Must watch: True cost

This documentary might be a few years old, but it is a must-watch for anyone wanting to educate themselves about sustainability in fashion. As the title suggests, it dives into the entire supply chain of the fashion industry, examining why clothing costs what it does and who is truly paying the price for it. 

The documentary takes a bottom-up approach,  starting with the manual labor of people in places like Bangladesh. It even explores how cotton seeds are manipulated to increase production, resulting in a downward spiral of more pesticides being used, which deteriorates the environment. 

At the heart of these problems is how consumers are brainwashed into wanting more and more, buying new clothes to feel better and satisfy an insatiable need. Marketing strategies have created a form of happiness based on materialism, where people feel they must own the latest product or a new item to feel good about themselves or mirror the emotions that models or brands project. This drives the capitalist system surrounding the clothing industry, allowing companies to make more money.

All of this creates a huge snowball effect of problems for the environment, people’s health, working conditions, and more. It’s an ongoing chain of events fueled by the disposability of fast fashion. The documentary paints a clear picture of what’s happening in the world and also highlights some great creative initiatives.