There's Nothing More UNFASHIONABLE THAN WASTE

Every season, the runway dazzles us with newness. Silhouettes shift, colours rotate, hemlines rise and fall with the tides of trend. But behind the shimmer of sequins and the gloss of campaigns lies a reality that isn't nearly as glamorous: waste. There's nothing more unfashionable than waste.

- By Shri R. Amarasinghe

And yet, fashion keeps producing it in staggering volumes. We rarely see this side of the industry. While glossy magazines showcase the latest must-have, the discarded "last season" quietly makes its way into landfills. For all the artistry, creativity, and passion in fashion, its darker underbelly is one of excess, exploitation, and environmental damage.

Let's take a closer look at the numbers that rarely make it to the runway:

100 billion garments are produced globally every year.

57% of discarded clothes end up in landfills.

25% are incinerated, gone in smoke, adding to the air pollution crisis.

20% of industrial wastewater pollution comes from fashion alone.

60% of all clothing sold is made of synthetic fibres like polyester, which can take up to 800 times longer to decompose than natural fibres.

It takes 2,700 litres of water to make just one cotton shirt.

The industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than international aviation and shipping combined.

And consumers? We now buy 60% more clothing than we did 20 years ago; but wear each item only half as long.

These aren't just fashion statistics. They're warnings. Alarming reminders that our closets are connected to climate change, water scarcity, and social inequities.

BEYOND A WASTE PROBLEM