Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and Good Stewardship

Over the last few years, I've gotten into vintage and historical fashion. Learning about these things has also lead me into learning a lot more about fast and slow fashion and the modern state of the fashion industry.

Which has left me with a lot of thoughts about fast fashion, sustainability, and how all this ties into being a Christian. So today I'm going to share some of those thoughts with you. This won't be the neatest, best laid out argument you've ever heard. Just a ramble of things currently in my brain.

Also, I don't want anyone to feel condemned or judged by this post. These are my thoughts on fast fashion, they don't have to be yours. You make the choices that seem wisest to you and where God has placed you right now.

What Is Fast and Slow Fashion?

Before I get into talking about these things, I should probably explain what they are.

Fast fashion= Clothing made quickly and cheaply, often employing underpaid workers in third world countries that's sold to you for a low price.

Slow fashion= Clothing made with good quality materials, designed to last, and created by fairly paid workers. They often cost more because they're paying people more for manufacturing and quality.

Why I'm Against Fast Fashion

As you can see from my description of fast fashion, it's not great. If you want to know more about how bad, just Google "fast fashion statistics" to learn more.

But I'm not against fast fashion because of it's carbon footprint. I have other reasons I'm starting to move away from it.

#1: It's harmful to people.

Like I said, most people actually creating garments sold by fast fashion companies are from third world countries. They work for extremely low wages, often in terrible conditions.

All people were created by God and we should try to help others whenever we can. Even if that's by working to not support fast fashion companies so these people don't have to work in their factories.

Not that working in a factory is bad or anything. But those workers deserve decent pay, manageable hours, and safe conditions to work in, just like everyone else.

#2: It's harmful to our world.

There's a lot of waste in fast fashion. Garments are created by the thousands, many of which remain unsold. Those garments are then thrown away, creating massive garbage heaps across the world. Not only are the unsold clothes thrown away, much of the excess fabric from creating them is.

Part of our job as Christians is to take care of the world God gave us. Not in a way that puts the Earth first and humans last, but in a way to cultivate and care for it for future generations. Wasting clothes like this isn't caring for the Earth.

#3: It's harmful to your mental state.

Fast fashion companies want to trap us and keep us in their loop of buying new clothes all the time. They constantly produce new designs (some of which are stolen) and sell them to use for cheap, so we keep buying them. Many people then wear the clothes a few times and get rid of them, because they can just buy more.

But this is gluttony in another form. And once you get used to impulse spending so much, it's hard to break out of it (I say this as someone who struggles with impulse spending myself). Our culture just doesn't glorify buying long-lasting items or taking care of the things we own anymore.

How Does Sustainability Tie Into Good Stewardship?

On the opposite end of fast fashion, we have slow fashion and sustainability. Buying more expensive, high-quality garments and taking good care of them so they last for years. Thrifting a lot of your clothes to reduce the amount of things thrown away while saving money. Making your own clothes.

And I think, as Christians, that's the side we should veer towards.

God calls us to be responsible stewards of the things He gives us, whether clothes or money or talents. The Bible says if we do that, we will be rewarded.

As I've learned more about slow fashion, I think it's something that should be supported. Only a few generations ago, clothes were valued. They were something you saved for and bought sparingly.

Even further back, people actually made clothes and understood the labor and skill that went into them. A single dress could take hundreds of hours to sew. People only owned a few garments because they didn't need more than that.

I'm not trying to romanticize the past or anything. God has given us a bountiful era and lots of technological advancements that make creating clothes easier. I just wanted to point out that I believe our ancestors understood the value of clothing more than we do today.

So Now What?

For myself, I'm going to start moving away from fast fashion. I want to work on only bringing things I'll actually wear and love into my wardrobe. I want to buy high-quality garments that last for years, or make them myself.

Will I buy everything slow fashion? I don't think so. I'm not going to check every company I buy from on sustainability websites to see how they score. I'm going to look for garment quality instead, because even cheaper brands can produce well-made things. And I'll still probably buy the occasional Amazon dress for a costume piece or something.

And yes, it does make me cringe to see the prices of slow fashion items. (They're a lot more than what fast fashion has made us think you can pay for clothes.) I also understand that just because something is expensive, that doesn't mean it's good quality. But choosing to pay those prices will help me slow down on buying clothes I don't need.

I have to admit, it's hard to learn to step away from the consumption mindset of our culture. But I think it's worth the work.

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Again, this is the choice I'm making for myself. I'm not trying to shame you because you shop at Walmart because that's where God's placed you right now.

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on this and why I think being a good steward means working to stop buying fast fashion.

Do you have any thoughts on fast versus slow fashion? Do you agree with my points? Tell me in the comments and let's chat!