The fashion industry contributes to one-tenth of all water used in industrial production. One cotton shirt requires around 3,000 liters of water to be produced. Furthermore, 35% of all microplastics that end up in the ocean are produced by synthetic materials used in the fashion industry (Le 2020). Most of the clothes produced are made in developing countries where human rights violations against women and children in factories are daily occurrences. In Bangladesh, children as young as 11 begin working the sewing machines for measly salaries of barely £70-80 per month, or about 5000 pesos (Butler 2019). These problems escalated due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to consumers’ lack of purchasing ability. Since physical stores shut down and many people turned to staying at home instead of buying new clothes, the revenues of fashion brands dipped. These problems trickled down to the base-level fashion workers and sewers. Some of the largest fashion houses canceled around $1.5 billion in orders from Bangladesh, negatively impacting the lives of over a million factory workers (Lau 2022). This was the bigger cause that FASH’s Director wanted to address. This is why FASH advocates for sustainable fashion. The beginning of the organization’s journey has had its share of ups and downs given that the organization officially started to open its doors to new members in January 2021. Given the current socioeconomic atmosphere, there have been apprehensions about the relevance of the advocacy. Currently, sustainable fashion is not at the forefront of common advocacy-centric organizations, but much like other problems such as climate change and poverty, fighting the problem at hand will allow it to reach insurmountable heights. Ateneans have always been known for their sense of fashion that can be seen on campus, in photos, and even in their usual tambayan spots along Katipunan Avenue. Many of them fit the long-running stereotype of having closets filled to the brim with pieces from fast fashion brands like UNIQLO, to classic staples like Ralph Lauren
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