Managing Your College Closet
In an age of where social media and mass consumption are ingrained in our everyday being, curbing our shopping habits can seem like a daunting task. As a student in college, you want to dress well. There are events to go to, new people to meet, and you may even just want to wear something nice and new to class. I hear you, and I get it. However, the fashion industry is one of the most environmentally taxing industries on the planet. Brands like H&M and Zara, that are typically popular with college students, are prime examples of what is known as “fast fashion.”
What is Fast Fashion?
According to an article written by Good On You, “fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand.”
Unfortunately, this demand has made the fashion industry one of the biggest contributors to pollution. It also has resulted in poor working conditions and wages for garment workers, and the amount of clothing that is thrown away adds massive amounts of waste to the environment.
How Can I Combat Fashion As A College Student Living In Baltimore?
Start a clothing swap on your college campus. Normalizing events like these reduces the carbon footprint overall, and it encourages people to think about shopping more sustainably in the future. It also allows you to get great new (to you) stuff that you haven’t worn before! Your classmates could either shop at similar stores to you or introduce you to some great new brands!
Thrifting is a great option. It gives items of clothing the longevity that they deserve. There are many amazing thrift stores in Baltimore, and buying there sustains local businesses that can often be overlooked in favor of massive clothing corporations. Most importantly, it doesn’t involve buying new, which is always the least optimal for the environment.
Like the idea of thrifting, there is the concept of buying and selling online. There are apps that allow you to buy and sell your own clothes, such as Depop and Curtsy. These have become very popular, especially for college students who are looking to make money.
Buying less, and mending clothes. This one is going to be the least popular, but part of reducing the carbon footprint of the fashion industry is not relying so heavily on trends, and suppressing the desire to buy new items. You can also make sure you take really good care of what you have. It’s hard! Social media presents us with images of fabulous, fashionable people. These people have the best of everything. It’s extremely difficult to not want to emulate that.
Getting creative with what you have is a huge part of combating fast fashion. You might feel the pressure to buy what’s new, and what’s trendy, you can still look great by mixing and matching what you have!
Credit: Katherine Burns
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