Blog post 2/3

 

FAST FASHION AND WHAT WE DON’T SEE

 

During my internship at Erikshjälpen, I observed something that made me reflect more deeply on the role of fast fashion within secondhand systems. While working in the sorting section, I noticed that certain fast fashion garments were consistently removed from the sorting process.

 

What stood out to me was that these items were not always damaged or worn out. In many cases, they appeared new and in good condition. However, despite their appearance, they were still discarded and did not proceed further into the system. When I asked about why this was so, I was informed that there are concerns regarding the uncertainty of materials, especially chemicals and production processes used in some fast fashion garments. As a result, these items are often not considered suitable to circulate within the secondhand market.

 

This observation highlights an important aspect of clothing that is often overlooked. As consumers, we tend to focus on visible qualities such as price, style, and appearance when purchasing garments. Fast fashion attracts buyers with affordability and trend driven designs. However, what is not visible are the underlying production processes, material composition, and potential quality concerns associated with these garments.

 

Through my experience, I began to understand that the value of clothing is not determined solely by how it looks or how new it appears. Instead, factors such as material, quality, durability, and production standards play a significant role in determining whether a garment can be reused or circulated within secondhand systems. This explains why some items, even when they appear perfectly wearable, are still filtered out during sorting.

 

In addition, this experience revealed that secondhand retail is not simply a passive system where all donated clothes are accepted and resold. Rather, it operates as an active filtering process. Decisions are made based on established criteria, and only garments that meet certain standards are allowed to reenter the market. This means that secondhand systems also play a role in shaping what is considered acceptable for reuse.

 

This has completely changed the way I think about fast fashion. It is not only about how quickly clothes are produced or how affordable they are, but also about their long-term value and impact. The fact that some garments are excluded from reuse raises important questions about sustainability, quality, and responsibility within the fashion industry.

 

Overall, this experience demonstrates that not all garments are suitable for a second life, even within systems designed to promote reuse. It also shows that secondhand retail involves more than resale, it involves careful decision-making about what should continue circulating and what should not. This has made me more aware of the importance of considering not just how clothing looks, but also what lies behind its production and how it fits into a more sustainable lifecycle. In purchasing clothing items moving forward I prefer to go for clothes that have second value and are in line with sustainability practices.

-Suror-