Disclaimer – There are a few things that I would like to get out of the way before you venture any further in this post. It is 2022, I am well aware that everyone is entitled or allowed to shop wherever they want and that there is also the argument present that “not everyone can afford designer fashion.” I want to make clear that these opinions are my own, that I am in no way trying to defame the brands that I will be discussing, and am simply writing based on information that I have researched and cited throughout this post. I have also shopped at the some of the stores that I am going to mention in these posts, and the reason that I changed my tune and decided to no longer shop from these brands is based off of the research and information that I have been made aware of regarding the ethical issues surrounding cheaper, fast fashion. I am writing this post because fashion is important to me and if I can help make the industry a slightly more ethical place, I would love to do so. I am not here to argue in this post, I am simply here to present you with a cause that I feel others should be made aware of and feel that it is our duty to help combat the adverse effects of today’s fashion epidemic.

Fashion is and has always been something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is something that I am very passionate about, as it allows me to showcase how I’m feeling, it allows me to present the best version of me, and it is a creative outlet for me to express myself. With that being said, I never would have thought that I would have been contributing to something that is putting someone else’s health, safety, and lifestyle at risk daily. So, I would like to do my part to help make it a positive experience and outlet for everyone involved, even those making the lovely pieces we wear.

A New Era: As I am sure you are familiar with the app, Instagram, every time we open the app it seems there is yet again a new trend to hop on. It is be coming less and less popular to splurge on something that we will have in our closet for decades and possibly hand down to our children and more common to get quantity over quality. I can remember digging through my mothers closet finding designer handbags and clothing pieces and being in awe of them hoping she would pass them on to me. No offense but do we really think that the $4 sale top you bought from Shein is going to be your legacy piece? After you finish this post I really hope that your answer is no. And if it is..well..you know my thoughts on that.

Fast Fashion and a Side of Sweatshops: “Fast Fashion” isn’t always a bad thing, as it is used to describe many things in the industry. It is also used to describe clothing made to go straight off the runway to and ready to wear for consumers. However it does also describe the clothing cluttering your Instagram saved tabs. This clothing and the price point that it offers isn’t always just about quantity over quality but more so that not everyone has the budget or means to buy out every new piece to hit the rack at Barney’s (moment of silence for this iconic fashion house). Now we all can agree that we have snagged that designer dupe item because of the attainable price, completely un aware of the endless ethical issues that they alone carry with them and quite frankly that is a whole other issue on its own. In terms of cheap clothing, we all are guilty of shopping at these popular E-Commerce sites as fed to us by social media and influencers alike. These sites such as Fashion Nova, Shein, and many more have lots more to offer than the pretty photos that flood our home feed. What these social media shops aren’t showing you is the “false flag” operations that some of them are running as well as the homegrown sweatshops that are residing in our communities.

Los Angeles, CA. Nestled between the palm lined streets and marble stepped homes is one of the largest hubs for these sweatshops to reside in to pump out massive amounts of “cut-and-sew” pieces. Growing up I never would have assumed that sweatshops would even remotely be a thing in the United States. In fact if you would have asked my four year old self I probably would have told you that the closest thing to a sweatshop would have been the fast food industry. A little naive I know but I mean come on guys, I was four years old. When given first thought we think of sweatshops as being in second and third world countries, not in America.

Syama Meagher, a Forbes contributor and CEO of Scaling Retail, brought up an interesting segment in her take on fast fashion. You can read the article here. In this piece, Meagher mentions that a negative side effect of “Made In America” labels or false flag operating is that there is a generalized assumption that follows this label. Meagher explains these assumptions as being “made with fair labor practices, that it’s directly supporting American businesses that are ethical, and that even if it is cheap, it’s somehow thanks to a loophole and not shady production” (Meagher, 2020) It may seem naive or silly to assume that just because it was “Made In The USA” (I know you read that in the Miley Cyrus voice) that the product is some how better or is somehow more ethically sourced. This is not always the case as with anything, generally most things are more than they seem.

