In 1937 James Laver came up with a timeline that would question how experts predicted fashion trends to come. Instead of looking at trailblazing trends as being never before seen fads, as the majority of society did at the time, he claimed that a trend seen as “indecent” would be seen as “beautiful” in the next 150 years. In the modern day, we refer to this strategy as the “The 20 year Fashion rule.” This recycled definition states that trends run in a cycle: after crashing down, they’ll reappear after twenty years through the means of fast fashion presented by celebrities and our media. 

‍

With the return of bell bottom jeans, this phenomenon has been perpetually proven true. This begs the question: if everything will soon be seen as retro, why is it that in Canada, 500 million kilograms of textiles end up in the landfill every year? 

‍

The solution is not as simple as saying that it is on every one of us to give new lives to our old clothes, because realistically this wouldn’t nearly be enough to have a world free of textile waste. We need to look back into how clothes are manufactured to answer the question of what causes our clothing waste. The issue at hand is a systematic one not necessarily individual failures. Mass fashion production accounts for 10% of all global emissions where 85% of textiles go to the landfill straight from being made. Fashion, much like other big industries, is on the constant lookout for tactics to increase its profits and popularity. It is the second largest industry in consumption and pollution of water, and the ethical problems it poses deserve an article for themselves. Cheaply producing clothing by using synthetic/microplastic materials like polyester which are harmful to the environment, overproducing items which leads to them being thrown away because maintaining clothes costs more than ditching them, and overusing cheap manufacturing processes like cheap labor and production of nondurable clothing, are just some of the ways the industry accomplishes its goals.

‍

The fashion world doesn't have time to save trends for 20 years in the future it functions on an “instant gratification” basis. Moreover, techniques like these hold immense contributions to textile waste, so I encourage you to look into these problems more and reconsider some of the brands you support.

‍

Collectively we can always do more. At Harbord, Eco Council and Key club are collaborating to bring together a winter clothing drive, where all donations will be given to people in need. In addition Harbord CI will soon be getting its very own communal closet where students can pick up and drop off hand me down garments at no cost. These events will come with school wide textile waste documentary screenings that can be enjoyed during lunch. Keep an eye out for these upcoming initiatives! Despite small efforts seeming like they don’t lead to grand positive outcomes, the more we collaborate the more knowledge is spread out leading to greater results.