Why We Need a J-Fashion Revolution

I know the answer for a few of these items, but that isn't enough.

One of the things that has bugged me about my blog is how much I’ve focused on individual responsibility when it comes to sustainable fashion. It’s been all about how you can shop better, how you can reduce your consumption, how you should use and dispose of your clothes in better and more eco-friendly ways. Yes, individual responsibility is incredibly important because large groups of people boycotting brands forces them to adapt or die, but there is also great change to be made in activism. The highly problematic fashion industry has created systems that are nearly impossible to navigate in a completely ethical and eco-friendly way. I’m here to say that it’s time for us to take a stand against the system and a stand against the brands. It’s time for the alternative fashion community to participate in Fashion Revolution Week.

What is Fashion Revolution Week?

Fashion Revolution Week is an online activism event held in the week commemorating the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse. This tragedy came about due to the negligence and abuse of the fast fashion industry. Workers were forced to work in a building that they knew to be unstable from the highly visible cracks in the walls, and when the factory fell on April 24, 1134 garment workers died in the rubble. This only scratches the surface of the rampant corruption within the fast fashion industry. I highly recommend ’The True Cost’ documentary on Netflix to learn more about the life-threatening pollution and human rights violations the workers in fashion supply chains have to deal with.

Fashion Revolution Week encourages participants to make a change in the fashion industry by doing haulternatives, raising awareness about various issues, and ask brands #whomademyclothes? The primary goal is to demand a more transparent fashion industry so that we as consumers can make informed decisions about where they shop, as well as hold brands accountable for their environmental and human rights violations.

How is this affecting alternative fashion communities?

Fast fashion is invading our subcultures.

While I love that more people are gaining an appreciation for alternative fashion and are seeking to participate in it, the fast fashion industry sees us as a mere trend that they can water down and repackage for a mainstream audience. While I understand how hard it can be for broke or remote or plus-size people to access cute fashion styles, fast fashion should not be the solution to the problem. Fast fashion wants to be convenient and accessible and cheap. Fast fashion wants you to have a dependancy on it. Fast fashion wants you to have a particular mindset when you shop.

Alternative fashion communities have become overrun with hauls and unboxings and shopping vlogs and so much more. Overconsumption is the new normal. Viewing clothes as disposable is the new normal. These consumer behaviours were instilled in us by the fast fashion industry, to the point where we also have this mindless consumer mindset when we shop small businesses or thrift.

The harsh truth is that dressing alternatively has always been about effort. It’s always been about going out of your way to wear what makes you happy, even when it lies outside the mainstream. The convenience of fast fashion undermines that.

Our favourite brands don’t deserve a free pass.

Everyone can point fingers at H&M, Forever21, Zara, Wish, Boohoo, and the like, but what about 6%DOKIDOKI, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Swankiss, Irregular Choice, YRU, Lazy Oaf, DollsKill, and so many more brands? We need them to be transparent about where their clothes are made. We need to know who made our clothes. If they’re not telling us, that means they’re hiding something. We have built a culture of worship around brands like these, but we cannot allow worship and blindness to hold our hands and lead us away from the pursuit of honesty. Every brand no matter how big or small owes it to their customers to be transparent about their supply chains wherever possible.

If our subcultures are to last, we need to be a part of the conversation.

Intentionally or not, alternative fashion has always been ahead of the sustainable fashion game due to our past (and still rather present) reliance on DIY, small businesses, and secondhand shopping. However as the rest of the fashion scene catches up, it feels like we’re losing our roots in favour of fast fashion and/or its mindset. And in all honesty, many alternative styles rely on aesthetics that are difficult or currently impossible to achieve in a sustainable way. It’s our job to convince brands to continue using glitter, shiny materials, and vibrant dyes if they so wish, but to make the use of those materials more sustainable by choosing alternatives that are recycled, up-cycled, deadstock, zero waste, organic, or biodegradable.

What can you do?

Given how overwhelming the sustainable fashion movement can be, it can be difficult to know where to start, and depending on your circumstances, you might not be able to change where you shop for clothes. You can start with some of the following suggestions:

• Take BBC's #SustainableMe pledge.
• Reduce how much fashion you consume.
• Share your clothing love stories.
• Show off your haulternative. 
• Write to your local policy maker.
• Ask your favourite brands #WhoMadeMyClothes on social media or via email.
• Ask your favourite sustainable fashion brands to expand their colour range to suit your style or skin tone or cater to your size, body type, gender, or disability.
• Follow @sustainablealtfash on Instagram and use #sustainablealtfash to be featured.
• Encourage your friends and your favourite influencers to join in!

Alternative fashion has always been counter-cultural to the fast fashion industry. Let’s keep it that way. Let’s clean up our own fashion industry by participating in Fashion Revolution Week because together, we are the future of fashion.

Disclaimer: This is not an official partnership with Fashion Revolution Week, but an independently organized campaign to encourage people within the alternative fashion community to participate in Fashion Revolution Week.

Want to learn more about sustainable alternative fashion? Check out the Sustainability tag on the blog.

Question of the Week: What are you going to do to create a better fashion future? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.