From Sales assistant for a fast fashion brand to Sustainability advocate: I’ll tell you my story

During my studies I decided to take a part-time and I started working as sale assistant at Zara, in Venice. At that time I was totally and insanely addicted to fast fashion and a compulsive buyer. 

So I was working in Paradise.

I can’t say nothing against the brand and how they treat their employees. My boss was very kind, the pay was good, I got along well with all my colleagues and the company is really well organized. 

But working there I realised how much waste the fast fashion industry produces. If you work in a fast fashion brand you know the every week arrive tons and tons of brand new clothes to display in the shop. When we think about waste in the fashion industry we think of course about clothes, but there also all the plastic packaging, padding, cartons for transport, the plastic hangers for transport and those for hanging clothes in the store, plastic bags for clothes, shoes and accessories. For me it incredible. 

This is so much waste, to which it is added the actual amount of unselled clothes or the ones every year go to the landfill.

 

The fashion industry produces among 8-10% of the global pollution, and is the second consumer of water in in whole word, it is the cause of the accumulation in the oceans of more than a third of microplastics and produces more than 92,000 tons of textile waste per year including unsold clothing.

What can we do to reduce this waste? To start buying more consciously, to produce in a sustainable way and to research and use raw materials produced in a sustainable way for the environment, with new and less polluting materials. 

I think that yes, the clothes actually make the man. Because we buy what we believe in and what we think represent us.

So who you wanna be?  

Changing is possible, but don’t think to be perfect as soon as possible. Sustainability is first a process of consciousness, so go one step by step.

Follow my Sustainability journey to discover amazing brands to which to shop by, cruelty free and vegan products and delicious vegan recipes! 

Hope you all will find it a useful and funny journey 🙂