By Mason Braasch

Let’s be honest, shopping today is easier than it has ever been before. With the plummeting prices and rise of online shopping and overnight shipping, cultivating a trendy wardrobe seems to be an almost effortless task.

These low-cost clothes come with a price, however. Since the 1990s, “fast fashion,” or the rapid production of cheap clothing, has allowed the world to buy more clothes than ever before. At the same time, it’s led the fashion industry to become the second-largest polluter in the world. With a problem so alarming and so widespread, how do we even begin to combat it?

Enter Abby Sharp, a freshman studying apparel design at UW-Madison. Abby became aware of the fashion industry’s flaws while working on a senior research project. Since then, she has taken action towards a more sustainable style. She described that  “it’s a lot of thinking about where the materials were sourced from and how the people making your clothes are being treated.” This is especially relevant, as fast fashion has spurred a rise in sweatshops in developing countries.

Abby has also utilized her sewing skills to help reduce her contribution to the fashion pollution crisis. She takes old pieces, such as an old kimono that had been laying around her house, and transforms them into a stylish pair of pants. Not all of us know how to sew, but learning how to mend old clothes is a simple yet effective skill to have. The average American household will throw away nearly 60 pounds of clothing every year; by learning how to mend old clothes, this outrageous amount of waste could be reduced.

Unfortunately, it’s easier to buy a cheap shirt than mend an old one. Thanks to fast fashion, the average amount of clothing that we own has risen 60 percent — and that’s just over the last 14 years. This leaves detrimental impacts on the environment, such as water pollution, waste accumulation and greenhouse gas emissions.

“You don’t need to completely stop buying from fast fashion stores like H&M or Forever 21 to make a difference,” Abby objects. “You just need to be mindful and conscious of your buying efforts.”

That said, the growing trend of “thrifting” is highly beneficial and encouraged by sustainability supporters like Abby. She says that “the great thing about fashion sustainability is that it's not about being 100 percent. You can do a couple of good things, like buy some pieces from a thrift store, and it is still a net good overall.”

With such a consuming and widespread issue, it can often feel like your efforts aren’t making a difference. However, encouragement within the fashion community can be the first step towards a cleaner future. “Don't let anyone tell you that what you’re doing isn’t enough,” urges Abby.

Despite the mind-boggling role that fashion has played in our environment, we can still all make a difference. Whether you’re an avid seamstress that can give new life to your clothes or someone that can make a mindful attempt to buy less, we can all make an effort to be more responsible when it comes to our clothes.