Opinion
Your cheap clothes may come at a high cost to the planet
Despite the fashion industry's frivolous reputation, it cannot avoid the new age of consumer consciousness bearing down on it.
It was heartening to see South African Fashion Week, in collaboration with the Campaign for Wool, tackling the issue of fast fashion in an exclusive premiere in South Africa of the award-winning documentary, Slowing Down Fast Fashion.
Presented by Alex James, bassist of British band Blur and an environmentalist, the documentary exposes the devastating environmental damage caused by fast fashion and seeks to change the way we consume clothing.
The impact of fast fashion on South Africa's fashion industry cannot be under-estimated. With apartheid's demise, South Africa experienced an influx of chain stores like Zara, Topshop and H & M, leaving South African consumers akin to kids in a candy store. The woes of recession also made these cheaper clothes even more attractive.
WATCH | The trailer for Slowing Down Fast Fashion..
There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.
From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.
For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.
Already subscribed? Sign in below.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.