New seasons, then new styles, more buying for cheaper, resulting in pollution and waste, and ultimately fueling the crisis of exploitation of underpaid labor workers and carbon emissions. Fast fashion is rising, and we must move toward more sustainable sources.
I recently have been viewing tons of ads of small influencers promoting brands like SHEIN, Forever 21, and H&M while scrolling on Instagram. These ads have promoted the latest clothing, free gift cards, and cheap sales. On the other hand, I have viewed multiple people sharing their stories of buying SHEIN clothing with the words “Help” on the tag or their clothing breaking after one wear.
These brands exploit others for cheap labor with high yields and profits. Their actions aren’t even healthy for the environment. Once fast fashion clothing is off the shelves, it is bound to end up in the oceans or, if lucky, the landfill, either because the seams came loose or it no longer follows the constantly changing style trends. These clothes are made from cheap unsustainable polyester, also known as plastic, which isn’t biodegradable. It will forever stay in the oceans, landfill, and soil, victimizing many ecosystems and organisms.
One of the popular trends was this butterfly top. Many of the K-pop idols wore it, prompting other creators who follow K-pop dance challenges to wear similar outfits. It caught my eye for its unique look; the whole top was a butterfly rather than a regular t-shirt with a butterfly. The big wings went from the shoulders to the middle of the torso connecting the cute body of the butterfly with antennas to cover the chest. Then the bottom wings hung like decorations. However, when I looked for any version of this top on online shopping sites, they were very cheap(a good thing), but on sites known for poor quality. This hinted they were part of fast fashion.
I wasn’t comfortable buying it, but luckily, I came across a crocheted butterfly top version on Etsy. After viewing this, I thought maybe I could make my own, which can be more environmentally sustainable. Even though I never crocheted before, I knew there were many videos online to guide me through the process. To create my first self-made top, I bought Lion Brand Yarn’s Re-Spun Yarn, 100% recycled polyester. The journey to make it was very time-consuming, but I would say it was worth it: I learned how to crochet, took a small step in helping the environment, and gained a new shared hobby with my good friend.
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