The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment & How To Shop More Consciously on Shein

Hi there! It's been quite a long time since I last sat down at my laptop to type away a blog post. Photos with short captions seem to be favoured more these days, but writing has always been a love of mine, and now that I feel inspired to write again, I am going to talk about a subject on which there is never enough awareness. I am talking about fast fashion, but more specifically, the nation's latest obsession, Shein, and the impact this has on the global environment as well as tips on how you can shop better from similar websites.

Like I said, all of Malta (and Europe) seem to be possessed by shopping on Shein.com these days. All you see on popular Facebook groups are posts asking about shipping times, sizes, how much you need to spend to get free shipping, etc... I usually steer clear of shopping from Chinese clothing sites because more often than not, the quality is dismal, to say the least. I know this first hand because in the past, I had tried buying a couple of clothing items from Aliexpress and I was really disappointed with myself for falling into the trap and wasting money (not that it was much, but still, I work hard for my money to go and waste it like that). Basically, the clothes and materials being of sub-standard quality was my main reason for not shopping on Chinese clothing websites (and local stores who import the same clothes only to sell them at much higher prices). That is until I realized the effect of the excessive consumption of fast fashion on the environment - it hit me that we need to slow down and make better choices for the sake of our planet.

A woman photographs French artist Christian Boltanski’s ‘No Man’s Land’, made up of around 30 tonnes of discarded clothing. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/22/mps-to-examine-environmental-footprint-of-uk-fashion-industry

By definition, the term fast fashion refers to inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Most of the time, these retailers like Shein, H&M, Primark, Zaful,(Zara & River Island some times), etc., use cheaper materials which more often than not, don't stand the test of time, the stitching on the garments is awful, the patterns don't match up and they just generally look cheap. Not to mention, the stealing of ideas from big designers and having people (mostly women and young children) slaving away in their factories in horrid conditions and being paid peanuts in third world countries. Moreover, when people are done with the clothes, they just get thrown away and end up polluting the environment for God knows how many years!

Knowing all this, I feel bad admitting giving in to try Shein after seeing so many posts in groups I am a member of on Facebook as well as other local influencers' and friends' hauls. I put in a small order at 2am one night when I just couldn't sleep and kept my fingers crossed, hoping I was not wasting my money again. Fast forward to 5 days later, and the order was at my doorstep. I'm not going to lie, out of the 5 pieces I bought, only one dress was disappointing in the sense that the material was cheap-looking and the print was nothing like the pictures. On the other hand, I was really pleased with the rest of my order and in fact, I wore one of the dresses to an event I had later that week and I received a lot of compliments on my look. A small part of me still felt guilty though because I am well aware of the fact that the fashion industry is the biggest environmental pollutant. In fact, I had posted this same picture on The Beauty Game and on my Facebook page with my thoughts on buying fast fashion and I'm glad it sparked a healthy debate and many shared the same thoughts.

So of course, I was pleased with my first order on the whole, except for that one dress, and I thought since they are not so bad, maybe I could still give them a chance and buy a few more pieces of warmer clothing for the months ahead and my winter trip; I placed another order 2 weeks later for 8 items - 4 dresses, a beach skirt, a co-ord set, a knit vest and a pair of sandals. Again, they were delivered in 5 days but this time, I took a stand and said no more shopping on Shein unless it's something I really don't want to spend a lot of money on, (such as the snow boots for my upcoming trip this winter). To cut to the chase, 3 of the dresses and the skirt from the co-ord were just of really low quality for me. Even after looking at reviews and pictures which looked fine before I placed my order, I just couldn't justify spending money on such low-quality items. I didn't want to throw them away though, and the same as I did with the dress from the first order, I put them away in a bag and donated them to charity, maybe someone can turn them into cushion covers or something. 

As for the rest of the order, I was really happy with what I got, even the shoes. I wore them to lunch along with the top from the co-ord set (see pictures below) and I felt really comfortable in them and they didn't hurt my feet. Bottom line, I will only be considering shopping from Shein in cases such as I mentioned above; not wanting to spend a lot of money on something I won't be using as frequently. So, for now, I am waiting for the snow boots to be delivered and I'm hoping for them to be as good as the sandals.

 

With that off my chest, I wanted to share some tips that I hope you find helpful when shopping on Shein and similar websites because I do understand that most of us can only afford fast fashion. I for one, am no saint when it comes to clothes shopping. I need options and I cannot commit to just a capsule wardrobe and there was a time when, yes, I did buy a lot of clothes just for the sake of buying. However, nowadays I find myself making better choices and investing in better quality, classic pieces that will stand the test of time, and I want to pass on that knowledge to help you make better purchases on Shein or everywhere really.

• First off, keep a measuring tape handy and write down your measurements so they are easy to refer to when buying. This is a no-brainer but taking your time to measure yourself can spare you from getting the wrong size and having to return an item and having to pay for return shipping costs etc... 
• Look for better quality materials such as merino wool for example. These garments may be more expensive but you will get a lot more wear out of them. As tempting as cheap prices may be, the item in question is more likely to be of really bad quality than if you spend a little more on a better quality garment. Don't forget that cheap can be expensive as you would have to replace the item more frequently and that since most fabrics are non-recyclable, they will end up polluting the environment.
• The next point applies not only to Shein but also to most high street retailers. Avoid buying copies of popular designer bags and shoes. I have seen countless imitations of the Bottega Veneta Intrecciato leather pattern, the Gucci & Dior logos, and the Louis Vuitton monogram butchered while browsing different retailers locally and online. Most of the time, these bag knockoffs look cheap, will most definitely not last as long, and buying them is only contributing to stealing ideas from the big designers. I know this is probably something that is overlooked by the majority of you, but for me, as someone who spends a lot of time watching videos of designer bags, it irritates me to see brands blatantly copy shapes and designs. There are a lot of other bags you can get and to be honest, I doubt they will arrive in good shape from Shein.
• If possible, stick to plain garments rather than patterned to avoid mismatching. In the polka dot dress I am wearing in the photo further up, you can see that the pattern is not uniform where the seams meet. I love that dress but, yes it does bother me that the pattern does not match, so stick to plain clothes as much as possible to avoid that.
• Before you check out, have a look at your cart and think it through. Do you really need 10 tops of the same style? Thought so. Save the money you would have otherwise spent and treat yourself to something better 😉
• Re-use the re-sealable plastic bags the clothes come in. Wipe them down, expose to sunlight and use them to store other things in, for travelling, etc...
• Lastly, if you are not happy with any items you bought, you can always donate them or sell them on Shein Malta on Facebook in a bid to reduce fashion pollution.

Bottom line, I don't want to make a habit out of shopping from Shein and I'll just consider shopping from there if there is no other alternative or if the alternative is way more expensive than I would like to spend. Thank you if you've made it this far, that means a lot to me! Now I want you to share your thoughts in the comments below. Were you aware of the impact of fast fashion on the environment? Do you shop from Shein? Do you agree with me in not making a habit of buying from Shein?