Fast fashion is a very real problem, with an estimated 10.5 million tons of clothing and textiles lost each year in North America. Young London-based fashion label Worth is tackling this problem.
The small business aims to help the London community by reducing clothing waste while producing fashionable clothing from pre-existing materials. Inspired by Fanshawe’s fashion program, