Plastic people: the commodity of microtrends

Even before college, sustainable fashion has always been very close to my heart. Fashion has always been something I have loved, but I also know that fast fashion causes 10% of global carbon emissions, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Fast fashion is what I consider to be the prime example of this and creates this large demand for clothes. Then you also bring in the companies of fast fashion who are using greenwashing, and you are creating the perfect storm of waste and pollution around the globe.

Fast fashion and the concept of microtrends often hold hands to jump into the abyss of lack of sustainability and safe fashion practices. The goal of these fashion practices is to create and voice these microtrends. Microtrends are there to focus on what is new, what is trending and so on. It’s a style or aesthetic that may be worn for a year, and then we move on to the next big thing. They also do my least favorite thing: strip personalized fashion from the consumer. This might be fine for some, but it goes into an interesting discussion of aesthetics outweighing your style.

Often, I will have friends asking me for advice on fashion, and those friends have their own style. I know they do, so I never really see it as a point to have them follow what the hot new trends are because that’s not who they are.

A personal style will reflect what you like rather than the trends running stores. Not everyone will like your personal style, but that’s the whole point: It’s a style for you.

So, how can college students possibly do anything to prevent this fast fashion wave? The first thing I always fall to is to stop bulk buying and carefully think about what you are buying. Often, when I am shopping, I think of two main things: will this piece of clothing go well with my other clothes, and do I like this piece of clothing enough to re-wear it multiple times?

It allows me to slow down and take some time to see if these clothes fit well with my own personal style and the ability to re-wear these clothes. The other thing I try to do is look into the brands I like to shop from. I often use the “good on you” website to check certain brands. The other thing I keep in mind is that I am in college and have a budget, so it’s not the worst thing to buy from companies that might not be sustainable-focused. It matters how long you keep those clothes and how much you are buying.

If I know I want to spend a bit more money on clothes that will last longer, I might invest a bit more in them. Jeans come to mind.

When I was abroad, I had jeans with holes in them due to walking so much and the brand they came from, so I invested in Lucy and Yak jeans, which are wonderfully made and focus on sustainability. Thrifting and making clothes are things I always mention. Thrifting is incredibly useful and sustainable. Moving towards a more sustainable way to shop can produce a personal style that is a lot more sustainable and leave the micro trends behind.