No more new clothes: why a fast-fashion addict gave up shopping

South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily – until a US$1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely. While looking at the ultra-cheap padded jacket at an H&M shop in the United States, where she was working at the time, Lee asked herself how any item of clothing could be sold so cheaply. The 30-year-old embarked on a deep dive into fast fashion production methods and was horrified at the human, social and environmental toll hyper-consumerism is taking on the planet – and on the mental health of women who make and buy cheap clothes. “I used to buy one new outfit each (working) day of the week,” Lee says, adding that each item from major high-street retailers would typically cost less than US$1. But the reason the clothes are so cheap, Lee learned, is because the women who sew for companies are paid little, while the business model itself is causing significant environmental harm. Lee stopped buying any new clothes – and has not bought a single fast-fashion garment since her epiphany around six years ago. The most eco-friendly clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe Lee So-yeon Her much more compact wardrobe consists of used items that she received from friends and family, including a vintage leather jacket that once belonged to her mother. Unlike fast-fashion items, which are often designed to be thrown away after just a few wears, each piece is irreplaceable because it carries a unique story and history, she says. “Ultimately, the most eco-friendly clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe,” says Lee. Lee now organises clothing swaps with her friends and family, and has written a book to promote the idea of valuing a garment for “the story behind it”, rather than chasing ephemeral trends. She is part of a small but growing global movement seeking to promote second-hand clothing and help people – especially women – opt out of the cycle of overconsumption. The app Lucky Sweater provides a platform for users to trade items from their wardrobes with each other, focusing on sustainable brands, founder Tanya Dastyar says. “We’re programmed to believe the only way to express my fashion or show that I’m beautiful or trendy … is new outfits,” Dastyar says. “But you can still be fashionable and feel good and look great and not have to do that,” she says, adding that although trading clothes does not have the same quick dopamine hit as making a fast-fashion purchase, it was far more rewarding over time. People realise, “I don’t have to follow trends and I can just dress in a way that feels comfortable to me,” she says. “Is that like a mass market thing? No. But do I feel like it can be a movement? Yes.” For Lee, breaking the cycle of cheap clothing consumption helped improve her mental health. As a teenager, she would worry about what to wear on school trips – when uniforms were not required – at least a month in advance and would go shopping to ease her fears. “I felt a lot of pressure about how others would see me,” she says. But learning about Bangladesh’s 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy – one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, in which more than 1,130 garment factory workers, most of them young women, were killed – was a turning point. The factory workers died making clothes for “women like me”, Lee says. People often don’t look favourably on someone wearing used clothes because they are seen as unwanted items Kim Dong-hyun, used clothes exporter The global fashion industry is one of the most polluting, accounting for up to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to World Bank estimates. Most modern clothes are made from synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester, which are essentially plastic and do not biodegrade in landfills, industry data shows. Keeping clothes out of landfills can help, but in South Korea, many still avoid used garments, says Kim Dong-hyun, who runs a used-clothing export factory. “People often don’t look favourably on someone wearing used clothes because they are seen as unwanted items,” Kim says, noting that he has found dirty diapers and food waste in the collection bins. South Korea is the fifth largest exporter of used clothing in the world – and activists say many garments are essentially dumped in developing countries, which lack the capacity to process them. At Kim’s second-hand clothing facility in Paju, outside Seoul, a mechanical claw categorises piles of used clothes to be sent overseas. “Many people treat the clothing collection bin as just a trash can,” Kim says.

No more new clothes: why a fast-fashion addict gave up shopping

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After learning about fast fashion and its impact on the environment, reformed shopaholic Lee So-yeon hasn’t bought clothes in 6 years

After learning about fast fashion and its impact on the environment, reformed shopaholic Lee So-yeon hasn’t bought clothes in 6 years