Everyone loves to look good and wear the latest trends but at what cost does looking good come at? And I’m not just talking about the price.

Fashion products equate to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and more than 85% usually end up in landfills each year. Fashion products are also a big contributor to the pollution of rivers and streams as well as drying up water sources. Sustainable fashion is very important in today’s society and the millennials and gen z have an understanding of this concept because of course, capitalism is the root of all evil and so forth, but also the unfortunate treatment of the workers who create the clothing for these body corporates. 

These corporates either underpay or do not pay these workers at all, companies such as GAP INC, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Fashion Nova, and many more of our “beloved” fast fashion fixes.  These workers have no other options but to hope they get paid eventually for their hard labour. They are forced to work hours on end, without receiving a bathroom or lunch break. Some of the biggest celebs at the moment, Kylie and Kendal Jenner as well as Cardi B, have also been accused of not paying their Bangladeshi workers. How do the biggest companies and most wealthy celebs get away with this? It is inhumane and the world needs to make a major turnaround on how and what they spend their money on. 

Thrifting is an amazing way of recycling clothing and creating a sustainable environment by not giving in to the capitalistic society we have been forced into. Big corporations’ interests are not in creating economic equality but rather just building empires and stealing from the poor. So here are 3 top tips on thrifting and slowly starting to change the world.  First things first do research. Doing research on the type of clothing you are interested in is key, find thrift stores that are selling what you’re looking for and luckily, we are in the 21st century so online stores are easily accessible. There are a few that I would highly recommend but again first always do your own research. ThredUP is a great online store that sells almost any previously owned trendy clothing item you could think of. They believe in sustainable fashion and demolishing the waist crisis the world is currently facing. There is also Refashioner, Tradesy and many more amazing thrift stores with the same goal. The next step is not to judge, I know I know but just hear me out. It might be hard at first buying preowned clothing and not knowing where or who it comes from but once you let go of making judgements on who you think owned the clothing before it is much easier to get into it. The third step is to not be too hard on yourself. If you are still buying clothing from the big retailers here and there it is okay. This movement is all about baby steps and slowly changing the world for the better.