In this article, Candice explores and discusses the idea of conscious consumerism.

“Is it worth it?” As consumers, we’ve most likely asked ourselves this a thousand times when debating over that cute Summer one-piece swimsuit or that button up maxi skirt. In this uncertain and ever-changing economy with prices and wages dropping up and down, it’s understandable to have a Scrooge-like mindset, but when looking at the cost of a product, does that price tag really sum up the WHOLE cost of the product? This applies to higher-end pieces, as well. With couture or name brand clothing costing an arm and a leg, the affordability of these highly sought after and often limited items are just out of the common consumers’ reaches, but we still find ourselves splurging or finding imitations to keep up with the trends. When thinking about the worth of a product, most people tend to think if the item is worth their own money, but rather than only referring to the retail cost of the product, this one phrase, “Is it worth it?” questions the morality and ethics of the product, company, and consumer.

For those on a budget, which is the majority of consumers in the market, including myself, we’re always looking for the best deal. Fast and cheap fashion has such a big presence in our society today. According to Wikipedia, fast fashion “is a contemporary term used by fashion retailers to express that designs move from catwalk quickly to capture current fashion trends.” What this means for us is cheap, accessible, and trendy clothes without the runway price tag or limited availability. Brands, such as H&M, Primark, and Next, are among the more inexpensive brands, whereas ASOS, Topshop, and Zara are the pricier ones.

Now, fast fashion doesn’t automatically mean killing the environment and sweatshops left and right, but that is the stereotype and general assumption. The nature of these companies makes it hard to assume otherwise, with new collections and bulks of products being churned out every couple of months or even weeks. The production of these clothes is repetitive and fast-paced with cheap labor and materials playing a major role, which often explains the low price tags. With cheap labor, workers often work in unbearable conditions for long hours and little pay. With cheaper materials, the synthetic fibers can make it difficult to repurpose, so if there are leftover fabrics or unprofitable products, they go to waste and are either discarded or burned. The dying processes also use tons of water. Because of this, the fashion industry is undoubtedly the second most polluting industry in the world after the oil industry, which speaks volumes.

Ethical and sustainable clothing, also known as slow fashion, has an ethos more centered on the wellbeing of the Earth and people. Fair wages, good working conditions, natural process, and fabrics, and high-quality and long-lasting products are the focal points. As a living wage employer, Lucy and Yak is just one of the few notable brands that produce responsibly and ethically, but the list can go on and on.

Compared to Primark prices or Forever21 prices, sustainable fashion brands’ price points can seem more expensive. With some clothes costing as little as a sandwich, it can be easy for some to compare sustainable and ethical fashion prices to fast fashion prices and prefer the latter over the former. As an international student in a foreign country, financials are definitely tight. I can’t always splurge on more expensive, higher-quality items, but what I can do is be a more conscious consumer.

Coming from a designer’s perspective, Rebecca Morter, the founder, and CEO of Lone Design Club explained the costs that a designer has to think about when putting that price tag on their products: the real costs of the materials and manufacturing and the availability of the product. Items are generally more expensive as a result of either the hours of manual labor put into producing the product or the materials used. A limited edition silk scarf will have that thousand pound price tag because the silk used is hard to come by and the manufacturing costs are higher as a result of the lower volume production. Advertising and a brand’s means of selling also factor into the costs, which is why some clothes sell for more depending on the company or collective that they sell under. Brands that sell under LDC are selling directly to the consumers at fair margins, which factors out the high boutique cuts.