Why We Use What We Have - Slow Fashion Season 2019

This week’s Photogenie theme is titled "Less to Impress".

Through visual stories, our curators research the question “How are you impacting the clothing industry?”

In this article, Photogenie’s Noura and Myrthe tell you about their decision to stop buying new clothes.

Just a few days ago, I stumbled on a CollAction project called ‘Slow Fashion Season 2019’, an initiative to promote the use of ‘slow fashion’. With as many people as possible, the collective tries to commit to using what we already have, instead of buying fast-fashion clothing. I was happy to see that slow fashion is getting a foothold across social media. I myself stopped buying fast-fashion clothing seven months ago, which is a decision I still stand by. I’m using the clothes that I have and I am making new combinations every day. You can do it as well! Not convinced yet? Read why Photogenies Noura and I (Myrthe) decided to stop buying new clothes and get inspired to do the same.

Fast-fashion has a huge impact on our earth. The clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries, with large amounts of toxic waste released during the dyeing process and high CO2 emissions due to the transport of products across the world. Additionally, production is being moved to countries where labour wages are low. People end up working in sweatshops under unlawful conditions, sometimes involving child labour. The industry is growing rapidly, even when our wardrobes are already filled to the maximum. Because honestly, when you buy a T-shirt, you wear it two or three times and then throw it out to replace it with a new model. How can we limit this consumerism?

Meet Noura!

My name is Noura Oul Fakir and I’m 23 years old. I study sociology at the University of Utrecht, have a part-time job at Ace & Tate and I’m a researcher and writer for Photogenie. I have been thrift shopping since I was a teenager but I (kind of) stopped buying new clothes approximately two years ago.

What do you think of the fast-fashion clothing industry?

Fast-fashion is a polluting industry. Cheap and low-quality products are leaving people unsatisfied with their purchase, which results in more and more buying. A t-shirt often doesn’t last longer than a few months. Also, this idea or feeling of not being satisfied is enforced through the fact that new items come in every week corresponding with the new ‘trends’. People don’t even get the time to enjoy what they have bought because they are only reminded of what they don’t yet have.

Besides, I think the fast-fashion industry is the embodiment of the capitalist system. Production is moved to countries where there are lower wages compared to the ones paid for employers in Western countries. Paying them below minimum is ‘justified’ by the fact that life in these countries is cheaper and therefore they don’t need that much. The workers in these factories are being exploited by working ridiculous hours and sometimes undergo different forms of abuse. All this, to keep up with the demand from fast-fashion brands and the demand from consumers not willing to pay reasonable prices.

Why did you decide to stop buying new clothes?

I studied Fashion & Management and during my study, I came to the realization that I do not support the commercial mindset. Almost all of my clothing and accessories are thrifted. Most of the time I do not like the fabrics or fit of clothing sold in high street shops. That is not the case with some beautiful (and expensive) brands, but I’m a student. Buying from these expensive brands is not an option since it’s completely out of my budget.

Thrift-shopping is a way for me to buy nice items for reasonable prices and it sort of has the ‘sustainability’ effect since you reuse what is already there. The items I find are, most of the time, of high quality, made from interesting fabrics and the fact that it feels ‘unique’ does some good too.

Also, in comparison with high street stores, you never know what you’re going to find in a thrift shop. Sometimes you find nothing and other times you have the best finds ever.

Do you have tips and tricks for people who want to limit their clothing consumption?

Go through your closet and analysing what items you miss or want to add. Keep this in mind or make a note in your phone so whenever you go out shopping, you have a guide on what to buy and come home with a piece that’s an actual addition to your wardrobe.

Also, mix and match. Sometimes all you need is to take time to make new combinations of the items you already have instead of buying new ones.

Meet Myrthe!

My name is Myrthe Peek. I’m 22 years old, I work for Friethoes Frietbakkers and write blogs and stories for Photogenie. I worked in a small thrift shop in Haarlem for three years and I have always bought and used second-hand clothing. Seven months ago, I decided to stop buying new clothing completely.

What do you think of the fast-fashion clothing industry?

I agree with Noura, the fast-fashion industry makes use of a low-cost production process by moving their factories to foreign countries. Clothing is therefore transported multiple times across the globe before it is distributed over stores. Many clothing brands provide bad working conditions for their employees, low salaries and are sometimes even involved in child labour. I don’t want to support that.

Also, I’m concerned about the well-being of the planet. We keep producing new textiles, while the existing textiles are piling up. When we use second-hand clothing, we reuse textiles that are already produced. Besides, the production process is polluting air and water, new clothing contributes to the waste problem.

Why did you decide to stop buying new clothes?

I wanted to stop buying new items for a long time after I wrote an article for my studies on the climate impact of the fast-fashion industry. Hazardous paints are used in de dyeing process of textiles and these pollutants are released into the environment through the used water. So many well-known brands are contributing to this pollution and many of their customers don’t have a clue about it!

