I’m looking down at the pair of sweats that I’m wearing, an old pair only good now for lounging and workouts. How long have I had these things and why? It seems I have unknowingly passed the 30 wears challenge. It’s a rule that circulated the internet to help people reconsider before they bought fast fashion. You should first think if you could see yourself wearing the items a least 30 times. Then it would be worth the purchase. I imagine 30 times was chosen as a number to get you to think whether or not you would keep and use the item for at least a year. Sure, that rule will keep you from buying a fast fashion piece for just one party, but is it enough?
When I research sustainability in fashion, I often focused on issues at the production side of the life cycle, how the product is made and how resources are sourced to make brand new products. But regardless of how it was produced, we as consumers play a role. We ultimately choose how long we will keep an item. It is our choice whether or not we choose to repair, recycle or trash the piece. We create the demand for clothing and direct brands with our purchase decisions.
It seems to me now that this issue is more complex than I originally grasped. What will it to truly create a sustainable fashion ecosystem? What do brands and consumers have to do bring it about? What are our own parts to play?
If you want to read more content like this, here are some more you might like:
And here are my most recent posts:
A Wren Says 
Leave a comment