Payne’s article is an extremely revealing account of garments’ life from start to finish. Each section is easily readable and goes through each distinct stage of garments’ production and usage. She lays out current harmful practices within each stage along with suggestions of how manufacturers and designers can make conscious decisions to mitigate these negative impacts. Further, connections made to Australia’s textile industry show how these problems can be combated on a more local level as well as give insight to how they are making progressive movements towards more sustainable practices.
Usually when shopping previously, the only factors I paid attention to were style and price point. I never thought of what it took to get a garment onto the shelf, or of the consequences my own treatment of clothes had on the environment. Payne’s article has changed this mentality, since now I know that with each step of garment creation, there are negative effects. With this in mind, I am more conscious of how people’s excessive consumer habits perpetuate the harmful cycle of waste and simply drain our wallets unnecessarily. I now know that thrifting not only is a current trend that provides a more unique touch to people’s closets, but also is an integral part of sustainability that gives new life to worn garments.
Within these stages there may also be contradictions of how to maintain sustainability. Quality and comfortable materials will allow for longer lifespans, decreasing the amount of material waste, but these materials may require large amounts of water to produce. Sustainable disposal of unworn clothes can be achieved with compostable materials, but how will these last for long periods of time without the consumer needing to buy replacements? Additionally, ethical working conditions are imperative for the progression of sustainability, but the high price tags may deter customers without enough purchasing power and push them further to fast fashion companies who can provide the same style for cheaper. Finally, classical designs definitely make clothes less likely to be quickly thrown out, but these universal styles may make it difficult for people to uniquely express themselves and stand out in a trend-central society.