Save money, but not with low cost fashion
by Paola Giuliani
Save money by buying low cost fashion
We at Ad Hoc Atelier pay great attention to sustainable fashion and fight every day against impulsive and unthoughtful purchases. Today, however, we want to mention low cost fashion, or rather disposable fashion consisting of low-level products at bargain prices. Let's start from the assumption that it is convenient for everyone to save a few euros. Saving is certainly good for our wallet and our mood. In fact, we always recommend to buy only when necessary and to check your closet well before doing so. In any case, most people are very careful while shopping: if they can save a few euros they do it more than willingly, and we would miss it. I also think it is a normal behavior, carried on by centuries of humanity.
However, there is a difference between saving and exploiting. Saving means not buying, buying the bare minimum or not overdoing it with frills and luxury. Exploiting instead means buying at an extremely low price. Prices not sustainable by normal activities, if not benefiting exploitation or opaque working practices. For example, buying a t-shirt for 4.90€ online we are doing a huge damage to the whole environmental system: it must be said, low cost fashion doesn't care about preserving the ecosystem. And socially it does even worse. Low cost fashion exploits the poverty of economically underdeveloped countries, through the exploitation of labor. In these countries there are much more permissive conditions for the big brands, which take advantage of it in an obvious and out of control way. In addition, low cost fashion looks no one in the face. Through out-of-market prices it destroys the local economy, proposing replicas similar in design but very different in quality.
In many sectors consumers are much more aware, just think of the food market. It is time to pay the same attention to fashion, an extremely polluting sector.
Avoid low cost fashion from the start
We must and we can save something, no one doubts it. We always argue that in case of doubt or economic crisis it is always better not to buy. We are on the side of the considered purchase, on the side of buying what you really want, not the cheapest alternative. But let's suppose that you really like low cost fashion regardless of the price. Obviously tastes are tastes, but can you really not make it by hand? Also considering what damage it does to the environment?
These questions can raise your sensitivity, as well as leave you totally indifferent. But these question are vital for our planet. Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, as you can read also here: if you're careful about how you eat, you should be careful about how you dress too.We need to stop relying on fast fashion. This doesn't mean not buying anything anymore or necessarily resorting to used vintage clothing: it means buying from stores that sell sustainable or ethical products. Even better if both. It's never easy, at least in the fashion industry. We're aware of that.
In other sectors, such as stationery, hygiene products, food, everything seems to be easier, we have more choice. In fashion, it's more complicated: the stores themselves don't have the faintest idea of what sustainable fashion is and it feels like no one cares. And yet we hear more and more in the newspapers and on television about sustainability. About the importance of drastically changing the way we act and behave. Let's not let these words go to waste.
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Ethical and sustainable fashion
Ethical and sustainable fashion is no longer a utopia, it is not a niche product, it is simply the future of fashion. The speed with which it will spread in stores is closely linked to the support we give to sustainable fashion brands. The change is driven by us consumers, we need to be aware of it. Let's buy online if we can't find them on our doorstep, let's avoid the big retail chains and let's make our voice heard in the fashion market. We need to demand stricter parameters, be tougher on fashion brands and boycott those who are not aligned with our values. There is no other way. The market will quickly respond to our demands, and ensure that these products are available everywhere, all the time, for everyone.
Remember that the textile industry is socially and environmentally devastating. We can and must make a difference, simply by purchasing products that can ensure minimal impact on our planet. Change cannot start from above, it must come from our own awareness of wanting to change.How to do it? It is not enough to buy more expensive products, price is not synonymous with quality and sustainability. We need to inform ourselves more about which brands we are supporting and choose with our heads. If you need help with this, every day we select the best brands of handmade fashion made in Italy. Brands that produce in an ethical and sustainable way. Realities that manage to combine a refined style with transparent and quality workmanship. Discover them all here.
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