchies and oversized t-shirts which they have probably not touched since.

 

While there is nothing wrong with wanting to look fashionable, there are ways to do it without over-consuming and playing right into the hands of mass manufactures. Buying new clothes every week or even every month is unbelievably dangerous because the irony of shopping in fast fashion is that the more people buy, the more they want and the more they want, the more they waste.

 

In Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, Elizabeth Cline writes that fast fashion is cheaper, so consumers buy more items than they need. According to Cline, high street shops such as Zara gets new merchandise delivered twice per week and Topshop introduces 400 new styles on its website weekly. By flooding the market, shoppers become overwhelmed with the endless choices and opportunities to be chic and so, a lust to stay on trend can turn people into greedy buyers without them even realising it.

 

This type of production leads not only to enormous landfills because it creates vast consumerism, but also the destruction of our water supply. The Institute of Sustainable Communication states, the fast fashion industry is the second-highest polluter of clean water (after the oil industry) because retailers dump toxic chemicals into water supplies and with over a billion pieces of clothing created each year, that is an extreme amount of harmful substances ensuring the death of our planet. Furthermore, retailers outsource their production to developing countries where they still depend on coal power for electricity, and as a result, the apparel industry is, according to Forbes, responsible for 10% of all carbon emissions globally. To meet the demands of the public with constant output and affordability, high-street retailers also force their employees to work long hours while being paid under the minimum wage, have no health benefits and are stuck in atrocious working conditions. They also employ and therefore endorse children labour.

 

So, what can you do to help break this immoral lifestyle and become an ethical consumer? The answer is quite simple, look into ethical fashion and sustainable consumerism and try to implement it into your life at whatever level possible.

 

Ethical fashion is an umbrella term to describe ethical fashion design, production, retail, and purchasing. It covers a range of issues such as working conditions and exploitation (social good), fair trade and sustainable production (eco-friendly), and animal welfare (cruelty-free).

 

 

Social Good
Ethical fashion takes into account the people that work behind the scenes to make the clothing industry possible, from the farmers that grow the fabrics to the garment workers stitching pieces together and the cashiers or delivery drivers that get the items to the consumer. Each individual has a fair wage, fair trade certifications and access to safe working conditions, thereby showing the brand’s purpose outside of profits and sales.

Eco-friendly and Sustainable
Most ethical brands use organic materials like organic cotton or bamboo because they use less water and do not require chemicals to grow, while others reuse and recycle old fabrics to make new and trendier pieces (upcycling). Some brands also make beautiful clothing and accessories out of ocean plastic waste, which is another step towards conservation.

 

Animal Welfare
Animal cruelty is probably the most well-known effect of the fashion and beauty industry, and yet it is still a big part of it. The most popular animal product in fashion is leather, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, over 300,000 tonnes of goatskin is produced yearly. How alarming is that? However, leather is not the only popular product. Fur, silk, wool and pearls are also incredibly common and purchasing any of these items contributes to murder, mutilation and exploitation of wildlife.

Cosmetics are literally and figuratively the finishing touches of the fashion industry. Mice, birds, rabbits, monkeys, dogs, and cats are the frequent victims of vivisection (live testing) and what makes the entire situation far more disgusting is the fact that animal testing is not necessary for cosmetics and yet makeup companies continue to do so.

Ethical brands solve these problems by creating vegan alternatives to animal products such as vegan leather and faux fur as well as using cruelty-free testing methods.

 

Here are ten steps worth taking to support the endeavours of ethical brands and adjust your lifestyle to support people in the demanding fashion industry and also protect the Earth.

1. Donate your clothes instead of throwing them out.

2. Swap clothes with your friends and family.

3. For those who cannot afford ethical clothing brands and require the affordability of the high-street, try shopping at vintage stores and charity shops instead.

4. Stop watching YouTubers and influences who make weekly clothing hauls from high street shops because watching them sways you into buying items you do not need.

5. Reduce the about of shopping trips you take or the number of times you check clothing websites.

6. While shopping on the high-street, look at for clothing containing recycled or sustainable fabrics.

7. Make sure to buy cruelty-free makeup.

8. Avoid leather, fur, wool, silk, pearls and other animal product and find the vegan alternatives which are better for the environment and cheaper. Frankly, there is nothing attractive about wearing an animal.

9. Try buying items made in the country you are currently living in to reduce your carbon footprint. It may be difficult due to globalisation and how connected our world is, but it is always worth looking for that “made in Kenya” label. You would also be supporting the local economy.

10. Many people believe that to become ethical and sustainable; it has to be instantaneous when, in fact, the opposite is true. Do not throw out the clothing and products you already own, even if they do not align with your new beliefs. Wear and use them but make a conscious effort to make better choices when buying new things.

 

Five fashion and beauty brands worth exploring that are available within Kenya:

 

1. Soko Kenya

2. Malaika Cotton

3. E.l.f cosmetics

4. The Body Shop

5. NYX cosmetics

 

Most importantly, remember that the terms “ethical” and “sustainable” is open to interpretation, so make the changes that work for you and that you can uphold. Do not feel bad for only being able to afford to shop in fast fashion but make an effort to make fast fashion more sustainable by shopping less and donating clothes. Even if there is only one thing from the above list you can do, then do it. Every little step towards change ensures awareness and responsibly.

 

Good Luck!