ALTR Magazine Issue 1: Fruit

ALTR FRUIT ISSUE 1 FALL 2021

CONTRIBUTORS Sustainable Fashion Team Natalie Guisinger – Editor Kalyxa Roman – Editor Dakota Margolis – Design Coordinator Sierra Margolis – Sustainable Fashion Team Director Mackenzie Schwedt – Layout Designer Jessica Brunnenmeyer Taylor Johnston Lauryn Power Tasnima Zaman Michelle Thatcher – U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce CEO Media and Communications Team Independent Contributors Alex Andersen Katie Corbett Sophie Levit Lena Yang

SHEI Magazine sheimagazine.com instagram.com/shei_magazine/

VIM Magazine vimmagazinemsu.com instagram.com/vimmsu/

Coulture Magazine coulture.org instagram.com/coulturemag/

US + OUR MISSION ALTR Magazine is a digital publication that aims to bring forth a new vision of how we see and interact with fashion. We provide fashion news, style inspiration, and lifestyle tips just like a traditional fashion magazine; however, we push fashion beyond an aesthetic concept or a consumer industry. We ask challenging questions that are not discussed frequently enough in the mainstream fashion industry: questions about sustainability, ethics, and social and environmental justice.

ALTR is an open resource for anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about Sustainable Fashion. We invite you to challenge traditional perspectives of sustainable fashion and join us in discovering its limitless potential.

Sustainable fashion is a growing movement and an ever-changing philosophy.

There is no such thing as “perfect sustainability.” We are truly all figuring it out together, and this magazine is more a collection of musings, discussions, and discoveries than a strict handbook or manual for sustainability.

There is plenty to learn about the fashion industry’s environmental, social, and economic issues. As we discover the solutions, we want to share and discuss them with you. We hope you will also feel empowered to ask these tough questions and be confident in your ability to interact with fashion consciously.

ALTR is the brainchild of the Fashion Team working on behalf of the Global Climate Pledge, an organization that works globally to bring sustainable solutions into the private sector. We are a group of individual consumers, just like you, who recognize fashion’s higher potential, and we are committed to working together to make that potential a reality.

FRUIT Why have we chosen fruit as our first article? The many literal and metaphoric qualities of fruit allows for so much creative potential. Fruit, by definition, is the tissue protecting seeds and future generations of species while also acting as a sweet treat providing organisms with energy. Sustainable fashion is kindred to fruit, as it focuses on building a prosperous future that nourishes people, animals, and the environment involved in the industry. Fashion can act as a nurturing agent through regenerative agriculture, fabrics from recycled materials, and ethical labor.

Fruit is an embodiment of prosperity and productivity found in countless shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. The sheer richness of these natural delights is the perfect example of the diversity the fashion industry aspires to have. As fruits are indicators of seeds and plants to come, they are paralleled to the innovations within the fashion industry that aim to redirect the system into something more holistic that keeps future generations in mind.

Just as fruits are fresh and sugary, they can also easily rot and mold. Today’s fashion industry can be damaging due to human suffering and ecological devastation. Digging deeper into how clothing is made can reveal that these new fashions can cause more harm than good. It’s time to ALTR this and create a system of producing, using, and disposing of clothing that minimizes negative impacts and exemplifies sustainability. You can help us create a more fruitful clothing industry by taking action to change current processes.

––The Sustainable Fashion Team

CONTENTS

Us + Our Mission

03

Bath

06

Circular

10

New Growth

11

Cottagecore and the Strawberry Dress

12

Cottagecore Continued

16

Indulgence

18

Vegan Leather

28

Fruitful Renaissance

30

The Conscious Consumer

34

Bringing the Garden

38

Waste Colonialism

44

BATH

Photographer Katie Corbett Designer Mackenzie Schwedt Models Isabel Boyer, Emma Kruse

Circular A flowering orange grove Outfit catching your eye, the cold tap of a “buy now” Glistening tangerines begin to ripen, sweet smell on the breeze Folding, packaging, transport, hundreds of miles away Oranges, supple and whole, lounge on the branches Clothes arrive at your door, craving fulfilled Fresh fruit falls to the soft soil below Preference growing tired, you sell, you gift, you upcycle Seeds dropped, growth encouraged, and the cycle begins anew

New Growth Newborn shoots poke through our abandoned wardrobes Green nudging aside once-worn skirts and neon pumps Unfurling its leaves to embrace smog-filled air Pushing forward next to polyester flowers and synthetic promise Struggle to survive amid the fashions of last generation and last weekend Hope amongst the discarded

Writer Taylor Johnston Designer Mackenzie Schwedt

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted entire communities, forcing many into isolation.

To cope with the sudden changes, people have shifted and expanded their social media circles on various apps, including TikTok. One way users connect is through a shared love of the Cottagecore aesthetic.

The fantasy and escapism of the world of Cottagecore offers a break from reality.

The concept is simple: envision spending endless hours of quarantine in a cozy cottage, sipping tea and baking bread while wearing a flowy, floral dress.

Cottagecore, an aesthetic popularized immensely through TikTok, idealizes a simple, rural way of life, utilizing clothing such as prairie skirts, loose blouses, and ruffled skirts detailed with simple embroidery. While addressed in women’s magazines for years, Cottagecore has exploded on social media in its latest iteration.

Some of the main signifiers of Cottagecore include soft images of floral dresses, plants, baked goods and various aspects of nature.

The game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is particularly characteristic of Cottagecore themes. Because players are tasked with designing their own island, many model their creations after Cottagecore.

Various designers have created looks inspired by Cottagecore’s aesthetic. A shop called The Cottagecore was created to sell clothing solely based on the trend.

Lirika Matoshi’s strawberry midi dress fits the Cottagecore aesthetic with its puffy tulle sleeves and whimsical strawberry beading. This dress is an elaborate confection, seemingly suitable for a magical ball in the forest.

While easy to dream up, this fantasy doesn’t come cheap — the mythical dress of soft, gauzy bubblegum pinks is priced at $490; however,

Writer Alicia Rose Robbins Designer Sophie Levit

people from varying incomes still choose to splurge on it. In addition to its huge popularity, the steep price of the strawberry dress has led to notoriously inexpensive online stores like Shein and AliExpress selling low-quality dupes.