So, What’s The Big Deal? Now that we have established a brief introduction to today’s topic, what exactly is the issue with the $4 top? The issue that is arising fast from these fast fashion shops is the dangerous and repulsive working environments that they are providing for their employees. These cut-and-sew shops often employee undocumented immigrants that are left with little to know choice but to take a job like this or they employee children and in turn take away their educational opportunities due to no time being available to attend school. These shops also have an unregulated work environment leaving a door wide open for hazardous work environments. These work environments subject their employees to long work hours, exposure to hazardous chemicals with long term effects, and insufficient wages.

Here in America, 1,800,000 acres are taken up by landfills. This land not only could be used to bring more of our agriculture for human consumption purposes home (fun fact the majority of farmland in America is used to grow food for agricultural purposes, not human consumption) which can help in the event of supply chain issues. In addition, the waste from these landfill is causing irreversible damage to the land and water table below it, as well as neighboring water tables which could impact you or your family. Completely unrelated to health or ethical purposes, buy constantly consuming fast fashion or “designer dupes” you are devaluing high-end brands that have built their reputations on quality and consistency (what you’re actually paying for besides the “image” the brand has curated). This will eventually cause the fashion market to fall with people only interested in quick-fix fashion that holds no value rather than in investment pieces.

Dupes and the Darkside: POV you kind of adopted a terrorist cell..wait what? Did you think you would ever see those words together? Not to fully nerd out on you guys, but my degree at my previous university was Criminal Justice and Terrorism and Homeland Security and you would be surprised all the ways these cells and other organized crime groups obtain their funding. One way is through the trafficking of designer dupes. Yep, that closet full of DHGate and Amazon bags for less might have funded a cell’s equipment or other operating expenses. While you’re over here on Instagram flexing your faux Bottega bag, some Al Qaeda member is flexing their new AK. So plot twist it’s kind of like adopt a highway but with terrorist groups. Am I saying that you have to throw away your fake bags? No. Am I also saying that you actually adopted one of these cells? No, but I am saying there is a good chance the profits made from the purchase of your faux designer purchase was used for illegal purposes. Essentially any damage already done from that purchase has already happened and you would just be adding to the landfills. Worst to worst, rock that fake bag and think of your little sponsored cell overseas, congrats you’re basically a mom. Okay I’m kidding, but honestly if you can’t afford the real thing, opt for a similar less expensive bag that offers the same silhouette as the designer bag but not all the negative effects that the dupes cost.

How YOU Can Help: I would not ask or expect you to rush to your closet and throw out all of your Shein, Pretty Little Thing, or whatever it may be. I also could not do that because unfortunately since I am a broke college student I would be throwing away a lot of my closet. However I would encourage you to try to buy pieces that are more ethically made, but don’t sweat it if it is out of your budget there are plenty of other ways you can cut down on the fast fashion consumption. Invest in staple pieces, these pieces are items consisting of neutral colors that will allow you to make multiple looks out of no matter the season. For me, these would be more traditional pieces. I believe that closet staples are a pair of black, white, navy or tan trousers along with blouses and jackets in the same colors. This allows you to mix and match as well as create monochromatic looks. LBD’s.. I am probably the little black dresses biggest fan, these are feminine, flirty, and can fit literally any situation. Silhouettes are key to nailing the closet staples to ensure that your looks seem timeless. Find necklines, sleeve cuts, and garment lengths that suit your body shape. Tailoring and well fitted clothing makes all the difference when it comes to elevating your closet. You don’t have to buy designer items to look put together, believe it or not I found my favorite little black dress at a consignment shop, all it takes is a little effort on your part. Nowadays “shopping” my closet is one of my favorite things to do, reimagining some of your clothes allows you to save money and your clothes from the landfill, plus I like the challenge of seeing what I can put together into a new look.

Anyways, all I’m saying is sometimes partaking in a trend isn’t worth it. Believe me when I say I could literally shop until I drop, but in reality we just need to be a little more creative and invest in pieces that allow us to reinvent our wardrobe. I hope this post motivates you to have some retail therapy in your closet, I promise you won’t regret it. Tag me in looks you created, I’m always looking for new inspo!

XX —

PB