Why Consumerism Makes Fast Fashion Dangerous

I recently bought to pairs of Levis and with that came a revision of my shopping habits. I stopped buying beauty on impulse a long time ago and it sure helped to improve my makeup collection. I only buy things after doing research, things I know I will like and I stopped snooping around for Drugstore Makeup all the damn time. However, with a shopping centre a 10 minutes drive away from my house it becomes hard to resist the urge of shopping fast fashion all the damn time.

 I like to be on-trend, like most people my age. I follow many influencers and I want to own the same clothes that they do because I love their style. Most times, and because I can't afford to buy from expensive brands, I turn to fast fashion like most of us do. Even though we all know the industry is terrible and that we all probably own too many clothes we feel the urge to buy, it's cheap and it's accessible. I am not writing this post to go on a quest against fast fashion, this post is about consumerism, the way we shop and my thoughts on where to invest.

I do buy from Primark, Zara, H&M and many other brands I am not baning them from my life, but I am, more than ever, being conscious about what I am buying. I only buy pieces that I know will suit my wardrobe. Pieces I know that fit my style and that fit into each other, that allows me to create different looks. This way I am not buying things for the sake of buying. It requires thought and ponderation. Most of the time if I like a piece I see on a store I go home and reflect about it, I ask myself Would it fit with what I already own? Does it suit my style? Does it suit me? If the answer to these questions is YES I go back to the store and I get it, if the answer is no, most often than not I forget about it. This way I am controlling the urge to shop and I am saving money.

I also never buy clothes without trying them on. Sometimes we like a piece on Instagram, or on someone else but I feel the need to trying things on myself to see if they look good, if the pieces are comfortable and if I feel good while wearing them. This is something I find crucial, most times when things are bought without being tried on first they end up in a rack at the end of the closet with the tags on, or they end up being returned. I don't like wasting my money or my time and for that reason, I never buy without trying an item on.

But, let's circle back into the Levis I got. I had made the decision quite a while ago that I wanted to start being more conscious about what I was buying. I have fast-fashion pieces that I've owned for 5 years or more and are still in perfect shape (maybe due to the way I treat them), but that was never the case with jeans. Jeans have always been a hard piece of clothing to buy. I am 1,78m (5'10 I guess), so automatically all the skinny jeans are short on me. Then I have an hourglass figure (even though I hate to label body types), but, in fact, my waist is quite small, especially when compared to my butt, which made the idea of not wearing a belt almost impossible.

And then I do realize how poorly made fast fashion jeans are. They rip easily, they stretch where you don't want them too and they lose colour with washing. For those reasons I almost stopped wearing jeans, at least I stopped buying them.

However we are talking about a piece that you can easily create looks around, a wardrobe essential. That was the reason why I decided to invest in two pairs that weren't from a Fast Fashion brand, pairs that I know will last me a lifetime if I take good care of them. Jeans that fit me perfectly everywhere, that won't show too much of my ankles or need a belt, jeans that just fit.

I did get them in an outlet, with outlet pricing, but we are talking about a piece that is meant to last you a lifetime, who cares if it's last seasons collection or not? Anyways, this might have been the first step I took into having a more conscious friendly closet, but every step counts. I truly believe that if you want to start a journey similar to mine you need to access what pieces do you own, the ones you wear the most and then pick pieces that make sens investing in. For me it was jeans, but it could be a leather jacket, a plain white tee or a pair of shoes. If you can't afford to buy for anything that isn't Fast Fashion just be more aware of what you are buying, and always aim for timeless pieces instead of trendy ones.

Location: Loulé, Algarve, Portugal

Photography: João Machado