At first, I decided to go for good quality sustainable brands, which are better than the fast-fashion chains, but they are still putting more clothes into the world. I have enough clothes, they don’t even fit into my closet anymore. That’s when I decided I would only use the items that I have or buy clothes that were already used. The nice thing about buying second-hand clothing is that you know that the quality is good enough to last. If the items lasted long enough to survive the first buyer, they will probably last even longer. New, bad quality t-shirts are worn-out within months, but a 70’s second-hand t-shirt from a thrift shop has already lasted 45 years!

Do you have tips and tricks for people who want to limit their clothing consumption?

For the Dutchies among us, I would say: check out the IJhallen market! There are a lot of people selling their clothes, and not all of them are used. Buying second-hand doesn’t necessarily mean buying items from the 70ies or 80ies, there are many people selling more modern clothing as well.

Do you want to join the challenge and stop buying new clothes? You can try it out for three months together with the initiative ‘Slow Fashion Season 2019’. If 10.000 people commit not to buy new clothes from June 21st to September 21st, we’ll save the earth a lot of trouble! And if you like it, you can even stop buying altogether. There is no harm in trying it out, are you joining us?

For more information on the ‘Slow Fashion Season 2019’ head to https://bit.ly/2Wev9EX

Let us know what you think in the comments! Our weekly themes always include three photo series by different photographers.

Are you interested and do you want to stay posted? Make sure to follow PhotoGenie on Instagram @wearecurators.

Written by Myrthe Peek

Do You Know Where Your Clothes Were Really Born?

This week’s Photogenie theme is titled "Less to Impress". Through visual stories, our curators research the question “How are you impacting the clothing industry?”.

In Where your clothes were really born, Canadian photographer Benjamin Von Wong depicts the different impacts the clothing industry has on the environment.

Since the 1990s the production of clothing has boomed exponentially. The world now consumes about 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, which is 400% more than what we consumed 20 years ago. The fact that clothes are produced more quickly and more cheaply than ever makes this boom in production and consumption possible. This growth is not without problems. The increased production takes its toll on the environment and on humans and therefore raises both environmental and social issues. The facilitation and acceleration of clothes production has allowed fashion retailers to quickly bring the latest fashion trends to the consumer at a low cost. This concept is described as “fast fashion”.

To visualize this pressing issue, Von Wong traveled to a clothing factory in Cambodia, which was abandoned in 2009 leaving behind all the clothes that were produced but never exported. Van Wong saw this setting as an opportunity to bring the issue of fast fashion to light in an artistic form.

Van Wong succeeded in gathering a group of volunteers who helped him to turn the factory into a work of art. The idea was to use the abandoned clothes to portray where clothes are really born and subsequently how unsustainable the clothing industry is. In the picture below they have made the clothes into a waterfall to symbolise the amount of water involved in the manufacturing process. The fashion industry relies heavily on water, from the irrigation of cotton crops to the domestic washing of clothes. The clothing industry is one of the largest users of water. It is estimated that they use around 80 billion cubic meters of water per year, which is around 2 percent of all freshwater extraction in the world. For reference, it takes 6800 liters of water to produce a single pair of jeans. Unfortunately, is estimated that this amount will double by 2030 if widespread action is not taken to curb this trend.

The picture below shows how the abandoned clothes are turned into a tree. Similarly, this symbolises how trees are chopped down to create fibers needed to manufacture certain items of clothing. It is estimated that every day 120 million trees are cut down, which among other materials are used for the purpose of manufacturing clothes. However, it is important to note that there has been a shift from natural fibers for clothes production such as wool, cotton, and silk to synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon. These are cheaper but also more environmentally harmful. There has been a 157% increase in polyester clothing consumption from 2000 to 2015 and can be found in 60% of all clothes found in retail stores, to the detriment of the environment.

Synthetic polyester is created by a chemical reaction of coal, petroleum, air and water. The burning of petroleum and coal emit heavy amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants. The last artwork depicts a tornado, which represents the damage that the manufacturing industry causes to the atmosphere: it has negative effects on the air we breathe.

Overall, the United Nations estimates that 10 percent of global emissions come from the fashion industry. Needless to say, it is important that the world becomes more environmentally conscious when it comes to the clothes they wear. Thankfully there are ways in which you, as a consumer, can become more sustainable in your choice of fashion. Second-hand clothing shops are a great way to recycle your clothes. In Amsterdam, Laura Dols and Episode are trendy vintage stores where you can find all the outfits you need, or visit the Ij-Hallen in Amsterdam NDSM, the biggest flea market of Europe. Furthermore, if you decide to buy instead of recycling clothes, pay attention to what brand you choose, like Nudie Jeans and Veja. Even though we are still far away from a sustainable clothing sector you can contribute to making it better by changing your consumer behavior and encouraging others to do so too!

Check out Benjamin Von Wong’s full body of work at www.vonwong.com and on Instagram @vonwong.

Let us know what you think in the comments! Our weekly themes always include three photo series by different photographers.

Are you interested and do you want to stay posted? Make sure to follow PhotoGenie on Instagram @wearecurators.

Written by Max Zarzoso Hueck

Ethical Threads by Rhea Gupte

This week’s Photogenie theme is titled "Less to Impress". Through visual stories, our curators research the question “How are you impacting the clothing industry?”.

