Fashion has always come in cycles. We all know that what is popular now will be out of date in a few weeks or months’ time, but it might come back into fashion at some point. If there are gen Z children in your family, you might find that they’ve recently started embracing trends from the early 2000’s (to this millennial’s horror!). But this cycle of trends has caused us to become very wasteful and has led to a throwaway culture in our society. Where previous generations looked for longevity in their clothing, some people nowadays only look at trends. 

Aside from the waste caused by throwing away ‘out of fashion’ clothing to landfill, the production of fast fashion items also causes a lot of waste. Every year we create 92 million tonnes of textile waste worldwide and the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. We need to bear in mind that it is not just the clothes we might throw in the bin that count towards the amount of waste. We also need to count the offcuts from production as well as the pollution caused by dyes and chemical waste. Don’t forget all the packaging as well. It seems like there’s always a bag inside a bag inside a bag etc…  

So, how can you get involved? The aim of Second Hand September is exactly what it says on the tin. For the month of September, try to find ways to buy, wear or donate second hand clothing. If enough people adapt their spending habits and embrace second hand, we can reduce the demand for fast fashion and therefore reduce the amount of damage it causes. There is also the added bonus that shopping in charity shops such as Oxfam means that you are using your money to help a good cause. Although this is an initiative created by Oxfam, we think it’s a good idea to embrace the challenge by picking your favourite charity.  

Do you want to take on the challenge? If so, let us know which charity you’ll be supporting.