Mikael La Ferla

Fast fashion’s heavy impact on peoples’ consumption over the last 30 years has recently started a movement of people purchasing fewer apparel products overall and buying from companies with ethical and sustained production. Morgan Stanley analyst Geoff Ruddell stated how “consumers have reached peak happiness with clothing purchases,” resulting from people already having so many clothes in their closets (Jasmine Wu). Ruddell’s theory of the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, which is the decline in satisfaction from every additional unit bought, is correlated to more people wanting to be a benefactor for the environment. Although stores like Zara and H&M have successfully drawn people to buying clothing, the early stages of shoppers shifting towards sustainable shopping result from the economic and environmental awareness that customers now possess. Fashion production makes up “10% of humanity’s carbon emissions,” and clothing manufacturing is the second-largest user of the world’s water supply (Morgan McFall-Johnson). In addition to how fast fashion negatively affects the earth’s water supply, “85% of all textiles” end up in either landfills or the ocean each year (Morgan McFall-Johnsen). As these water supplies dry up, the thousands of tons of polyester and other types of microfibers adds to the existing problem of polluted waters and wildlife. Moreover, the drastic effects of fashion are related to food production since “food accounts for approximately 66%” of our water collection (The71Percent). The microfabrics that fill oceans and streams are unfortunately eaten and digested by fish and other species, which are ultimately consumed by us. For these reasons, to support the movement against fast fashion, we need to incorporate affirmative strategies that preserve the earth’s limited resources and incentivizes companies to believe in our goal. First, people need to envision the truth behind how common products are manufactured by promoting awareness of these realities. Second, provide realistic, sustainable choices to consumers and create legislation for clothing companies who uphold these environmentally-friendly practices. Third, selecting public figures who directly align with our core values of advocating for this change would expand our target audience to more significant measures. Fourth, working with, and not against, companies to build partnerships through finding the balance between profit and social responsibility. Fifth, being resilient by forming a back-up plan in case of disruptions occur. Some examples of events that could prevent us from moving forward are having people within the organization preoccupied with something else or failing to negotiate a plan with a specific company. Sixth, having our platform supported by integrity and evidence ensures that our journey is communicated well with the people leading the mission.  

In regard to finding a celebrity who we can market to our target audience, I believe a prominent figure in the environmental activism and film industry is Leonardo DiCaprio. Winning numerous awards for his roles in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Revenant” is not the only thing that solidifies him as a human being but also his foundation, which supports organizations and initiatives designed to solve issues that plague the environment. He serves on boards such as the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and Global Green USA, which target conserving nature and reduce pressing threats to wildlife and climate. Therefore, many people who love watching DiCaprio’s films would be eager to listen to him deliver our mission of addressing fast fashion’s consequences.

Works Cited

McFall-Johnsen, Morgan. “These Facts Show How Unsustainable the Fashion Industry Is.” World Economic Forum, 31 Jan. 2020, http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/. 

TFL. “Buying Clothes Doesn’t Really Make People Happy Anymore, Says Morgan Stanley.” The Fashion Law, 17 Oct. 2019, http://www.thefashionlaw.com/buying-clothes-doesnt-really-make-people-happy-anymore/. 

The71Percent. “Food and Water: How Much Is Needed to Produce Our Food?” The 71 Percent, 21 Aug. 2017, http://www.the71percent.org/what-is-needed-to-produce-our-food/. 

Wu, Jasmine. “Low Prices Aren’t Fun Anymore-Consumers Have Reached Peak Happiness with Clothing Purchases.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2019, http://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/shoppers-are-buying-less-clothing-because-its-not-as-fun-as-it-used-to-be.html. 

Written by Mikael La Ferla