mass consumerism

I didn’t know that. Did you?
But given the rate at which our population is growing, and consumption is exponentially rising..maybe it is not so surprising. I’ve been spending a lot more time reading up on the usual suspects.

1. Synthetic Dyes

Azo dyes (R-N=N-R) are chemical compounds that have two adjacent Nitrogen atoms between carbon atoms. The chemical reaction to create these compounds happens at regular temperature using water, so industrially it is easy to manufacture.

These account for 60-70% of all dyes in the industry! (They are also used in the food industry fyi) Azo dyes are the rockstars of color giving vivid high intensity shades to your fabrics especially those striking shades of Reds.

However…there’s always a however…Azo dyes aren’t the best for us, health-wise or planet-wise. It has been known to metabolize into carcinogenic (read cancer-causing) sub components. This means that when broken down, they tend to be quite harmful.

And considering that most of this industrial waste is dumped into rivers that contain bacteria…chances are that these Azo dyes are getting broken down into tiny monsters.

Really NOT Cool. While creating the collections for DFYNorm, I spent quite a lot of time looking for dyeing units that did Azo free dyeing as well as lab tested all our fabrics to make sure there were no traces of Azo dyes or Formaldehydes.

2. Leather Tanning

Source : National Geographic

Tanning is what makes leather durable, that converts it from the hide of dead animal to fabric. You can read more about the various processes used to tan leather here but the gist is that the most popular option is also the most noxious. In comes Chromium tanned leather, the leading option used these days. With it comes its annoying cousins, who announce their exit by polluting the waterways with Chromium, a heavy metal !

Considering that most of such tanning practices happen in developing nations like Bangladesh, India and China, the workers and the general population (including animals and plants) is at risk of consuming water laced with heavy metal. So ask yourself – is it really worth it?

3. No Fur For me

Sometimes fashion industry spokespeople take consumers for idiots, thinking we have the attention span of a fruit fly and the memory of well a fruit fly itself. Let’s bring back fur, fur is ‘trending’ this season and a lot of people will jump in on the bandwagon. Some will suggest fur is not harmful at all and dunk a bucket of ice cold water on the work of animal rights and environmental activists. And there with one snap of grandeur and a few glamorous catwalks, the world is ready for fur yet again.

To Fur or to Faux-Fur, yes let’s ask that pertinent question (sarcasm). Fur is renewable you might say but as we have just seen – to transform it from the luxurious coat of an animal (that has a whole engine working inside it to keep that coat alive and stunning) to one that nests on a human, takes chemical work. Et voila! in walks the rockstar of havoc, the heavy metal Chromium and its crew.

This argument might help those who have been so spoilt by Fashion that it doesn’t really matter at what cost, that article of luxury was sheared off a writhing animal. Fortunately, for all fur lovers, there is a new wave of companies that are looking to create fur from Alpaca wool, one that is obtained with minimal harm to the animal itself. As for the others, buy vintage please.

4. Textiles

The backbone and the body of Fashion is Fabric and there are a variety of them : the biodegradable and the non biodegradable ones.

The biodegradable ones comprise of natural fabrics like cotton, silk, hemp, jute, bamboo, raffia and so on as well as man-made fabrics like viscose and rayon which are made from cellulose.

The non-biodegradable ones comprise of anything made from hydrocarbons (read polymers, double read plastic). They are non-renewable because the root source of them all is oil and they do not decompose, meaning they last in the soil (and oceans) for a really long lime. Much after we are gone.

These non-biodegradable textiles were invented prior to the world war and were a big hit, back when the natural fabrics needed to be rationed.

Polyester is a great fabric in terms of properties, it can take great structure so its a designer’s dream to work with. Think of all those amazing pleats and folds that can be done with right heat settings! It is wrinkle resistant and it can stretch!

But in terms of being second skin, it is an absolute snob. No breathability. In humid countries like India, I am often surprised at how it still sells!

I personally hate it because of fast fashion. I almost want to cry when I think of the rate at which these end up in landfills. When I travel by the local trains in Mumbai and pass by the hubs that are teeming with tailors, I see shiny scraps of fabric all over the streets…and I am pretty sure thats polyester. When I used to live in the US, almost everything I bought was polyester! Blouses that looked like silk, dresses from Ann Taylor for work, stylish dresses that hugged the curves for the dance floors. I don’t think I gave it much thought before I actually started to read up about it. I mean we learnt these things in school!

But we forgot them by the time we grew into decision making adults who consume at a rate that would make Aldous Huxley hang his head in shame.

Polyester is not the only fabric that gets a rap (although it being non-renewable lends it the crown) but Cotton, that amazing breathable fabric that has a mind of its own when it comes to creasing, is not clean either. Such a bummer.

It is a lot more complicated to understand though, so I shall explain it in detail in an upcoming post. To sum up, it has to do with how water intensive growing cotton can be and the lackadaisical attitude of everyone involved in fast fashion that is leading to some irreversible changes in crop cycles as we speak.

5. Plastic Bags

If it isn’t worse that we wear plastic, we use them without batting an eye lid for everything we purchase! Isn’t it astounding how much plastic we accumulate in a DAY? It’s a conscious choice we must try to exercise, but taking a bag to shop will not only save the earth from one extra bag but it might just help you make better buying decisions.

Nick Waplington’s Photography of a Landfill

6. Import Export

Fashion is a global industry. The distribution of raw materials, of labor and artisanal gems is distributed in the developing world. This has enabled amazing fashion to be available to all. However, there is a lot of travel involved in the creation of fashion products : sending samples across countries, interim products, finished products to be distributed in retail houses. Oh wait, add to that ‘International Shipping’ and before we know it we are ordering a scarf thats being delivered from Bali.

What do we do? Should we just go on or should we just stop? Is there a way we can work through this quagmire. I think it isn’t too late. Fashion requires an overhaul in terms of awareness, technical proccesses, planning, agriculture innovations, logistics, packaging, design and waste management in order to become a sustainable industry.

For starters we can start with educating ourselves and making investments in clothing rather than buying them on an impulse. It is a journey we need to embark on to discover how happy we can be with things that are made by happy people. Stay tuned.

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Tag: mass consumerism

#DYK Fashion is the 2nd most polluting industry in the World.