How many sweaters did your great-grandfather have, how many did your grandfather have and how many do you have? In the past decades, the garment industry has been very succesful in increasing its sales volumes, reducing its costs and having consumers to buy more than they need.
In the U.S., there are clothing stores that put containers for clients to deposit their “old” clothes (which were bought six months ago). Although this may be a small step towards sustainability it also exposes a major issue.
This phenomenon is not that different from what’s been observed for decades in the food and beverages industry: huge serving portions, alarming waste percentages and proliferation of fast food restaurants with little nutritional value. The garment industry has similar characteristics: more clothes and shoes that you can wear, instant shopping and, in many cases, low quality products. It is not called throwaway fashion for nothing.
For instance, stores like Zara were very successful in creating a sense of scarcity that took people to visit them every single week. If you liked an item at the store you had to immediately buy it or else run the risk of not seeing it next time. In addition, the industry has become an expert in segmenting the market. This is why it’s only logical that Inditex owns Zara, Zara Kids, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, amongst others, and for GAP to own Banana Republic and Old Navy. Another example are outlets, which emerge in order to sell at lower prices whatever the original store may have as leftovers or surplus. However, it is a well known fact today that many of these products never go through the original store, that is to say, they were specifically manufactured for the consumer who looks for lower prices at an outlet.
Additionally, such a specialized supply was not present before. Today, besides adult, youngster, children and baby clothes, there exists the industry of wedding dresses, maternity, overweight and sport clothing (which ranges from climbing to yoga). Textiles have become more sophisticated, ranging from dry fit (Nike technology to keep someone dry while exercizing) to clothes that protect you from ultraviolet light or even contain insect repellent. All of the aforementioned are concepts that our ancestors would have never imagined.
While we watch this sophistication, production processes have not necessarily improved. In last April, 800 Bangladeshi workers died when the building in which they manufactured “Western” clothes collapsed. Millions of tons of unused material waste comes out of Chinese factories, where there are over 6 thousand textile companies that violate environmental regulations. Additionally, it needs to be said that textile industry is very water intensive.
Going back to the food topic, it’s interesting to remember that in the past the iconic figure of a rich person was an overweight person and poverty was represented with a thin one. Nowadays, consumers of higher socioeconomic levels are migrating towards a more healthy path. A similar trend could be happening in the clothing industry. The textile market that comes from organic cotton has become more important as time goes by. And perhaps we may see ven more people understanding that, when it comes to clothes, “less is more”. Clothing is and will continue to be a status symbol and/or an expresión form. However, our conscientization about clothes and its fabrication is today where food perception was 20 years ago: in total ignorance.. This article is just an invitation to begin a reflection on the matter.
Verónica Baz
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