Hi!! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic break and started your 2022 off amazingly! For this week’s article, we are going to break down Shein, and huge fast-fashion retailers like Shein; exactly why they are so harmful and ethical shopping alternatives.
To start, let’s just brush up on the term fast fashion and really what it is and why it is so harmful. Fast fashion is essentially the mass production of clothing at a very low cost. Due to fast fashion, workers aren’t paid or treated well, textile waste is at an all-time high which negatively affects the environment, and factory emissions are also killing the environment and leading to climate change. Because of this issue, animals are going extinct, and our world is slowly deteriorating. However, there is something you can do about it. It doesn’t take one, it takes a community. And stemming from the Awear community, you will be educated and driven to make positive change. At the end of the day, this is our earth. Your precious memories are on this planet, time spent in nature is amongst the best of times, and traveling encompasses the best experiences. All of this wouldn’t be possible without the earth. So join the fashion revolution. Together let’s get educated and make change.
So, what is Shein? Shein is a brand that retails tons of items online at a very low cost. Shein produces new clothes every day, hence the amount of waste that comes out of their brand is through the roof. All this textile waste leads to increased pollution. Nonetheless, Shein uses unsustainable non-renewable resources, which waste water and energy and emit harmful greenhouse gases. Their clothing is made with hazardous chemicals and microplastics. (Check out my Instagram to learn more about fast fashion vs sustainable materials) While Shein is practically killing the environment, they have a strong history of using unethical practices in their sweatshops, including child labor. They don’t pay their workers fairly and their factory conditions don’t pass any of the safety regulations.
This community is all about transparency, education, and creating more of a sustainable closet together. I used to love Shein, I would order from them all the time before I learned about fast fashion and exactly why Shein is so harmful. Shein has a positive appeal as their clothing is super cute and extremely affordable. However, I put my personal values over a cute and affordable top any day. And Shein just didn’t align with everything I cared about, it was actually the opposite. So, as I got more and more educated, I decided to make a change, and I am encouraging you all to do the same. The power to save our world is in your hands, and it starts with your closet.
If you absolutely love clothes and shopping, like me, sustainability and ethical shopping is actually a lot more fun than supporting those big fast-fashion retailers. Having a more sustainable lifestyle is all about consuming less and consuming from ethical retails for what you need in order to combat those waste amounts. Thrifting is an amazing sustainable way to get all your favorite brands and it tends to be a lot more affordable. So, next time you want to go to the mall with your friends, check out a thrift store instead! If you are not a fan of thrifting or want to purchase first-hand ethical clothing, there are a ton of sustainable and affordable alternatives, and for many, you are supporting small business owners as well which is amazing!
If you absolutely love clothes and shopping, like me, sustainability and ethical shopping is actually a lot more fun than supporting those big fast-fashion retailers. Having a more sustainable lifestyle is all about consuming less and consuming from ethical retails for what you need in order to combat those waste amounts. Thrifting is an amazing sustainable way to get all your favorite brands and it tends to be a lot more affordable. So, next time you want to go to the mall with your friends, check out a thrift store instead! If you are not a fan of thrifting or want to purchase first-hand ethical clothing, there are a ton of sustainable and affordable alternatives, and for many, you are supporting small business owners as well which is amazing!
My personal picks for ethical Shein alternatives are:
Afends
Chnge
Girlfriend Collective
Whimsy + Row
Check out these brands, and navigate to the forum and make a post for your favorite swaps! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Make sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @alwaysbe_awear to enhance your fast fashion education! See you all next week!
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