Fast Fashion has become the norm, but what is it, why is it harmful and how can walking away from the endless cycle of styles literally help you change the world?

There’s an incredible article written by Alex Crumbie on ethicalconsumer.com. It’s a real eye opener and in an effort to prop those peepers, we’ll hit the highlights here.

Social media and celebrity culture are the key culprits that drive Fast Fashion. We see it, we want it, we’re photographed in it and then we’re over it. It’s a really sick cycle and it’s literally killing the planet.

Staggering Facts…

According to Crumbie, consumers currently own 60% more clothing than they did in 2000.

The average item of clothing is worn only 14 times.

One in three young women consider an item “old” after one to two wears.

93 billion cubic meters (it’s a UK article!!) of water is used in clothing manufacturing. That’s a big number made even bigger when you consider that’s enough water to meet the consumption needs of 5 million people.

The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of water pollution around the globe.

Fast Fashion creates pressure on factories to produce clothing fast – and cheap. That leads to quite possibly the biggest problem. Plastics. Synthetic fabrics cost about half as much as cotton, so they’re frequently favored. But in our wear-and-toss world, guess where they wind up? In landfills. And guess what they don’t do? Biodegrade.

Now that we’ve thoroughly bummed you out. (Not on purpose, but just because the people gotta know.) We’ll share the solution. Sustainable clothes produced locally.

If we clean up fashion, we can help clean up the planet. Part of looking good is feeling good and at Blue & Yellow, we’re doing our part to help make you feel great.

How are we doing it? Glad you asked.

We use deadstock fabric to create our garments. That’s fabric that otherwise would have been headed to the landfill. Instead, we snag it, shape it and give it new life in the pieces you see on our website. We also have a Recycled and Respun knit program where we take textile remnants, break down the yarns and create your new favorite clothing.

Our challenge to consumers is to do just that – consume less. We encourage everyone to buy only what you need to break the one-and-done cycle.

We create quality pieces in timeless designs, so they’ll stay in style for a very long time. (And stand up to wash after wash…after wash.)

A portion of every purchase also goes directly to 1% for the Planet, an organization that does good in our community and yours.

It sounds a little lofty, doesn’t it? Saving the world through fashion. But we’re committed and we hope you are, too. Part of our purpose is to educate consumers on the damage Fast Fashion is doing so if you find this blog helpful, do what we’re doing with deadstock, and pass it on. Mother Nature will thank you.