Has Fashion Finally Gone, "Green"? (I'm Not So Sure.)

If we look around in the upscale stores these days, we see a strong movement towards, "green," fashion. Has the fashion market finally started to behave responsibly? They are marketing, "green," shoes, "green," handbags, "green," organic cotton for shirts, pants, skirts and every other imaginable article to be worn or to adorn. We have newly fashionable, "green," tote bags and tank tops, they are made from enviro-friendly one hundred percent organic cotton. They come with an eco-friendly messsage printed on them in non-toxic organic vegetable source dye. The enviro-friendly organic cotton is grown with a down to wholesome earth respect for the environment. There were no dangerous pesticides and no toxic fertilizers used to grow this cotton, no it is one hundred percent wholesome and healthy, it's natural to wear and to buy. Not only are these products fashionable, they are good for our earth. Or so their makers would have us believe.

One of the problems that I see with this movement is that we are told to BUY in order to take part in the movement. Has no one considered that it would be even, "greener," to, dare I say it, wear last years shirts, pants, skirts, bags and shoes? Wear them until they start to become shabby. Then, and only then, it should be time to replace them. Being a slave to the latest trends is actually going against the latest, "green," trend. The greenest way to behave is not to go out and buy new. True green would be to continue to use those cloths that have served us well for a while and are still very serviceable. This would save you the drive to the store, it would save the environmental impact manufacturing all of the new pseudo-greener cloths, it would save the cost of the materials for those cloths and it would save you money. Remember, Reduce, REUSE, Recycle? Well guess what, this is a great REUSE idea. Instead of buying new, REUSE what you already have.

When you do need to replace an article, then you should buy the washable organic cotton cloths with the green label, but not until you need to replace them. The fashion setters of the world, I'm sure, are reading this with their mouths agape. As they clutch their latest Gucci organic leather wallets to their breasts, somewhere deep down inside of their fashionable hearts they know that its the truth. We should not need to buy new just to have what is new, what is trendiest or what the glossy glamor industry tells us we should buy. If we think for ourselves we will realize that what we have is good and serviceable and that continuing to use it is good for our earth.

Go green, make do.

Avoid the mall, don't shop, wait, stall.

Learn more about this author, A. C. O'Brien.
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