How to talk to your teenager about fast fashion and encourage sustainable choices

When I think back to my teen years, I remember how fashion carried so much weight and meaning for me back then. A black cross-strap dress on my first New Year’s Eve party made me believe I had sexual appeal, while a pair of bulky sneakers from Takashimaya, Singapore, gave me cool kid status in school. Conversely, my mother’s rule against low slung jeans brought out a lot of teen angst too.

Being a teenager has always been complicated but in today’s constantly plugged-in culture, it is downright treacherous. Social media gives unnatural amounts of emphasis to appearances and possessions, and teenagers are bound to get influenced by (at least) some of what they’re consuming online. In this context, it can be tricky to have a conversation about the impact fast fashion has on our environment, and the importance of consuming less. However, with teens being the prime customers for brands like Forever21 and H&M, educating your kids (or godchildren, or nieces and nephews) about their purchasing power, and empowering them to make better choices is imperative. But how does one do it in the first place? Ahead, we tell you how you can have a conversation with your teenager about the fine balance between looking good and doing good.

Trust their intellect

With 16-year-old Greta Thunberg leading the fight against climate change and organising world-wide marches this month, chances are your teen is already concerned about the planet. A sweeping trend among Gen Z is the VSCO girl (pronounced vis-co, so you don’t get ridiculed by your kids) who wears socks and sandals, carries a sticker-laden Hydro Flask and cares about the environment. These topical subjects are a great way to start the conversation about the effect our lifestyles are having on climate change, and then segue specifically into fast fashion. Instead of simply imparting information, ask them what they already know and what they’re curious about. You may be surprised at their sensitivity towards the topic. In fact, you may learn that they’ve already taken some steps to minimise their own footprint too.

Educate yourself

If you’re going to attempt to talk to your teenagers about fast fashion and its environmental cost, do some reading on the subject yourself, so you have a basic understanding of what’s going on. You can also admit to them that you are in the process of learning about fashion’s impact as well, to make the education process more collaborative. The True Cost is a PG13-rated documentary that unveils the people and processes behind cheap clothing. Watch it together with your family, but keep in mind that it features a few violent scenes about the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka in 2013. On the other hand, Unravel, a video about garment recyclers in India, helps quantify the amount of clothing we use and dump without much thought. An interesting activity for both of you would be to pull out your favourite shirts and read the labels on a brand’s website, to try and see where they come from and who makes them. This puts a human entity behind an inanimate object.

Lead by example

If you truly want your kids to imbibe some values, you have to show them that you believe in those things by practicing them yourself. Words are not as effective as model behaviour. So, if you buy secondhand clothing yourself and wear it with pride, they will also consider doing the same. When you borrow a bag or lend a necklace to your girlfriend, be vocal about it in front of your teenagers. Tell them it’s cool to style the same article of clothing differently, and your kids might also start thinking about how they can use their clothes for longer, and be less conscious about repeating outfits at social occasions. Be open to their suggestions too, and when they correct you for doing something wrong, acknowledge your mistake.

Become a team

The fight against fast fashion can become a great bonding project. Share your wardrobes with your teenagers and get a laugh trying on each other’s stuff. Even if you aren’t the same size, accessories like jewellery, bags, caps and backpacks can always be exchanged. Instead of trips to the mall, keep an eye out for clothing swaps in your city and attend those together. Another great activity is to do an annual spring cleaning of your wardrobes, and donate the old clothes. Share at Door Step will coordinate pick-ups from your home and take them to local NGOs. Having to donate some clothes to those in need as they buy newer items will hammer in the concept of moderation vs excess. Consumer care is also part of the impact fast fashion has on our planet. Decide, as a family, to wash clothes less (and air-dry them in the sun instead of in a mechanical dryer).

Tactical experiments

Journalist Anya Hart Dyke wanted to instill good fashion habits in her four-year-old before she became cognisant of brands and their marketing influence, so she made her bury samples of cotton, wool and polyester in their backyard to see what the worms would eat and what they wouldn’t. This is a great way to teach children about the importance of natural materials, because often cheap fashion is made with synthetic and chemical raw materials that are not only bad for the environment, but also for our bodies. Another activity she suggests is to get your child to write a letter to the person who made their clothes. It will teach them empathy and the true cost of cheap fashion. Introduce your kids to the world of sustainable hacks like popping your jeans in the freezer instead of washing them or recycling clothes with the help of your local tailor or cutting up old garments to create cleaning rags. Practicing what you preach together will cultivate good habits for life.

Empower them

If you want your kids to develop good fashion habits, you’ll have to support them too. Suggest buying them a versatile, sustainable item of clothing instead of five or six things at the mall, and then help them style it many different ways. Compliment them on their good behaviour, such as repairing a tear or wearing the same thing to multiple parties. In all the talk about climate destruction, remember to put a hopeful positive spin to the conversations so they feel like they have a chance to do something about it. The app, Good on You, rates clothing brands by labour and environmental practices, and also helps users discover new ethical brands. Your kids will definitely love new technology that helps their sustainability goals. Discuss new developments in material technology like pineapple leather and orange skin fabric, and how feasible it is for these to go mainstream. You are creating the leaders who will solve the world’s problems, and helping them think outside the box is the best thing you can do for their future.