Can self-expression through fashion and sustainability coexist?

Watch a video version of the story, including interview excerpts, here!

When it comes to fashion, people are spending more and abandoning their garments faster.

The Statista Research Department published a data report in October that shows that over the past two decades, clothing sales in the United States have nearly doubled. A report done by the Ellen McArthur Foundation in 2017 shows that the number of times a garment is worn has decreased by almost 36% worldwide.

Data from The Ellen McArthur Foundation, 2017. Graphic created using Canva.

Data from The Statista Research Department, 2024. Graphic created using Canva.

In an interview with the University of Pennsylvania for their Environmental Innovations Initiative, Jacqui Sadashige, a lecturer at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, said, “If you look at the history of high fashion… it used to be that there were only two seasons per year: Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. If you look at companies like H&M, Zara, Forever 21, etc., they don’t have two seasons. Instead, they may have 52 “micro-seasons.”

This increase in production means an increase in pollution and resource depletion. The textile industry's environmental footprint continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing down.

For years, scholars, environmental activists, entrepreneurs, and others have been discussing the best way to mitigate the fashion industry's negative environmental impacts. 

Nell Tercek, a fashion designer educated at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and assistant manager at Apocalypse, a second-hand clothing shop in Boulder, believes that consumers hold more power than they think.

“I think that mending, thrifting, upcycling, all of the ways that you can add new life to a garment, will make a dent in the amount of waste that is contributing to the negative impacts on the planet,” Tercek said. “I think that it really comes down to educating and promoting this movement, this second-hand movement.”

Margaret Miner, the founder and co-owner of Rags, a consignment store with multiple locations across the Front Range, has a different perspective. 

When asked whether she thought thrifting or shopping for secondhand clothes could reduce the amount of waste generated by the textile industry, she said, “Barley, I mean, I think we're kidding ourselves, but it’s worth trying.”

Beth Osnes, a professor of theatre and environmental studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, also said that education was key but that policy was equally important.

“We can do consumer awareness, and that gets you so far, but getting regulations is really where you can really say this won't even be happening, and that's the ideal thing,” Osnes said.

According to a report by the Ellen McArthur Foundation, less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing. A 2019 analysis by Business Insider found that 85%, or about 92 million tonnes, of all textiles end up in landfills each year.

“I think with fast fashion, unfortunately, it’s always going to be there. There's always going to be people who want trendy clothing that's relevant each and every day, but I think that if more people recognize the impacts and are aware of the impacts on the planet of the fashion industry, then that could lend to a huge change,” said Tercek.

Although the textile industry is currently extremely harmful to the environment, that doesn't mean consumers can’t express themselves through fashion and still be climate conscious. 

Both Osnes and Tercek embrace the joy in alternative, sustainable clothing sources.

Osnes is sewing clothes for her newborn grandson out of old sweaters and thrifted tartan skirts for the holidays.

“I just think there can be so much joy in repurposing,” she said. “There is a lot more joy, there is a lot more creativity, there's a personal touch.”