Tess Holliday, a plus-sized model and body positivity advocate, was the first celebrity to showcase the dress at the Grammy Awards long before it became popular. Trolls often post comments on Holliday’s Instagram about how unhealthy they think she is. Holliday says people want to bring fat people down when they are happy and confident in themselves, claiming fat-phobia caused her to appear on worst-dressed lists when she wore Matoshi’s design.

“Now because a bunch of people wore it on Tik-Tok, everyone cares,” she says. “To sum it up: our society hates fat people, especially when we are winning.”

The strawberry dress embodies all of the main elements of Cottagecore. It certainly wasn’t designed to be worn during quarantine, but in a way, it was still made for 2020. There is a serious need for bits of sunshine amidst the darkness of this year, and the strawberry dress offers this. The whimsical chaos of the dress reminds us of what it’s like to be relaxed and free from the worries of the global pandemic. The power of fashion and aesthetics provide us with new and creative ways to ride out the uncertainty of 2020 together. They allow us to form communities based around the fantasy of living in the forest, picking mushrooms and wearing tulle dresses for no reason. The communal need for escape unites us.

Although we’re not nestled up in a cottage together, we can pretend we’re frolicking in fields of flowers while wearing a Cottagecore masterpiece.

Photo & Collage Natalie Guisinger Models Katie Corbett, Juan Marquez

COLLAGE

Strawberry Dress The darling of 2020, Lirika Matoshi’s strawberry dress was inescapable on Tiktok.

Now, with the dress available in black, along with maximalist fruit designs and jewelry taking the app by storm, the reign of the strawberry doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. With “fruit being the new floral,” the dress is being given a second life. The biggest problem with this trend is the unsustainable consequences of having a wardrobe filled with fruit.

With the fruit aesthetic calling for a return to nature and recognizing the beauty of what can be found in a garden, the irony of what is behind this aesthetic seems cruel.

Fast fashion “strawberry dresses” and clothing pieces featuring other fruits like cherries and peaches are everywhere, offering an affordable alternative to Matoshi’s high cost. However, the affordable, fast fashion inspired by the natural world creates crises for both the environment and humanity.

With 68% of fast fashion brands not maintaining gender equality and housing workers 1 in unsafe conditions , and textile production contributing more to climate change than aviation and shipping 2 combined , the impact is clear.

With these statistics plus the understanding that 3 out of 5 fast-fashion items end up

3

in a landfill , the need to find a sustainable alternative is clear. Unfortunately, buying a strawberry dress from Shein is the furthest thing from the natural aesthetic it tries to copy.

To get your hands on the strawberry dress without the dress’s price or a high cost on the environment, consider renting it from a rental platform like HURR. Renting saves your wallet as well as your peace of mind as you are not contributing to textile waste.

Renting also decreases waste so that when you no longer want to wear the dress, it can travel to the hands of another

cottagecore aficionado and not a landfill.

If renting isn’t for you, you can always try your hand at making your own clothes! Sewing patterns and YouTube tutorials for the dress are easy to find and sidestep fast fashion’s human and environmental costs. Alternatively, swapping clothes with friends or through third-party apps is also an excellent option for a sustainable strawberry moment. The point being, there are many ways to achieve the lush strawberry aesthetic without polluting the strawberry fields.

Writer Taylor Johnston Designer Sophie Levit

Sanders, Libby, and Jasmin Mawsen. “The 2019 Ethical Fashion Report.” HumanRights.org. Baptist World Aid Australia, April 2019. https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/files/documents/ FashionReport_2019_9-April-19-FINAL.pdf.

2 “Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability.” House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee. UK Parliament, February 19, 2019. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/ cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf.

3 “Waste and Pollution.” Clean Clothes Campaign, September 2, 2019. https://cleanclothes.org/fashionsproblems/waste-and-pollution.

1

INDULGEN

NCE

Fashion Courtney Mass, Isabelle Fisher Photographers Alex Andersen, Jacob Ward Designer Emma Peterson Models Salisha Baranwal, Anna Barr

Humans have relied on leather’s wide range of usefulness and durability for over 7000 years.

Unfortunately, leather’s demand spiked during the Industrial Revolution and caused it to be a drain on environmental resources and to be a direct contributor to global warming.

Leather: How is it good, and how is it bad?

Leather comes from the skin of animals, often cows, but also goats, snakes and crocodiles.

The skin can come from byproducts of the meat industry, which is how the industry can engage in a circular economy (the idea that waste from one process can be used as inputs to another).

However, certain leather companies raise the animals specifically for skin, so you should research the company to ensure you’re buying leather from a sustainable brand. Leather making often supports factory farming and allows for the continued use of environmentally degrading practices. The meat industry is responsible for nearly 15% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Methane released from cows, deforestation done to create space for cattle, and farming done for feedstock directly contributes to global warming.

Most skins are tanned using chrome, which leads to carcinogenic wastewater getting dumped into waterways that can disrupt ecosystems. It is also water-costly: the tanning process requires over 17,000 liters of water for 1 kg of leather. In addition, the chemicals the workers use are toxic and dangerous, and they are often not given proper protective equipment, which can lead to detrimental health effects such as cancer.

The animal rights violations of leather goods is an obvious concern. Livestock animals are not under the same legal protection as pets, and they are often mistreated, forced to live in cramped spaces, and fed poor nutritional diets.

Vegan Leathers: Are they sustainable?

Vegan leather is a fabric that mimics the feel, strength, and durability, but is not made of any animal products. It is made of plastics and/or plant-based materials instead. Vegan leather is a great alternative product in regards to animal cruelty; however, there may be more questions regarding the environment to ask yourself before you purchase it. Most vegan leathers are made of plastics, and depending on the type of plastic, they each will have a different environmental impact. Polyurethane (PU) is slowly becoming the most popular type of plastic used in vegan leather as its production uses less environmentally degrading chemicals.

Some vegan leathers also use recycled PET (polyester).

As the demand for vegan leather grows, new production methods are appearing to make the vegan leather industry more sustainable, many of which include fruit as the basis.

