Through group discussion, we agreed that fashion is important as a form of self-expression, but that the pace of the fashion cycle is unsustainable both for the planet and for individual mental and economic well-being. Businesses encourage over consumption at an artificially low price which harms the consumer (through the creation of an unhealthy mentality which ties self-worth to new clothes), the worker (underpaid factory workers), and the planet (through the normalization of throwing away clothing after only a few wears, as well as water pollution, spreading microplastics, and overharvesting fibre crops such as cotton). The Fast Fashion Industry destroys water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year.
We began our journey with two main starting points for a solution concept that we could help execute, while supporting self-expression:
- Reducing consumption by modifying clothing that is already owned
- Creating new clothing using donated/excess fabric and/or reworking previously existing second-hand clothing
We put out a call for old/unused fabric and clothing, and visited second-hand stores (in our community and in our school). We then learned about how to create our own patterns and how to make clothing. And we got to work!
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