Right after the oil industry, the fashion industry is the second-largest polluter in the world. Not only it is devastating the environment, but fast fashion can also be to blame for huge economic losses and human rights abuses such as poor working conditions and child labour. According to Fashion for Good, “on average, we buy 60% more clothing than we did 15 years ago — but we keep each item only half as long. Plus, it is estimated that nearly 60% of all clothing produced ends up being burned or in landfills within one year of being made”.

Rhea Gupte’s Ethical Threads - one of her “pet projects” - is an ongoing personal undertaking to encourage conversation and education about ethical and sustainable fashion, and what we can do to improve our thinking and actions in this direction.

As per Gupte herself, “a majority of the youth today grow up thinking of shopping as a hobby and acquisition of material objects as a measure of success, seldom realising the conflicts faced by the industry with regards to sustainability and mass-production. In an effort to bring focus to matters which are close to my heart and a need of the hour, I present, Ethical Threads, a soon to be weekly dose of conversation, inspiration and education about things which matter”.

In this project, Gupte features multiple designers and brands who take on a sustainable approach to fashion: not only does she photograph and produce a series with their designs, but also she sits down with the brand and interviews them. Her aim is to feature at least a hundred designers, sharing the stories of how they got here, together with the vast knowledge and inspiration they can bring to the conversation. She hopes that, together, we can be better informed and make significant changes to our lifestyles.

In an interview for LISSOME (attach link https://www.thelissome.com/), Gupte explains that this series started after she researched the fashion industry and realized how little awareness there was about the disastrous consequences of fast fashion. Thus, Ethical Threads is a photo series that portrays slow fashion in a dreamy and emotive way. She has said that she thought of floating dresses shot across natural landscapes because she felt that “anything that is in the sky seems to have a purity to it and makes it seem almost alive”. Thus, using a surreal visualization of floating clothing emphasizes the beauty and superiority of the sustainable and ethical approach in fashion. She tells Lissome that she wants people to feel an emotional connection with her work and also to educate themselves about the subject of her imagery.

In the same interview, Rhea reflects on what fashion is to her: an emotional attachment to anything with a story draws her in more than a trend ever could. She talks about how she still owns all her grandfather’s shirts and her grandmother’s purses – the relationship to these pieces grows every time she wears them, a new memory is attached to the ones they already carry.

With the notion of having an emotional connection with clothing and seeing each item as a memory, we can try and change our impact to a positive one rather than a catastrophic one. We can buy less, wear more what we already own instead of throwing it out and seeing each item as though it were a photograph: a memory-object to which we attach to certain events in our lives. By buying vintage and second hand, we can also think of each item as a relic with a long history which we can fantasize and wonder about, rather than seeing each item as disposable.

In Amsterdam, you can visit “Fashion for Good” - a global initiative with a hub in the city. Fashion for Good believes that good fashion is not only possible, but it is also within reach — what the industry lacks are the resources, tools, and incentives to put it into relentless practice. Their mission is to bring together the entire fashion ecosystem as a conveyor for change and through their Innovation Platform. Fashion for Good connects brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and investors to work together in their shared ambition to make the fashion industry a force for good. By providing the inspiration and information needed to make it possible, they are revolutionising the fashion industry so that people, companies and the planet can flourish together. Together they are reimagining the way fashion is designed, made, worn and reused.

At their office, you can also visit the world’s first interactive museum for sustainable fashion innovation. The Fashion for Good Experience is a space where you can learn how your clothes were made and discover game-changing innovations shaping the future of fashion. Throughout the building, you can find concrete ways to have a positive impact, commit to taking action and shop sustainable products (that is, when you need to shop at all).

Visit https://fashionforgood.com for more information.

Furthermore, using the app Good on You, you can discover ethical brands and see how your favourites measure up. The app helps you buy products that meet your needs, from brands that live up to your expectations in relation to their environmental and social performance and how they impact on animals.

Visit https://goodonyou.eco link for more information.

About the artist: Rhea Gupte is a visual artist, photographer, creative director, writer and consultant based in Goa, India. Her body of work includes commissioned and self-initiated projects, as well as reflective essays and poetry. According to her website, Gupte enjoys creating with subjects that are unpredictable in form and movement, making clouds, waves and ink some of her favorites to photograph and then digitally manipulate. Her recent experiments have a minimalistic and surreal visual style with soothing and almost edible colour palettes. The notion of day-dreaming is important to her work, as is being a storyteller. As a photographer, Gupte explores her interests in fashion, travel, still life, portraiture, interiors, and abstract forms. She works on varied commissions in this space from creating imagery for fashion campaigns, lookbooks and editorial stories to freestyle street photography capturing the essence and aesthetic of a place. Her work has been exhibited across the globe from India and Australia to European countries.

Check out Rhea Gupte’s full body of work at www.rheagupte.com and on Instagram @rhea.gupte.

Let us know what you think in the comments! Our weekly themes always include three photo series by different photographers. Are you interested and do you want to stay posted?

Make sure to follow PhotoGenie on Instagram @wearecurators.

Written by Rita Bolieiro