KONDA: Invest in upcycling fashion
Column: Pitch in
In an ever-changing digital world, fashion has become a quickly changing industry that adapts to the latest trends.
As new items are popularized and old styles die down, clothing retailers and fashion brands change rapidly, introducing novel trends that garner excitement from the public. Try checking your favorite brand's website every three weeks: Most likely, there will be a brand-new piece that it is trying to sell.
Fast fashion companies make this extremely simple for consumers who are looking to stay on top of trends, often introducing various pieces in a single week to keep up with demand.
For instance, the retailer Zara produces more than 11,000 pieces annually, challenging the traditional seasonal fashion industry that typically releases approximately 3,000 pieces a year. This mass production of items makes purchasing easier and more convenient, making it a popular option for most consumers.
While fast fashion has quicker manufacturing times and a hard-to-ignore low cost, its mass production creates an attitude of disposable fashion.
If consumers continuously purchase low-cost clothing that will not last for long, there is a higher chance of them quickly moving on to the next big thing. There is a sense of instant gratification when a consumer easily presses the "order" button on a fast fashion site and receives the item days later.
Completely halting our relationships with fast fashion retailers is difficult — they essentially rule the world. To move away from this need for immediate satisfaction and consider fast fashion's environmental impact, we must begin upcycling our clothing.
It is a small change with a significant impact, paving the way for a fashion-forward future that respects both style and the environment. Additionally, keeping and maintaining those pieces of clothing to adhere to newer styles and trends has various benefits.
Upcycling is different from recycling: It is about transforming an original piece into a newer option. You may have heard of people refurbishing old furniture into something usable, and the same can be done in fashion and clothing.
Not only does this stop consumers from buying new, cheap products that require an entire manufacturing process, but it also allows them to find alternate, creative ways to reimagine various clothing items.
This practice also highlights the value of the work and patience it takes to upcycle an article of clothing. Turning a ten-year-old pair of jeans into a denim skirt makes it wearable once again while also getting you compliments on your hard work.
For consumers seeking that satisfaction, it comes in the form of knowing you are sustainably expanding your wardrobe.
Upcycling is timeless. Unless a new textile is suddenly introduced to the market, most clothing has been made with the same materials for years. As trends evolve, your clothing evolves in the most sustainable way.
Brands are also beginning to recirculate materials through upcycling, such as Urban Outfitters' Urban Renewal initiative, which focuses on creating new, stylish items from already existing materials. In 2022, more than 1 million pairs of denim had been salvaged for repurposing. Other upcycling programs focus on maintaining an awareness of the environment to ensure ethical sourcing practices.
In addition, secondhand shopping and consignment shops are growing in popularity. Online thrift stores, such as thredUP and Poshmark, allow consumers to buy trendy items secondhand, acting as an alternative to investing more money into fast fashion. Consumers can also sell their unwanted clothing at a lower price, providing the opportunity for someone else to wear it. This also contributes to cyclical fashion, which is substantially more sustainable in the long run.
If people do not become more conscious about the effects of fast fashion, the impact on the environment and overall attitude of fashion consumers will be detrimental.
Consider upcycling as a prominent alternative — before searching for a new, trendy item, ask yourself if you have something similar. Is there a possibility you can wear it differently or use its materials to make a desirable piece?
The saying "less is more" is firmly maintained in the fashion industry. While it may most often be used to refer to minimalist styling, it can also be applied to the mass production of clothing in fast fashion.
You can make more of the little you already have.
Vaishnavi Konda is a sophomore at Rutgers Business School majoring in business analytics and information technology and minoring in linguistics. Her column, "Pitch In," runs on alternate Sundays.
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