Writing a Perspective

Writing a Perspective 

Writing a perspective was tricky, because I had to be concise with my thoughts, ideas, and story, which I am not great at. Deciding what to talk about was easy because fast fashion is something recently that has caught my attention. And people don't really know much about yet, it is something recent but still not talked about enough. Deciding what story to use was hard because I don't have an extremely strong connection to fast fashion, I always loved Urban Outfitter and Zara but I didn't have much trouble cutting them off when I found out about their ethics. I also was not one to buy like piles of clothing at H& M because I did think it was cheaply made and I never liked that. I always liked clothing with a slightly higher quality, which is why I did like brands that were ethical, I just didn't know it. So, finding the write story to connect it to was tough, even now, I don't know if the story connects well enough as it pertains more to the worker side of fast fashion than the customer side, which is more relatable. Also, trying to keep it gentle, without using like facts or figures to expose the readers to his bad the industry is was also tricky for me. I always see papers ( any paper) as something with facts and statics, because they are all of the time. And many of the perspectives I read don't have any fact and on't really articulate an argument much or how to deal with the problem they bring up. However, I did because I felt it necessary to mention something bad they do and how to fix it. I couldn't just say don't shop at any store in the mall and juts leave it at that. It wouldn't be helpful. The last thing that gave me some trouble was a title. I didn't want to just point out what my topic is, none of the ones I have seen did that. But coming up with something catchy but is relevant to the topic, not easy. I randomly wrote something in it and liked the ring, so I decided to use that as the title. 

Perspective: Investment Over Expendable

Perspective: Investment Over Expendable

I used to work at a Banana Republic, and everyday I would come in and everything would be rearranged. We would get new cashmere sweaters, and so they would go on the table in "the avenue" or we would get new dresses which would be put in the front of the store, while the old ones were either put in sale or in the back. We got new articles of clothing every week, although I use the term new loosely because sometimes it the same shirt in the same color with a different cut. And even though we always got new stuff in, it rarely sold better or got more people to come in. People would just wait until the sales happened, and when they did, it was mad house. People bought tons of the clothes for $40 off the original price while the old clothes collected dust in the back. This is a symptom from an industry called fast fashion, where clothes are made faster and cheaper to produce more and make more money. And while our clothes were made with a better quality in mind (in some factory where no one is getting payed well or treated well), most stores' clothing isn't good quality. It's stores we all know and love like Uniqlo, Forever 21, H& M, Zara, Topshop, ASOS, Urban Outfitter, etc. Tell me the last time you saw someone walk into one of those stores and come out with a small bag or only one purchase. We care more for quantity rather than quality. But what many people don't know is that these clothes effect our environment. Clean water is being polluted with toxic chemicals just so we can buy four pairs of blue jeans for $24.95 at H& M. And the clothes not sold or used end up in landfills or burnt (great thinking Burberry). We have to look into small businesses for ethical and sustainable clothing. Where the materials are produced and assembled in LA or somewhere in the United States. And while it's more pricey, we have to see our clothing more as an investment rather than expendable. I ended up quitting my job at Banana Republic, and have decided to make my own brand, one that sells ethical clothing, but can be just as popular as a fast fashion place.