Disposable Fashion - Cheap and Fearful

Disposable fashion: Cheap and fearful

Did you know the average Australian woman wears just a third of the clothing she owns? With more choice and cheaper price tags than ever before we are in a world of disposable fashion, and it’s not necessarily a good thing.

Imagine you’re browsing online. You spot a cute top. It’s only $10! With a click of a button, it’s yours. Instant gratification. There was no aching over the decision, no weighing the pros and cons. No questions of, do I want it? Do I really need it? Will I actually wear it?

Rather than asking “why?” you said “why not!”… Hang on. Not so fast, Sista!

When your top costs the same as a chicken Panini, it’s not usually a beautifully made and handcrafted product. It’s not economically possible. So the stitching unravels after one wash, the buttons fall off, and the material pills.

Even if your top does miraculously keep itself together, because fashion trends now move so fast, the moment you hit pay, it’s dated. That geometric patterned midriff (with buttons!) doesn’t look so cool now.

I hear you thinking, “just chillax, I donate my old clothes to charity.” But how much do you think an op-shop can sell a $10 top for? Don’t forget it’s missing a button! Plus thousands of your awesome-geometric-buttoned-midriff were made, sold and donated, so the poor op-shop has an oversupply.

So what happens? It goes into landfill. Each year, Australians send $500 million worth of clothing to landfill.

Not only did Mother Earth give up resources to produce and sell your top (fabrics, dyes, colour setting chemicals, shipping, plastic wrapping etc.), but once in landfill disposable fashion keeps sticking it to her.

Clothing doesn’t just ‘break down’ like an apple core. Even natural fabrics go through processes, often chemical, to become clothing. When these products sit in landfill, they leach nasties that can enter the soil and groundwater. Further, as the material degrades, it releases dangerous methane gas. You know how the icecaps are melting? That’s methane gas. Your awesome-geometric-buttoned-chicken-Panini-midriff just killed a polar bear!

So what do we do?  

We buy sensibly. Loose the impulse. Think it over. Buy classic pieces made well from quality materials.

At Ovae we are really passionate about this. We are obsessed with quality workmanship. We love re-using vintage fabrics to create unique and one-off pieces and whenever our collections are inspired by current trends, we take care to ensure they’re classic enough to remain stylish and timeless.

We don’t want you to throw away our creations after a few washes; we want you to wear and love them for a lifetime.

Love Ovae's Resident Blogger x