Fall — the season in which you go from spending scorching summer days lounging at the beach, to spending the cool fall days stepping on crunchy leaves. And what’s even better than basking in the cool afternoons of fall? Basking in your favorite warm, knit sweater.
However, spending the fall wearing high-quality, knitted sweaters may be ambushed by the fact that fast fashion is present in our culture.
What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is a term that has become more present in our everyday lives. Items that come from fast fashion are “cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximize on current trends.” So basically, many companies attempt to keep up with the ever-changing latest trends by using cheap materials to produce them quickly and market them at a low price to create appeal for their company.
This method of fashion production is harmful to the environment. For one, the fashion industry is the second largest consumer industry of water. Additionally, the dyeing of clothing is globally the second largest polluter of water. Not only are massive amounts of water being wasted in this process, but so is energy. To make the plastic fibers into clothing requires a lot of petroleum, which ultimately then leads to the release of particles and acids that are dangerous for the environment. These plastic or synthetic fibers that are in clothing, like polyester or acrylic, take years and years to biodegrade. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about 35% of all microplastics that have resided in the ocean are estimated to come from those synthetic fibers that are in clothing. The use of cheap materials and the fast, careless process to produce clothing are detrimental to the environment.
How Did Sweaters Look Before Fast Fashion?
What prompted me to wonder why sweaters have decreased so much in quality over the years was a side-by-side comparison of two sweaters posted on Twitter. The Tweet featured a snapshot of Billy Crystal in his role as Harry from When Harry Met Sally and a picture of comedian and actor Ben Schwartz recreating the picture in present day. Many people replied to this Tweet in shock. The quality of Crystal’s sweater was described to look so much more cozier and higher quality, than Schwartzs’ thin sweater. So, why is there such a notable difference in quality between the two sweaters? Clothing that is produced today is made from synthetic materials, while clothing produced in the 90s (like Harry’s infamous sweater) was made from more natural materials. These natural materials could be wool or silk, for example. Quality time and material was put into the production of clothing years back, and because of fast fashion this has decreased.
What Can We Do About It?
If you’re in search of a comfy, well-made sweater for fall, I recommend thrifting. Not only is thrifting a sustainable way to combat fast fashion, but it’s also an opportunity to find high-quality vintage clothing. If thrifting is not your style and you’re willing to spend a good amount of money on a nice sweater, then I recommend finding a small business that puts in quality time and materials into their clothing production. Because when it comes to the fall season, what’s fall without a nice warm sweater?
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