The Fashion Race

(Source: Sue Clark on Wiki Commons)

I've an opinion piece in today's Age newspaper on fast fashion, Maybe it's time for a change of gear in fashion's fast lane.


Most of us know that constantly refreshing our wardrobes is a wasteful enterprise. Even if the clothes are produced under the best of environmental conditions, it still results in an enormous amount of textile waste. In the UK, for instance, each person throws out 30 kilos of wanted clothing each year. 


So: if we know the costs, why do we still do it? What do new clothes offer other than a bulging wardrobe and a lighter wallet? Is it just novelty-seeking, fed by the constant supply of new, cheap fashions? 


And, if we do want to change our ways, how might we steel ourselves against the urge to keep up with the fashion Joneses and the nausea of out-of-date styles? 


Read more here.