Emma's EPQ

As my first piece of research, I listen to the Radio 4 show - The Morality of Fashion .   This was a debate between a variety of people who work in the fashion industry about the positives and negatives of Fast Fashion. The group discussed the way that Fast Fashion products are produced quickly and then, often, worn once and then thrown away. They talked about the effect that the fashion industry has on individuals (self esteem, pressure etc) and also whether sustainable clothes are actually possible or necessary. One of the main topics they debated was whether or not stopping production of clothes in 3rd world countries, paying less than the living wage, would be helpful or harmful. I made notes while listening to this. ·         Cheap throw away clothes made in 3 rd world countries made by workers on ‘3 rd world wages’ ·          Items worn once and then thrown away ·       ...

Fast Fashion is a term used for clothes that are quickly designed and created based on the latest trends. Fast Fashion brands often release multiple products every week and the clothes are cheap to buy. Fast Fashion causes a variety of issues, such as workers not being paid fairly and the making of clothes causing pollution in the countries where the items are produced. The low prices of the clothes often also means that the materials used are of poor quality which means that garments don't last for a long time, causing waste.

For my EPQ, I want to look at the positives and negatives of the fast fashion industry and I would like to find out how we can shop more sustainably. Since watching Stacey Dooley's documentary, 'Fashions Dirty Secrets', I have been interested in finding out about the issues (eg. environmental and ethical) with fast fashion. Through my EPQ, I want to research the impacts of fast fashion and see whether the blame for these issues should be put on the consumer or the brands. I also aim to find out whether it is possible to shop ethically and sustainably at an affordable price. I intend on looking at a variety of articles, documentaries and also doing some of my own research into fast fashion. For the last few months, I have been volunteering in a charity shop so I will also be able to use this experience in my EPQ so that I can see how much we buy and are, therefore, able to give away.