Nine signs you are addicted to fast fashion
London Fashion Week kicks off today (February 14, 2020), commencing five glamorous days of catwalk shows and presentations from the likes of Burberry, Erdem, Victoria Beckham and Christopher Kane.
But as well as showcasing UK-based design talent, this season the British Fashion Council wants to promote a responsible attitude to clothing consumption with the launch of #FASHIONOURFUTURE.
Centred around the Instagram page @fashionourfuture, the campaign asks people to make one of nine pledges that strike a balance between a love for fashion and protecting the planet, such as committing to only buying vintage for a set period, using fashion rental services, or upcyling unworn garments.
According to the European Clothing Action Plan, each person in the UK buys on average 26.7kg of clothing each year, but if you’re a real shopaholic, chances are you take home a lot more than that.
And if you mainly shop at fast fashion stores – those that quickly react to trends and mass produce cheap clothing – the impact on the environment is greater, because these clothes are more difficult to recycle and are often thrown away within a year of purchase.
So how do you know whether you need to rein in your retail habit? Here are some signs you’re addicted to fast fashion…
1. Payday is like Christmas Day
You count down to payday every month like a six-year-old waiting for Santa to arrive. But unlike a child who’s about to get a sackful of presents, you’ll be self-gifting as soon as that paycheck lands in your bank account. In fact, your employer may as well send it straight to Zara, because that’s where you’ll be heading at lunch time.
2. You’re on first name terms with your postman
… and the Hermes driver and the DHL dude. So many online shopping parcels arrive at your door each week that every mail carrier in the area knows who you are (and what your favourite fashion brands are).
3. You spend a LOT of time at the post office
With a great fast fashion habit comes great responsibility: returns. Sadly, since the bags of ill-fitting clothes you’re sending back are often too big to fit in the post box, you have to trudge to the post office multiple times a month and queue for what feels like forever, before handing over your pre-paid packages.
4. Your Instagram feed is fashion obsessed
No wonder you do so much shopping – every time you open Instagram you’re met with a never-ending parade of brands peddling cheap as chips clothes – and influencers looking amazing in said clothes. Plus, now that brands can link directly from photos to product pages, it’s even easier to click through and buy, buy, buy.
5. You plan your outfits around social media
‘Have I been pictured in this on Instagram before? Was it in my Story or on my main feed?’ These are the questions you ponder when deciding on an outfit. You know you shouldn’t wear an item once then discard it, but the thought that someone would utter the words, ‘I love that dress, I saw it on your insta’, is more than you can bear.
6. You spend more on holiday fashion than travel
The flights are booked and you’ve found the perfect boutique hotel. Now the real spending begins. Holidays are prime social media show-off time, and you’ve got to be prepared. For a beach holiday, that means at least one bikini per day. For a cosy winter break, you’ll be stocking up on trendy boots, cute coats and about 20 beanie hats. Just in case.
7. You’re an emotional shopper
Feeling sad? It’s time to hit the shops. In a good mood? Online spree it is. While some people are emotional eaters, clothes shopping is your default activity, whether you’re already in a good mood or want to cheer yourself up.
8. You buy things you’ll never wear
When you’re a super shopper, sales are your kryptonite. The lure of a 50% tag is too much for you to resist – when it goes up to 70% you’re utterly powerless. So what if it’s not quite the right size? Or colour? Or style? It might come in handy at some point, so you whack it in your online basket anyway.
9. Your wardrobe is a nightmare
When one accumulates clothes as fast as you do, a regular-sized closet can’t cope. Unfortunately, you don’t have a walk-in wardrobe, just a normal one, so you’re forced to stuff in all your new purchases until it’s bursting at the seams. Even the patron saint of decluttering herself, Marie Kondo, would be scared to tackle this fash-castrophe.
Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto
