Such an important discussion! The very idea that clothes need to be cast off so frequently and in such volume is bananas. Even most "fast fashion" can be cared for and worn for a long time—with a bit of thoughtful laundering. As a general rule, when in doubt, use the gentle cycle—and everything coming out of that cycle goes on a drying rack, not the dryer. Really, most things should be hung or laid out to dry. (Ikea's MULIG rack can hang 3 weeks of kids' laundry on it. Alas, they seem to hardly carry it anymore.)
The upshot of that is, once you know how long clothing can last if you care for it, you realize how infrequently you need to buy it, which is a way to free up more money to spend on it, which helps steer shopping trips away from exploitive fast fashion.
A very imperative piece! It has all stemmed from planned obsolescence. We have far moved from equal proportions of functionality, manufacturability, and attractiveness. Instead, companies have boarded the reduced cost of manufacturability at the expense of workers and increased attractiveness to promote haul culture. So, your T-shirt from 20 years ago may look the same but it's not, is it?
The key idea is to re-align the reason we make a clothing purchase - is it aesthetic-driven or function-driven? It ought to be the latter which can be understood by longevity - do we know how long a particular item can last? how many washes does it require? what can be done with the cloth once it has holes in it? Can we advertise "wearability timelines" on labels? Can we sell "not-so-dirty clothing hampers" as a new aesthetic?
It's all worth thinking and starting a conversation!
Such an important discussion! The very idea that clothes need to be cast off so frequently and in such volume is bananas. Even most "fast fashion" can be cared for and worn for a long time—with a bit of thoughtful laundering. As a general rule, when in doubt, use the gentle cycle—and everything coming out of that cycle goes on a drying rack, not the dryer. Really, most things should be hung or laid out to dry. (Ikea's MULIG rack can hang 3 weeks of kids' laundry on it. Alas, they seem to hardly carry it anymore.)
The upshot of that is, once you know how long clothing can last if you care for it, you realize how infrequently you need to buy it, which is a way to free up more money to spend on it, which helps steer shopping trips away from exploitive fast fashion.
Looking forward to tips in Part 2!
Behold, a reasonable (and more compact) substitute for the extinct Ikea clothes drying rack! https://www.shopperplus.ca/p-409776-sw-dr-02-laundry-rack-stand-garment-drying-station
Zoolander was a documentary
A very imperative piece! It has all stemmed from planned obsolescence. We have far moved from equal proportions of functionality, manufacturability, and attractiveness. Instead, companies have boarded the reduced cost of manufacturability at the expense of workers and increased attractiveness to promote haul culture. So, your T-shirt from 20 years ago may look the same but it's not, is it?
The key idea is to re-align the reason we make a clothing purchase - is it aesthetic-driven or function-driven? It ought to be the latter which can be understood by longevity - do we know how long a particular item can last? how many washes does it require? what can be done with the cloth once it has holes in it? Can we advertise "wearability timelines" on labels? Can we sell "not-so-dirty clothing hampers" as a new aesthetic?
It's all worth thinking and starting a conversation!