In the digital age, where a few taps on a screen are all it takes to buy a new outfit, fast fashion has become a familiar shopping habit for many young people. The appeal of fast fashion lies in its convenience, affordability, and the ability to constantly update trends. Consumers can easily satisfy their immediate desire to change or refresh their appearance without worrying too much about the cost.

However, behind these cheap clothes lies a short lifespan and significant environmental consequences. Nguyen Phuong Thao (23 years old) shared: “I often order clothes online because they are cheap and beautiful, but after wearing them a few times, the clothes stretch out and the prints peel off, so I'm hesitant to wear them outside.” These cheap, low-quality items quickly bore consumers, leading to easy discarding. When thrown away, they become part of the daily fashion waste, contributing to environmental pollution.

To prevent clothing from going to waste, circular fashion projects have emerged, aiming to give old items a new lease on life. Urban Circular Space (UCS) is one such project. “We want to create a space where people can exchange, give away, or repurpose fashion items they no longer use,” shared Hoang Mai Trang, manager of UCS in Hanoi .

UCS's recycling booth at the Green Living, Smart Living event. Photo: Provided by the company.

Many items are only used once, often for a special occasion or photoshoot, and then forgotten in the closet. Many people are hesitant to wear old clothes again for fear of repetition or to find a fresh new look. Instead of letting clothes become surplus, exchanging or donating them gives them a chance to be used again, and allows users to freely refresh their style with other items without spending extra money. At spaces like UCS, clothes are exchanged, sometimes with just a little tweaking or rearranging to create a completely different look from their original appearance.

Ms. Hoang Mai Trang shared: “We collaborate with several recycling companies, for example, those specializing in recycling denim. UCS collects and supplies the materials, and then, once they complete the new products, they send them back to us for display, sale, or exchange in our store.” These collaborative models open up positive avenues for circular fashion, helping to extend the lifespan of clothing and encourage more sustainable consumption.

This cute backpack is made from old denim. Photo: Mèo Tôm Handmade.

In recent years, the trend of recycling fashion has attracted much attention from young people, from creating new lives for old items themselves to stores specializing in selling recycled products. Perhaps the most popular is denim, with its advantages of durability and versatility in being transformed into various products such as backpacks, handbags, toys, and decorative accessories. Many circular fashion stores organize events such as seminars on sustainable fashion, trade fairs, or clothing exchange programs to encourage people to reuse clothes. In workshops, participants can unleash their creativity and learn how to utilize fabric scraps to recycle into new products. By participating in these activities, customers are not only consumers but also partners, promoting the circular fashion trend and spreading awareness of sustainable consumption.

On online groups dedicated to sharing ideas for recycling old clothes, many members are actively participating in activities to refresh their garments, sharing experiences and practical guidance to improve the efficient use of old materials and create unique new products. From a pair of jeans that seemed destined for the trash, they cut and sewed them into a new bag; small scraps from the bag-making process were also repurposed to make accessories and sewn into decorative details.

Vintage fashion items are also being repurposed into artistic products. Photo: Meo Tom Handmade

Although recycled fashion has garnered attention from major global fashion brands, statistics show that out of hundreds of billions of garments produced worldwide each year, only 1% are recycled. Furthermore, not all of these are reused as new fashion items; some may be used as raw materials for other industrial production cycles. Moreover, not all products are manufactured with the intention of being recycled.

According to a recent study by Master's student Dang Thi Hong Van from the University of Commerce, there are many challenges facing recycled fashion in the Vietnamese market, such as: The lack of a comprehensive policy and incentive system, as well as difficulties in controlling product quality. In addition, there is no established process for collecting, sorting, and producing recycled products; the supply is limited; investment costs remain quite high; and consumer awareness of recycled fashion is still not open...

Therefore, although the circular fashion trend is not yet a widespread phenomenon, it is gradually raising awareness of sustainable consumption and inspiring the selection of environmentally responsible fashion products.

MẪN TUỆ

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/quan-ao-cu-loi-song-moi-865202