Piñatex Piñatex is a fruit-based vegan leather made from pineapple leaves. The faux leather has many crinkles, similar to traditional leather. It’s strong, lightweight, and breathable, making it perfect for jackets and shoes. It comes in many colors, including metallic shades of blue, silver, and gold.

The inventor of Piñatex, Dr. Carmen Hijosa, saw the need to revolutionize the leather industry when she was in the Philippines for a consulting project. She was inspired by the use of plants in traditional Barong Tagalog clothing, and once she saw the massive amounts of leaves leftover from the pineapple harvest, she knew it had the potential to create something new.

After the fruit is harvested, the leaves are sorted to find which ones are viable for being made into Piñatex. The fibres are extracted from the leaves using semi-automatic machines and are then left to dry out in the sun. The fibres are purified and processed, which leaves them looking like bits of fluff. The fluff is mixed with corn-based polylactic acid. It is then processed into a non-woven material, coated in resin to improve the quality, and is then ready to be sewn into all kinds of products. Hijosa wanted to ensure that Piñatex was genuinely sustainable.

When building her manufacturing plants and supply chains, she was dedicated to important sustainable development ideas such as the circular economy.

Piñatex is a certified B corporation. Over a hundred different companies use their leather to create shoes, bags, and jackets, including Hugo Boss, Svala, and Altiir. More of their products can be found their website or on Instagram using #MadeFromPiñatex.

Apples After years working in the apple industry, Alberto Volcan sought to find a way to use the waste of his apples from fruit juice and compote processing. He tried many products, and as he processed his failing vegetable glue through a pasta maker, it created a type of fabric which became the basis for the leather. The leather also helps to cut down on waste from other industrial processing. Most apple leather is made from 50% apple product and 50% plastic/ canvas, so it has much less greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other plastic-based vegan leather.

Oliver Co. London sells many different products of vegan apple leather, such as wallets, cardholders, and passport holders. Immaculate Vegan also sells a wide variety of apple leather products including boots, handbags, belts, and wallets. While it can be expensive, the prices are comparable to traditional vegan products.

Grape Grape vegan leather was developed to solve a similar issue to apple leather. The wine industry produces over 6.5 billion tons of waste each year. The waste comes from all parts of the grape plant, including seeds, stalks, and skins which are all used in the vegan grape leather.

Gianpiero Tessitore, an Italian architect and designer, first created grape leather and is dedicated to ensuring a sustainable process.

The fabric has similar properties to traditional leather in its strength and durability. In addition, the method does not use water and does not require the toxic chemicals involved in tanning.

Tessitore started his own company called Vegea after patenting his grape leather making process. Vegea sells classic handbags, wallets, and shoes but also car seats and upholstery.

Final Thoughts The fashion industry is changing dramatically to fill the rising demand for more sustainable practices. Thrifting animal leather products is another great option to giving old products a new life. When you need a new wallet or pair of shoes, consider diving deeper into what the materials are made of and see if a fruit vegan leather product is a good ALTRnative.

Writer Lauryn Power Designer Lena Yang

Fruitful

Renaissance

With the turn of the decade, 2021 has ignited a fashion renaissance for trends predating the new millennium. The silhouettes and textiles that were once prominent during many of our childhoods have grown with us into the modern era, in which sustainable fashion has become the most fruitful method of consumerism.

Color was at the forefront of every trend this summer. The bright maximalism of the Y2K aesthetic from the early 2000s made a comeback with multicolored graphic patterns and playfully nostalgic accessories.

The floral and geometric prints we wore as children reappeared alongside bucket hats, claw clips, and colorful beaded jewelry. While some trends have been rightfully left in the past, crochet was reinvented into trendy halter tops and sundresses. Masculine silhouettes also continued to thrive amidst women’s style, despite the more feminine trends of the summer. Men’s buttondown shirts and vintage baseball caps created modern juxtapositions when paired with feminine garments. Oversized button-downs were perfect breathable pieces to throw over fitted tanks and shorts, while the summer sun made baseball caps the ultimate summer accessory. With the world feeling a little bigger and brighter without as many restrictions, there was no better way to celebrate the renewed sense of optimism than with fashion.

Although we now have many reasons to get dressed up, it is more important than ever to remind ourselves to be mindful consumers. Unlike previous generations, rising discussions concerning sustainable fashion have left many young people in a conscious war between indulging in trends and maintaining ethical shopping practices. However, as with all healthy habits, the key is to compromise: you don’t have to restrict yourself but instead, try to find more sustainable alternatives to your favorite mass-produced summer trends. The beauty of fashion is that trends always follow cycles, so there’s almost always a secondhand option available. The rise and fall of the Y2K aesthetic is the perfect example of how trends are like fruit: they’re at their ripened prime only for a season before inevitably rotting in your closet and being replaced.

Thrifting is now more than just an

opportunity to save money on clothing, but an adventurous pastime to find unique, secondhand pieces for less. Social thrifting apps like Depop and Poshmark make the browsing process more efficient through search features that dispense a curated product stream tailored to you. Trends of any season can be found in-app within minutes in an abundance of different designs, sizes, and styles. Even modern websites like Thredup or The RealReal offer an incredible selection of secondhand name brands or designer clothing entirely customizable to your selected design and size options, all for discounted prices.

It is very seldom that an entirely new trend comes around, but when it does,it often originates from a high-end designer or a unique indie label that gains popularity.

Well-known fashion companies will then begin to reproduce the same style of garment in cheap fabrics and large quantities, but with smaller price tags. Investing in the new cut of dress or style of sneaker rather than the cheap, mass-produced alternative directly supports the designer and the highest quality garment available.

Photographer Jared Osborne Writer Kseniya Lukiy Fashion Isabella Schincariol, Anna Webber, Kseniya Lukiy Beauty Ava Taconelli Designer Lauren Slawin

As autumn approaches with its newest set of trends, be aware of what you own and what you wear. Depop and Poshmark are not only beneficial when you’re browsing or looking to purchase, but also offer a straightforward navigation process to sell your own used clothing and accessories on the app. If maintaining a Depop or Poshmark account sounds like a hassle, donating your used clothing to local thrift shops is an easy way to participate in sustainable buying and selling. These methods ensure that your clothing lives many more lives instead of being discarded after a single wear. Practicing mindful consumerism, investing in higher-quality pieces, and finding secondhand alternatives will lead you to a more fruitful and sustainable wardrobe without having to make any sacrifices.

THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER IS THRIFTING

ACTUALLY ETHICAL?

Why we should be careful about buying second-hand The rich turquoise-green of the sweatpants caught my eye immediately in the aisle of jumbled up donated clothing that stretched nearly ten yards to the back wall of the thrift store. I walked briskly over to the piece, located in the men’s section, snatching the hanger off the rack to admire the pants to reveal a salient black and white stripe down the side.

Straight-cut and oversized, they extended a few inches past my ankles when pressed against my legs to preview their fit. With a little bit of tailoring, they could easily be transformed into the perfect pair of joggers, one nobody owned but me.

The appeal of finding unique and affordable clothing drives many young people towards thrift stores. Thrifting has significantly risen in popularity in the last year or two, particularly among younger generations; nearly half of Gen Z-ers, or people born between 1995 and 2014, purchased

second-hand in 2019.1 The total secondhand market is predicted to surpass fast fashion by 2029.

Not only is thrifting cheaper, but it’s more sustainable than buying clothes firsthand. It contrasts with fast fashion, one of the largest contributors to waste, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions.2 Events like the deadly garment factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 have led to more widespread criticism of fast fashion, spurring a shift towards more ethical consumption.3 The rise in popularity among younger consumers specifically can perhaps be attributed to generational differences in political views. According to McKinsey’s “The State of Fashion 2019” report, Gen Z-ers express more concern about climate change than older generations.4 While thrifting promotes sustainability, its recent uptake

is concentrated among higherincome individuals, particularly entrepreneurs who spark controversy by reselling thrifted items for a profit.

Some argue that higher-income individuals who thrift but could easily afford other sustainable options are “stealing from the poor.”5 Rising prices among thrift stores due to increased interest has created a so-called gentrification of thrifting, making the previously accessible secondhand items less affordable for lower-income individuals who may rely on thrifting.

This argument generates the questions: Who should thrift?

Is thrifting really as ethical as it seems? The simple answer: it’s complicated.

The Secondhand Advantage There is already an excess of firsthand clothing being produced, the majority ending up in landfills.6 The current fast fashion industry is anything but cyclical: apparel is made, purchased, then discarded when trends fade. Much of the production is unethical, with sweatshops and fast fashion companies like H&M taking advantage of workers7 by not providing adequate pay nor safe and clean working conditions. Thrifting, on the other hand, keeps clothing in a cycle where it’s consumed, donated back, or repurposed.

“It’s natural for humans to want to recycle. We recycle money, we recycle our houses, and all these other things, and that translates into clothing,” says Jacob Ward, a senior studying in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at University of Michigan.

Ward is also the founder of SCARBO, a digital arts community dedicated to collaboration and inclusivity. In addition, Ward is the Creative Director for SHEI Magazine, University of Michigan’s official student-run arts, fashion, and culture publication that uses nearly all secondhand fashion for photoshoots.

For digital issues that SHEI releases each month, fashion members utilize garments thrifted from Ann Arbor stores like Salvation Army and Ragstock, as well as pieces they pull from their own wardrobes.

Thrift stores allow individuals and organizations like SHEI Magazine to discover unique apparel and accessories at discounted prices and in a sustainable way. “The whole ritual of entering the store and having no idea what you’ll come out with is a fun aspect of thrifting,” notes Natalie Guisinger, a recent graduate from the University of Michigan.

For her, the eco-conscious aspect of thrifting came second, originally having thrifted with friends in high school out of boredom and as it began to rise in popularity.

Now, Guisinger buys nearly all second hand clothing. She’s drawn to the cyclical nature of thrifting, knowing that she will also donate unused clothing back.

Sophie Smith, who plans on attending University of Michigan as a business major in Fall 2021, shares a similar passion

for thrifting. Sophie runs an Instagram account where she resells thrifted clothing.

“The fact that you get to extend the life of a piece of clothing that already has a story behind it is super cool,” Sophie remarked about thrifting. She tapped into a newly emerging market of young girls in her more affluent neighborhood interested in vintage clothing.

This style ranges from old rock band graphic tees to boxy Levis to silk slip dresses.

While thrift stores are rising in popularity among higherincome individuals, they still keep affordable clothing accessible to lower-income communities.

Ward spoke about the importance of thrift stores for lower-income communities, allowing lower-income individuals to purchase items such as formal wear, winter coats, and other basic necessities: “It’s one of those essential resources for lowerincome communities that should never go away.”

Potential Pitfalls While thrifting is known for its discounted prices, secondhand items have risen in cost over the past decade, according to Goodwill’s 2020 report.8 This uptick in prices is perhaps attributed to thrifting’s increasing popularity, which thrift stores may also be taking advantage of, raising their prices to match a higher demand.

Because increasing popularity is concentrated among middle- and upper-class individuals, the rising prices may disproportionately affect lower-income communities; this gentrification of thrifting makes clothing less affordable and accessible.

Another concern is that affluent individuals will monopolize thrift stores and buy up all of the clothing; consequently, fewer items of clothing will be left for lower-income individuals.

Whether or not the gentrification of thrifting leaves a shortage of clothing for those in need, particularly essential items like winter coats, is still heavily debated. Thrift stores only sell a very small fraction of the clothing they receive through donations.9 They send the remaining (and large) unsold portion to landfills or overseas

Taking Action to developing countries, a practice that could harm jobs for local textile workers, according to BBC.10

With both the advantages and drawbacks considered, there are a few things we can do as consumers.

Ward, who thrifts out of necessity, reflects on his experience: “I started thrifting the most when I got to college.

And it was out of financial necessity. It started when I had concerts, but they had a strict dress code… at U-M you need to have a tuxedo.” Ward ended up getting a suit jacket from the Salvation Army, which was much more affordable than buying firsthand.

