Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

• 목록

Fashion is indeed very alive in Korea. But Fashion has also become the biggest polluter in the world second only to oil states Angel Chang (2017) in her TED-Ed YouTube video.

As a part of my several community posts about caring for our stuffs which also leads to our care for others and environment, perhaps we can talk once more about the things that we use every day: our clothes

Our clothes, including the simple white t-shirts and jeans, are of course made most of the time from plants that uses a lot of water, chemicals, and fuel to grow and harvest—not to mention the process of turning them into our clothes and transporting them (Chang, 2017; Venkatsen, 2021).

On the other hand, a YouTube video by The Economist (2018) shows countless clothes being discarded as people try to stay fashionable. Such piles of excess clothing in the end can also emit harmful substances in the air and in the land while they are decomposing (Chang, 2017).

In the face of such problems, there are several things we can do to reduce such waste. In the Philippines we often buy secondhand clothes as advocated also by Chang (2017) and Venkatsen (2021). We also buy those cheaper ones that are considered defective by their manufacturers (e.g. clothes with misaligned stitches or fabric damage) and so are not sold in the major stores. In both cases, we just repair on our own whatever flaws such clothing has—it’s worth it: we got fashionable clothes in a cheaper price and saved them from just being dumped somewhere! In relation to Korea, in Chuncheon also I think I found some shops selling the same stuffs. In addition, a friend of mine and I survived the Korean winter that we first experienced because of the winter coats given to us by our graduating fellow countrymen. There is really no shame in using hand-me-downs!

Aside from this, and in relation to my previous story about the reason why it is better to dry your clothes in the sun: we can just wash our clothes in cooler water to make them last longer (for reason why and also additional tips to prolong the lives of our clothes see How to Care for Your Clothes, 2019), since the remaining viruses or germs or bacteria not killed due to the water not being warm enough, can be killed by the sun’s rays (The Style Theorists, 2023).

Once again, there are many ways we can live sustainably, and we are blessed to have information out there. All we need is to educate ourselves and take the initiative for a better present and future.

References:

Chang, A. [TED-Ed]. (2017, September 6). The life cycle of a t-shirt - Angel Chang [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BiSYoeqb_VY

How to Care For Your Clothes – and Keep Them For longer. (2019, August 8). Eco-Age. https://eco-age.com/resources/how-care-your-clothes-and-keep-them-longer

The Economist. (2018, November 30). The true cost of fast fashion [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/tLfNUD0-8ts

The Style Theorists. (2023, April 23). Style theory: Tide lied?! The gross truth about your laundry [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/mACVua-jVlY

Venkatsen, M. [TED-Ed]. (2021, December 1). Why do your jeans wear out so quickly? - Madhavi Venkatesan [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qmGjkXIqI08