PhotoCredit: Freepik.
The story begins one boring evening a few years ago when I decided that I would stop buying clothes from the H&M group. My sudden interest was probably sparked by another sad news story from the garment industry, another “green”, entirely unbelievable, conscious campaign initiated for one of the brands under the H&M group, another headline concerning less than minimum wage for factory workers, or something similar. Whatever the reason, on this day, I finally decided that I was going to change one thing about the way I live my life based on purely humanitarian and environmental concerns.
Long story short, it was a lot harder than I had imagined. H&M had been my go-to sock and underwear monger for years, and I do not think I had ever owned swimwear that was not H&M. Besides, it was not just H&M I was saying goodbye to. The H&M group owns every other shop on the high street, they own most of my favourite brands in the category “Stuff I think I can afford and end up buying instead of just dreaming about”: Weekday, & other Stories, COS, my newfound love: ARKET.
ARKET is even marketing itself as being a democratic, sustainable, innovative clothing company – an overall green, conscious business. And as a young, well-educated, privileged person with every opportunity to check up on this new label and their background for using such shiny headlines, I of course accepted it point-blank. When I then finally started looking into the H&M-group, whilst at the same time gazing at all my lovely summer dresses from & other Stories, scrolling over all my favourited items from ARKET that I would now have to never buy, it started to feel like my decision to make a sustainable lifestyle choice might have been a bit rash.
Furthermore, if I was going to do it right, I could not stop with the H&M group. I would have to stop buying clothes from all the brands that use underpaid labour to make their clothes, that do not have sustainable transportation practices in use, water recycling, sustainable choice of fabric, worker’s rights, education, local factories in accordance with where I live, and so on. Which for me meant at least also quitting Asos and stop supporting their unreliable tax schemes, not buying clothes from Bestseller and their severely underpaid garment factories (which at that point did not look very sustainable, though their practices might be different now), and in general take a stronger notice of what I buy and in particular where and how it is produced.
As you can imagine, my one good idea on how to live a conscious lifestyle turned into an avalanche of follow-up questions and related choices. What kind of sustainable person and responsible shopper would I be if I only choose one brand or brand-owner as the one to avoid? Obviously, that would not be the concerned choice of someone who truly cares. My lifestyle choices would look like a half-hearted attempt at a pretty good start. I would clearly not be someone who is serious about wanting to do something for the environment and for advancing the socio-economic status of the people who need it. And if I am not even that serious about it, then why do it at all?
It is the fruit and vegetable industry all over again. The best, most sustainable thing to do, would be to stop buying clothes. Or to only buy the really good, locally sourced, sustainable, will-last-you-a-lifetime clothes once in a while when my old clothes will not do anymore, which is of course what I would do in a perfect world, where being someone who cares a little bit and doing my degree had already made me a rich person with a mind freed from trends. (This is me painting a very bleak picture as part of a narrative, but it is of course not the whole truth, there are many, very good, very affordable, accessible brands using good practices such as NU-IN, organics basics, Dedicated, E.L.V. Denim, everything on Wolf and Badger (even though that is not always affordable), and more are being established constantly)
And also not true. Avocados are a traditional food with a lot of meaning to some people, the large scale production of avocados have actually brought prosperity to some areas. The large scale production of fast fashion is obstructing the possibility of bringing higher wages and better living conditions to the areas where the clothes are produced by buying fair trade. Of course, this is a simplification of both scenarios.
I think that is why they call it sustainable development. Why the half official definition from The Brundtland Report is: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987, p.41). And why sustainable development is often defined as a social choice of what should be sustained, what should be developed, and what should not. Because it is always about choices, and making the necessary choices is difficult.
Anyway, back to my clothing industry debacle. I have decided to not buy clothes from the H&M-group and other brands I think of as fast-fashion sinners. Furthermore, I will try very hard to consider my consumption of clothes very thoroughly. Which has resulted in me buying fewer clothes. Because the minute I find something I want and read on the label that it was produced in a country that can only imply a very long transportation time to my country or produced under conditions that seem unsustainable, I now also have to consider the consequences of this choice. And the consequences often accumulate to the decision that I do not need those jeans, and that I could probably find something better second-hand or in some sustainable, green, CO2-positive clothing shop online. Which has led to a whole new problem of me trying my best not to fall for greenwashing schemes produced by online clothing stores. And of course, even now that I have realised it would be better not to, I am still buying clothes, still consuming unnecessary materials because of fashion and because I adhere to a capitalistic ideology of spending. Although I now buy a lot of my clothes second hand, I would be sending a better message and be supporting a better lifestyle by not buying clothes at all, by not supporting second hand markets of slightly cheaper designer clothes and by not continuing to support the ideology that we need new things all the time.
My love for clothes is like my love for avocados, a terrible lifestyle choice that I have nonetheless willingly and knowingly made. I shall probably have my head cut off in the consumerism guillotine when our godsend green leaders finally take over world control. Until then, I can only plead for reason and hope that others like me struggle with sustainable choices and will watch upon my irresolute decisions with kindness.
