Thanks! I think this is a case of my being able to read a perfectly reasonable definition but being unable to process it in any meaningful sense. Isn’t the alternative to fast fashion making cheap, affordable clothing that isn’t fashionable? Will that be at all desirable from a consumer standpoint? I don’t see any workable alternative to fast fashion as long as people of all income levels care about looking “good.”
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The alternative is affordable clothing that lasts. Fast fashion means, or at least used to mean, instant imitations of specific designs from fashion houses’ latest collections. Fast fashion items don’t have to last, because the people who buy them will stop wearing them when the next new thing comes along.
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Ah. Ok. I was underestimating the “timeliness” factor. We’re talking a time constant in the neighborhood of single seasons. Gotcha.
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Admittedly, what I’m wearing now is largely spandex and polyester; but then again, it’s a costume that I’m wear testing to make sure I’ve got all it’s quirks understood before wearing it into work on Halloween for the employee costume contest. 
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Used stuff on ebay is often fantabulosa, and (other than ebay’s cut) the money spent goes to people instead of corporations.
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And this leads us to the Sam Vimes Theory of Economic Unfairness:
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
Thank you, Terry Pratchett (GNU)
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Myself, I have found 3 or 4 brands where I know that they fit me well, are of good quality and the sizes are consistent. I look for them in secondhand shops and online when I need ‘new’ clothing; they are generally a fraction of the instore price and I like them.
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I would like to know how these statistics play out. Is a pack of socks or underwear one item or is each pair counted. Like does a 5 pack of panties cover 25 days in this average. It’s still alot but not as crazy as a dress or a pair of pants every week. I assume something like a single scrunchie is not an item or it starts to sound reasonable. Although if no accessories count then the statistic is even worse? Is this counting jewelry too? I assume it counts hats, shoes and bags, it must.
That being said I have way too many clothes but my buying is inconsistent. Some years I only re-up on socks and underwear that have worn out. Some years, especially with a weight flux I have bought this much new stuff. (New to me, not necessarily “new”)
I do buy alot used, I wear stuff to pieces, and I deconstruct stuff to make other stuff when I can. Still I know I buy alot of stuff make with terrible practices because it’s hard to find quality stuff in the styles I like. And the bargain hunting gremlin in the back of my brain is very active and is always looking for weird finds.
Goth stuff tends to be mid priced fast fashion or expensive custom stuff because it’s “novelty” stuff.
Like I just bought 6 pairs of tights from Snag b/c the Halloween prints are out but I might not buy tights again for at least year or two. But I do already have two or three dozen pairs of tights/stockings, but some of them are 10 or 20 years old etc. (Ripped tights don’t often get thrown out by goths they just get further customized.)
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I love finding brands like that. It makes life soooooooo much pleasanter, easier, and £ess €xpen$ive.
Ain’t that no shit. It’s often a real PITA tryinta find cool stuff, esp now I’m rotund. A tiny friend of ours is given a lotta the stuff I now outweigh, and she loves it.
Can’t wait until we turn her loose on my late mom’s closet!
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Skyclad Jains!
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And since it’s the season, don’t forget Wiccans occasionally go sky-clad as well (although in North America it might be too cool for that now.)
Happy Samhain!
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Excellent point! I wasn’t even thinking about socks and undies towards the stats.
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By the time it wears out, it’ll be be démodé.
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I hate fast fashion, love wearing in my fav clothes till they break apart, always go thrifting, and even enjoy buying up Hollywood wardrobe, and then dispensing the clothes to friends, family, and ebay, which usually covers the cost. Currently wearing khakis that have worn back pockets due to cell phone use, I may need to go back to wearing army pants full time.
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These days, a brand can craft stuff that looks like it might initially appeal to Mr Vimes, while cutting enough hidden corners to make a hefty profit.
My fashion pace is leisurely stroll.
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" Instead, you can seek out more sustainable clothing brands."
Includes: “16. Boody … this sustainable brand leverages the power of fast-growing, sustainable, and anti-bacterial bamboo for its super-soft clothes.”
Checking https://boody.com: Typical Content: “80% viscose made from bamboo, 13% nylon, 7% spandex”. So not biodegradable?
Elsewhere, I often see
- Headline: Bamboo socks
- Fine print: “Bamboo/ Nylon/ Polyester/ Elastane” or “65% bamboo, 35% acrylic.”
So not biodegradable, and the acrylic version adds to the microplastics problem?
Are there good options here or just least worst options?
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