Have you ever heard of degrowth fashionable? The term can generate confusion, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Some examples of degrowth you may have already experienced in your childhood, or even today: receiving used clothes from older family members, customizing those jeans into shorts, going to thrift stores. More sustainable fashion is kind not only to the environment, but also to people. Now, the challenge is to remove these practices from the horizon and bring them to the place that today is occupied by fast fashion.
“Degrowth” is a philosophical and economic current that recognizes the limits of the planet, today exacerbated by the productivist model of capitalismand which proposes precisely the opposite. Slowing down, reducing production, consumption and, with it, disposal – is what planet Earth demands at the moment. To achieve this, it is necessary to transition to a low-carbon economy, reduce the use of energy and natural materials and, of course, stimulate the circular economy.
In the fashion industry, several practices already exist to make business and market practices more horizontal. Like, for example, the “things bookstore” or “clothes bookstore”, in which the priority is to own less and lend more. One report of the International Resource Panel of HIM suggests that reducing consumption in some sectors can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 79% and 99%.
It is possible to notice the excess production of the fashion industry when clothing bookstore initiatives in the United States they propose the donation of parts. The World Economic Forum highlights that the industries that benefit most from the sharing economy are those with excess capacity and redundancies in their ecosystems. Excess is the middle name of the fashion industry, don’t you think?
These clothing exchange spaces are also described as a way to change people’s relationship with clothes, a place where people shop for free and build a community by connecting with like-minded people. In some placesthe clothing swap is also a space to share community events, cook more affordable food, and address challenges like food and environmental justice.
In Brazil, this more human experience with clothes takes place, for example, in Porto Alegre, at Brechó de Trocas, run by psychologist and psychoanalyst Helena Soares. The meetings take place monthly and Helena describes the activity as “a social space where exchanging exchanges is an excuse to meet”.
Just imagine: you are in a circle, with five to twenty pieces of clothing in your hands and when it is your turn, you present each one of them, telling your story with that piece. After seeing the pieces that other people brought, he suddenly exchanges his earring for a pair of boots. There are no parameters for exchanges, the rule, Helena explains, is that both parties are satisfied. “Brechó de Troca becomes a listening project in itself”, he explains.
Degrowth in fashion is only possible through laws
Everything is beautiful, but we are still a long way from making these practices common. Virgínia Vasconcelos, researcher, co-founder of Coletivo Mulheres do Polo and creator of the Ética na Moda project, lives the struggle of this reality every day. The Agreste de Pernambuco Clothing Hub is known for the beauty of its clothing traditions, but also for the precarious working conditions seen in regions such as Toritama, Caruaru and Santa Cruz do Capibaribe.
Data points to an informality that reaches 80%, in a region where entrepreneurship is highly valued and there is an absence of public power. “This model makes the situation of workers in this industry and the gender inequalities that plague women in this economy invisible, especially informal and self-employed seamstresses who work from home”, says Virgínia.
The work of Coletivo Mulheres do Polo is in favor of decent work, gender equality and economic empowerment of women in this economy. “The slowest fashion (slow fashion) makes it possible to reduce the exhausting working hours that people working in large-scale production are likely to perform, this represents a significant aspect in improving working conditions”, he highlights.
Furthermore, this format also has a positive impact on the creation of small businesses and emphasizes artisanal work, valuing local culture, income and economic growth in regions with little or no productive investment. For this change to be made, it needs to be systemic, that is, through a political project. Otherwise, warns Virginia, the slow fashion “it can be used by big brands to promote greenwashing and attract a more conscious consumer market”.
A European Unionthrough the Green Package, has sought to create laws that force companies to be more responsible for the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry. For example: a tougher crackdown on greenwashing, mandatory reporting on company sustainability, extended producer responsibility for textiles, and a strong push for greater product traceability.
In the Brazilian context, consumers are already showing signs of preferring clothes with greater durability and that do not burn the Amazon and the Cerrado. “Environmental issues appear in the lead among the concerns that motivate more ethical purchases for 88.1% of respondents”, points out research with fashion consumers in the Modefica Institute held in 2020.
More horizontal relationships with fashion are possible. In a world that operates from the perspective of capitalism, these relationships are not only radical, but an outlet for us to enjoy what really feeds us, human relationships.
