Imagine a successful fashion brand that makes a hard stop, and then restarts all over again. And that is exactly what The Lot’s Ashleigh Battle did when she drew a line in the sand. Battle moved away from fast fashion to sustainability at the end of last year, The Citizen reported.
The fashion story shared with The Citizen in 2022 is now a far cry from her incredible fashion shape shift.
Fast fashion, with its rapid production cycles and low-cost trends, had grown into a colossal industry over recent years, said Battle. However, this growth came at a significant cost. Labour pay plummeted, product quality deteriorated, and environmental hazards skyrocketed in a vicious cycle of obsessive consumerism. “While access to affordable trendy fashion was initially attractive to shoppers, the detrimental effects of this industry soon became apparent,” she said.
Fashionistas on social media have repeatedly posted images of the giant fast fashion dump in Chile, South America. There, previously donned but perhaps not forever loved, fashion went to die. Photographers and eco-conscious models and media have staged shoots and events at the tip to raise awareness of the damage that constantly disposed of garments can cause. It highlighted the all-round pollutive nature of it. Socially, with low wage sweatshops through to mountains of rotting fabrics.
Overproduction and waste have become scourges of the fashion industry. Currency, the equaliser in many ways.
The combined weakening of the Rand, making imports of fashion all the more expensive. It decimated margins along with the socio environmental damage that fast fashion continues to cause. This challenge stirred Battle. Consequently, she changed direction. “Our customer base is self-aware; they don’t want to be a part of the problem. They want to support sustainable and ethical brands and businesses. We are seeing a massive shift towards consciousness and connection in purchasing patterns,” said Battle.
Sustainable fashion market worth billions
Fashion’s environmental impact is blamed as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and plastic waste. Without substantial changes, various reports suggest that the industry is projected to emit over a billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2030.