First and foremost, check your closet. Examine what you already have and what you need. Consider repurposing old clothing for other things or exchange clothing with friends and family. Donating back to thrift stores what you don’t plan on wearing, rather than discarding it.

“What economic bracket does it stop where you shouldn’t shop at thrift stores anymore?” Ward asks. “I think it’s a necessity for everyone. And the thing is, there’s so much fabric waste that we are not going to run out of clothes.”

Regardless of whether or not the gentrification argument is supported, it’s important to note the social and cultural implications of thrifting. The trend reflects a glorification of secondhand clothing by affluent individuals, something that has historically been stigmatized for the poor.11 Social acceptance of thrifting does not necessarily imply reduced class prejudice.

If you need more clothing, buy secondhand when possible.

Look for items that are durable and timeless, unlike most fast fashion.

Most importantly, thrift consciously. “Know where you are, and just be respectful. It’s all about respect,” says Ward.

Set yourself thrifting guidelines.

“There are some rules that I now abide by,” which Guisinger also refers to as “commandments” for herself. “It’s important to not purchase coats and winter items to allow lower income people to purchase the items, along with oversized items, and especially business attire.”

The Big Picture Changing the way we consume is critical to dealing with the climate crisis. While thrifting is much more sustainable than fast fashion, it’s still a form of consumption. Materialist values are deeply embedded in American culture, which will take greater time and effort to change.

“We have been indoctrinated into thinking that constant consumption is so necessary when it really isn’t,” explains Guisinger. “That’s just something we all have to slowly unlearn as Americans.”

Writer Alex Andersen Designer Mackenzie Schwedt

Dobrosielski, Chuck. "Gen Z Questions the Ethics of Thrifting and Resale." Sourcing Journal (Online) (Mar 01, 2021).

“UN Alliance Aims to Put Fashion on Path to Sustainability.” UNECE Sustainable Development Goals, July 12, 2018.

3 Yardley, Jim. “Report on Deadly Factory Collapse in Bangladesh Finds Widespread Blame.” The New York Times, May 22, 2013.

4 “The State of Fashion 2019.” McKinsey & Company, 2019.

5 BER Staff. “Rise of Thrifting: Solution to Fast Fashion or Stealing from the Poor?” Berkeley Economic Review. November 19, 2019.

6 Porter, Beth. “What Really Happens to Unwanted Clothes?” Green America.

7 Adams, Margaret. “Fast Fashion, Thrifting, and Sustainability’>.” UWIRE Text, February 10, 2021, 1. Gale Academic OneFile 8 “Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors.” Goodwill Industries International. March 2020.

9 Rosenberg, Cory. “The Clothes You Donate Don’t Always End Up on People’s Backs.” Treehugger. September 23, 2019.

10 Rodgers, Lucy. “Where Do Your Old Clothes Go?” BBC News. February 11, 2015.

11 Finxerunt: Across the Spectrum of Socioeconomics. Finxerunt Movement.

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BRINGING THE GARDEN INTO THE CLOSET When I opted into attending a wedding three days and 1000 miles away, there were many logistical undertakings to solve. However, the one problem that was the most pressing was deciding on what to wear.

I knew I didn’t have anything wedding-esque in my college apartment. Plus, I wasn’t trying to spend the afternoon at the mall, draining 100+ dollars out of my college bank account. So I went back to my Dad’s house and rifled through my old dresses. The clothes dated back to 2015–and most would be considered ‘cheugy’ by today’s standards. Yet, a long, lacy, pale pink dress caught my eye in the stacks of staticky statin and chocolate-stained chiffon. I had worn it to my high school’s senior class superlatives ceremony years earlier. Now, it was the only piece of formal clothing that I’d actually consider wearing to the wedding. Still, the dress had a few problems; the first, wascolor. In the right light, the pale pink dress looked almost white. Since I didn’t want to be the person who both RSVP’ed at the last minute and wore white to the ceremony, I decided to get a little crafty and add some ~spice~ to the dress: I dunked the full-length dress into a large vat filled with boiling water, ½ cup of vinegar, and 3ish tablespoons of turmeric. Ten minutes later, I had a bright yellow dress.

Instead of buying a harsh, chemically-made dye, finding my solution in my kitchen cupboard was more convenient Nowadays when I know I need a specific style for a specific function, I always try to assess what is already in my closet and repurpose it.

We hope that the following natural DIYs will give you some inspiration for how you can reinvent what you already have.

Although Natalie’s yellow dress may seem difficult to replicate, dyeing your own clothes is surprisingly not very hard. Although harmful, chemically-made textile dyes seem to be riddled throughout the fashion industry. However, people have been dyeing products for thousands of years using natural and colorful ingredients. To this day, many fruits and vegetables can be crushed into powders or soaked fresh to make excellent, vibrant dyes. Being able to dye your own clothes is an incredibly beneficial way to value what you wear, as putting physical labor and effort into clothes will make them more significant and personal. Additionally, a large part of sustainability is wielded in the hands of consumers (adjusting and ALTRing the way we perceive clothing in general). Practically growing your clothes literally from the ground up lets you appreciate the process of respecting the earth and, in return, be FRUITFUL. Natural dyes are a great alternative to synthetic dyes, many of which contain toxic chemicals that harm both the people who work with them and the environment they are dumped in. Synthetic dyes have polluted water bodies in many countries, preventing sunlight from penetrating the water and being used by plants in photosynthesis. The lack of sunlights causes low oxygen levels and disrupts ecosystems, resulting in dead zones with very little aquatic life. Dyes also cause harm to people who rely on these bodies of water for food and drink, as the chemicals reduce fish yields and can act as carcinogens—substances promoting cancer development. Additionally, workers who constantly handle these dyes can develop lung diseases and skin conditions due to the unnatural chemicals.

Dyeing your clothes with natural dyes can reduce all of these negative impacts while giving you a rewarding new hobby!

How to Dye: Dyeing with natural ingredients is simple and relatively consistent across each kind of dye. In most cases, you can combine the fruit or vegetable with boiling water and either dip your clothing soon after or let the mixture simmer for a while. If your dye is made from a fresh ingredient, you may want to choose the latter option to have a more potent dye with a richer color. You can leave the solution to sit overnight to further color the water. In the case of beets, you can heat beet juice instead of adding water. Since natural dyes don’t last as long as synthetic dyes, you can add fixatives such as vinegar or salt to make the new hue last longer on your clothes. After soaking your clothes in the mixture, rinse them under cool water and leave them to dry overnight.

General Outline and Pro Tips: Wear gloves to prevent stains on your hands.

To ensure you’re creating a lasting dye, it’s essential to use a fixative such as salt or vinegar on the clothing.

For fruit-based dyes, boil the fabric in a mixture of 4 cups water and ¼ cups salt For vegetable-based dyes, make a mixture of 4 cups water and 1 cup vinegar.

To set the color of the dye, you can iron your clothing after it dries.

The beauty of naturally dyeing your clothes is that sometimes the outcome is unpredictable, so keep an open mind about how vibrant/mellow your dye will come out!

Only natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and wool can be dyed naturally, so be sure to check the material of your clothes before you dye them.

TURMERIC: ORANGE/YELLOW Let’s start with the ingredient that gave Natalie her beautiful dress. Turmeric is a plant of the ginger family native to Southeast Asia. Its root is used in teas, curries, and countless other dishes as it provides a rich, earthy and beautiful color. Turmeric has recently become somewhat of a trend because of its many beneficial health properties. Ayurveda, a whole body healing process developed in India, regards turmeric as a plant that purifies the blood. In addition to its cooking and medicinal purposes, tumeric has been used to dye clothing such as saris and monk robes for an orange/yellow hue.

Form: Fresh or powdered turmeric Pros: It gives your clothes a beautifully bright and warm summer color that will spice up your style!

Cons: It isn’t the longest lasting dye, so you may have to reapply and repeat the process after a few wears. You should also wash the clothing item on its own or else it might wear off onto other items.

Beets can betraced back to Ancient Egypt but were originally black or white in color instead of the dark red coloring they have today. The red roots themselves weren’t consumed initially, and they weren’t used as dye until the 16th century. Starting in the 19th century, people began using beet juice to dye their hair. Clothes dyed with beet juice have a beautifully rich pink hue and can really liven up a wardrobe.

Form: Fresh beets, beet juice, or powder Pros: You can have some more lovely pink clothes that are unique and attention-grabbing.

Cons: Beets can stain very easily, so be careful when using them as a dye.

Wear a smock/apron and wear gloves to reduce the chances of an accident!

BEETS: PINK/RED

SPINACH: GREEN Spinach originated in Ancient Persia and was spread throughout Asia and Europe, adopting many names including the “Persian green” and “Spanish vegetable.” A popular ingredient in Mediterranean cooking, it was adopted into many culinary cultures when fresh traditional vegetables were not available. It has been valued for its high iron content, vitamin K, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals. In fact, the French used wine fortified with spinach juice to slow the bleeding of injured soldiers.

Form: Fresh or frozen spinach Pros: Using spinach is a natural way to create a gorgeous, muted green color for personalizing your clothes!

Cons: It requires a large amount of plant material in order to reach a strong hue of the color.

Red cabbage was originally cultivated in Europe. Though it hasn’t been used as a clothing dye for very long, it is often used as a pH indicator. Red cabbage dye can give your clothes many different hues, ranging from blue to dark purple and sometimes even magenta. Since it is very responsive to pH changes, you can add different ingredients such as baking soda or vinegar to experiment with and yield different shades.

Form: Fresh red cabbage Pros: It yields a very strong color, which is uncommon in other natural dye ingredients.

Cons: Red cabbage does not contain tannins, which are chemicals that bind to fabrics and make the dye colors last longer. Therefore, it is more effective to use a natural mordant (binding agent) such as alum or copper to ensure that the color stays on the clothing.

RED CABBAGE: BLUE

BLUEBERRIES: PURPLE Originating in North America, blueberries had been cultivated for centuries

by Native Americans for food, coloring, and medicinal purposes. Blueberry tea was believed to be good for blood circulation. The fruit was dried, added to stews, and even smoked. Blueberries were also used to give cloth and baskets a beautiful purple color.

Form: Fresh or frozen blueberries Pros: Blueberry dye can give you some cool tones to balance out your brighter clothes.

Cons: Blueberry dye doesn’t last as long as some other dyes, such as red cabbage, since the pigment responsible for blueberry color fades in sunlight.

This may result in the dye yielding a slightly softer look.

Tea has been an essential drink for many civilizations and is internationally enjoyed by billions. Originating in Ancient China, a legend claims that Emperor Shen Nung discovered it when he drank the boiling water that some leaves fell in. Many cultures valued tea for its healing properties and calming effects. It became a symbol of luxury in many European countries as importing it proved costly. Tea is celebrated through many rituals such as Zen Buddhist tea ceremonies, daily afternoon tea in England, Moroccan mint tea ceremonies, and high tea in New Zealand. A true marvel, tea has been valued throughout history in its many forms and for its many functions.

Unwrap tea bags and cut off the string, brew tea, let the item sit in the dye for a few hours or overnight Form: Tea bags or loose leaf tea Pros: For creating a brown tone, tea bags produce a much darker hue than other similar options (including coffee). Black tea serves as a potent and long-lasting dye because it contains large amounts of tannins, which act as a mordant and attach to the fabric.

Cons: Your clothes may have a lingering scent of tea after soaking in the dye.

TEA: BROWN

Conclusion So why should you dye your own clothes with fruits and vegetables? It can save you money on new clothes while getting you started on the garden you always wanted, help you build a more personal and valuable relationship with your clothes, and reduce your impact on the environment. Dyeing your clothes with natural ingredients also gives you more agency over your individualized style in a world full of fleeting trends. Not to mention you can discover a new hobby of making entirely unique clothes that are bright and fun!

Writers Dakota Margolis, Natalie Guisinger Designer Dakota Margolis

OBRONI WAWU

Waste Colonialism is the Rotten Fruit of the Fashion Industry

W

hile many associate the fashion industry with the new styles and trends it churns out, the waste remains an unspoken rot to this production. Fashion waste describes the excess in clothing, footwear, accessories and other materials. Unfortunately, to most people, waste is usually an afterthought; people discard their clothing without considering what happens to it afterwards. Three actors in the fashion industry are responsible for creating waste: manufacturers, distributors and consumers.

Manufacturers produce textile waste, which refers to the scraps of fabrics, fibers and other materials that are disposed of after the manufacturing process, including cutting, stitching, dyeing and finishing. Distributors such as retail stores and wholesalers are responsible for throwing out entire pieces of clothing if they are damaged, defective or unsold. Consumers are also one of the biggest contributors to fashion waste. Families in western countries dispose of 30 kilograms of clothing on average

1 Mathilde Charpaile, “Fashion’s Environmental Impact,” Sustain Your Style, 2017, https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmentalimpacts.

per year, and only 15% are recycled or donated.

Out of these recycled clothes, less than 1% will be used to make new clothing. But that leaves about 85% of clothing unrecycled. So where do these clothes go?

Ultimately, many of the unrecycled clothing end up being incinerated or going to the landfill.

About 10.5 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills annually.

Many donated or to-be recycled clothes also end up going to low-income countries that western nations have historically exploited.

African countries are especially victims of this seemingly benevolent system of clothing donations. In 2014, for example, East African countries imported more than $300 million worth of secondhand clothing.

Ghana particularly draws our attention with its 30-foot high waste-mountains made of unused imported clothes lining the shores of the West African country. This brings us to the real rotten fruit of the fashion industry: waste colonialism, which describes the way in which social groups will use waste to exploit another group of people.

–––– Accra, the capital of Ghana, has the largest secondhand clothes market in the world. Accra’s Kantamanto Market is the major recycling center in West Africa, with a weekly import of 15 million garments. These garments include anything

unwanted, unworn or deadstock from a number of countries such as China, Korea, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and their biggest supplier, the UK. Ghanaians call the secondhand clothing Obroni Wawu, translated as ‘’dead white men clothing.”

This term originates from the idea that someone would have to die to give up so many clothes because having such excess seems irrational.

But, funny enough, these white men have figured out how to make a business out of this surplus in clothing.

Here’s the process broken down: Container ships arrive every Monday and Thursday around 4 am, and then these imports are transferred to warehouses. Importers can buy shipments depending on the quality and type of garment. Usually, the best quality comes from the UK, and the lowest quality or most over worn comes from the US. These shipments contain bundles of clothing which are carried out of the warehouses by women and girls between the ages of 8 to 30.

Bundles weigh 60 to 90 kilograms and are carried on the head, shoulders or back. This transfer process is quite labor-intensive and can be fatal.

Market days are Wednesdays and Saturdays.

On these days, the bundles are transported into the physical market. Whatever is not bought

2 Francois Souchet, “Fashion has a huge waste problem. Here’s how it can change,” World Economic Forum, 28 February 2019, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/how-the-circular-economy-is-redesigning-fashions-future/.

3 Ibid.

4 Eleanor Goldberg, “These African Countries Don’t Want Your Used Clothing Anymore,” Huffpost, 19 September 2016, https://www. huffpost.com/entry/these-african-countries-dont-want-your-used-clothing-anymore_n_57cf19bce4b06a74c9f10dd6.

5 Alicia, “What happens to our donated clothes,” One Army, 12 April 2021, https://www.onearmy.earth/news/what-happens-to-ourdonated-clothes.

ends up as waste. Sometimes, tailors will try to repair clothing that retailers received in poor bundles to make the most of their money. There are also creatives and designers near the market who use these Western countries extra textiles and to create overromanticize materials new products. But clothing recycling for the most part, by treating it 40% of these waste become as a path to a clothes waste once again. sustainable future. The reason being that But in reality, they many secondhand in the US, use it as a means shops such as Goodwill and for exploitation, Salvation Army, obtain financial high quality used whereas dependency clothing most of the fashion and modern-day waste in Ghana is colonialism. the byproduct of fast fashion. Therefore, the clothes are quite worn out, have holes or are just overall poor in quality, so people do not want to buy them. Consequently, approximately 4 million items are to be disposed of again.

Only about 25% of Kantamanto’s total waste is sent to landfills. The remaining 15% is collected privately and then illegally disposed of in waterways or left on the side of the road. The unregulated disposal of clothing waste was one of the reasons behind the 2014 cholera outbreak, which took the lives of 243 people.

–––– Waste in Ghana has developed a form of economy in the country. This trade began in the 1960s and now has expanded with the globalization and growth of the fashion industry.

Many see this new waste economy as beneficial because it employs around 30,000 people with jobs including porting, mending, reselling and transporting. Although the increase in jobs has employed more people, the majority of imports have devastated local clothing industries and created a dangerously dependent relationship with western countries. For example, when secondhand clothes reach stores, they sell for very low prices. In comparison, locally produced clothes look extremely expensive. Therefore, local industries cannot compete, so the surplus of clothing going into Ghana causes more harm than good.

Moreover, many might also put Ghana’s waste markets in line with circular economy efforts, one of the biggest demands in the sustainable fashion movement. However, there are some flaws to including Ghana’s waste markets as a solution. In this type of interaction, waste is no longer seen as just waste. Instead, it becomes a resource, a form of asset. However, unlike secondhand shops such as ThredUp, Kantamanto doesn’t have anywhere for unsold clothing to go except landfills. Furthermore, it doesn’t have millions of dollars of investment to protect the people that are part of the trade.

6 Maxine Bedat, “See the horrifying place your old clothes go to die,” Fast Company, 01 June 2021, https://www.fastcompany. com/90640931/see-the-horrifying-place-where-your-old-clothes-go-to-die.

7 Joshua Doherty, “Textiles dumped abroad prompts TRA warning,” letsrecycle.com, 20 February 2020, https://www.letsrecycle.com/ news/latest-news/textiles-dumped-abroad-prompts-warning/.

While we have mentioned only a few negative aspects of Ghana’s waste markets, the real rotting fruit is the embedded colonialist undertone. Historically, colonialism has had seemingly benevolent motivations to ‘help’ people abroad in a white savior mission, meaning Europeans and other white societies sought to ‘civilize’ Black and brown people.

Similarly, western countries overromanticize clothing recycling by treating it as a path to a sustainable future. But in reality, they use it as a means for exploitation, financial dependency and modern-day colonialism.

For example, the secondhand clothing industry runs hand-in-hand with the fashion industry.

From clothing donations to sorting, exporting, importing and resale, waste management is a big business. Unfortunately, these waste markets are so heavily integrated into the structure of Ghana’s economy that the country has developed a relationship reliant on western countries for clothing imports, especially since so many people’s jobs are contingent on them.

However, the people who depend on this business are exploited for the most part. Cheap labor is used to circulate waste from these wealthier western countries. Moreover, much of this work is labor-intensive such as for the women who use their heads, shoulders and backs to transport clothes. On top of that, the pay is insufficient. Retailers in the Kantamanto Market take out loans with 35% interest rates to buy bundles of clothing. Unfortunately, only 20% of retailers make a profit. And even out of

those who make some money from these jobs, most still live in permanent debt. This type of job is what many describe as a gamble due to the high financial risk and physical demand.

The way people are exploited to deal with waste from western countries characterizes waste colonialism.

The current day exploitation of Ghana resembles much of the country’s colonial history as a Gold Coast Colony. This name refers to the events of July 24, 1874, when Britain issued a proclamation by which they established the Gold Coast Colony and Protectorate, a collection of West African societies and kingdoms used for mining gold, ivory and other resources. The colonial economy Britain set up mirrors much of what is happening in Ghana’s waste markets today. Britain’s industrial revolution increased the demand for raw materials and thus accelerated cash crop farming in oil palm, rubber and cocoa. Mining operations later began, and soon enough, all of Europe saw West Africa as a goldfield, thus inviting more western intervention.

European investors began developing railways, ports and telegraphic services intended to make trade easier. Furthermore, Africans were no longer entrepreneurs. Instead, Europeans forced them into the role of unskilled laborers, paying the indigenous people very little and using unfair contracts to take advantage of them.

Western countries still see West Africa as a goldfield today, but this time, in terms of waste disposal. In addition, globalization has expanded

8 “Sustainability files -- Managing fashion waste in Ghana,” Afrosartorialism, 26 February 2021, https://www.afrosartorialism. net/2021/02/26/sustainability-files-managing-fashion-waste-in-ghana/.

9 Robert Addo-Fenning, Ghana Under Colonial Rule: An Outline of the Early Period and the Interwar Years,” Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, no. 15. (2013), pp. 39–70. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43855011.

the fashion industry, creating more fashion waste in the western world and demanding more from the global south in terms of dealing with this waste. Thus, waste has become yet another reason for western intervention and subsequent exploitation.

Not only are the waste markets exploitative of the country’s economy and its people, but they also create environmental injustices. The waste that ends up in landfills has devastating impacts on the environment. As textiles in landfills decompose, they release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, such as methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is 25 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping radiation, making it a significant concern for global warming.

Moreover, if any textiles or goods have been dyed or finished, those chemicals go into the soil, contaminating the Earth and groundwater.

Furthermore, many of these clothes are made of synthetic fibers, such as polyester, which are plastic and non-biodegradable. Therefore, some of these clothes can take up to 200 years to decompose! Synthetic fibers are used in 72% of clothing worldwide, and the majority of our clothes end up sitting in landfills, making this a major concern. Incineration is not a better solution either. Incinerating synthetic fibres releases microplastics into the atmosphere and sea, creating greenhouse gases and air pollutants harmful to the environment and human health. And of course, the Ghanaian people are the ones who are disproportionately affected by

this environmental injustice.

Thus, Ghana’s waste markets are not a solution to dealing with the excessive waste of the current globalized fashion industry. Instead, this waste represents the rotten fruit of fashion -- that is, the capitalist accumulation and its consequential colonialist endeavors as articulated by waste colonialism. Not only do western countries exploit the land and people, but they also make the effects of climate change disproportionately impact communities in the global south. The moral of the story: white people need to stop dumping their trash in poor Black and brown countries.

But what can we as consumers do to help make sure our fashion waste doesn’t contribute to colonialist practices? Here are some alternative ways to deal with your excess clothes.

Consider upcycling clothing, which is taking your existing clothing and transforming it through new designs and materials such that your old clothes become repurposed. Any clothes that have holes or tears, try repairing them yourself or going to a local tailor to mend them. And if you do choose to donate some of your clothes, do your research and choose organizations that don’t send your clothing to low income countries but rather to places that will make use of the clothing entirely without creating more waste. Finally, of course, the best way to reduce consumer waste is to shop less and shop better. Try to avoid fast fashion and choose materials that will last longer.

10 David Freeman, “Why You Should NEVER Throw Old Clothes in the Trash,” Huffpost, 07 October 2016, https://www.huffpost.com/ entry/why-trashing-old-clothes-is-so-bad-for-the-environment_n_57f408f1e4b015995f2b93cb.

11 “Overview of Greenhouse Gases,” United States Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overviewgreenhouse-gases#methane.

Thrift stores are great places to find new clothes because you are recycling someone else’s fashion waste.

Consumers should also hold brands accountable for how they deal with their clothing waste.

Producers can move Not only are the waste towards models of waste management that markets exploitative guarantee extended of the country’s producer responsibility economy and its (EPR), which refers to laws that require all textile people, but they also producers to finance and create environmental manage the process of injustices. The recycling the textiles they sell, post-consumption. EPR waste that ends programs create systems up in landfills has for organizing, cooperating devastating impacts and communicating based on financial incentives. on the environment.

In this way, companies can minimize the impact of the clothing they produce.

Waste colonialism is a harmful consequence of the globalized fashion industry. However, as consumers and producers we can seek ways to try to move away from such exploitative practices so that our clothing doesn’t become dead white men’s clothing.

Writer Tasnima Zaman Designer Natalie Guisinger

12 “The Fashion Industry’s Problem with Waste,” Make.Good, https://www.makegood.world/fashions-problem-with-waste.

13 Chris Baraniuk, “Will fashion firms stop burning clothes” BBC Earth, https://www.bbcearth.com/news/will-fashion-firms-stopburning-clothes.

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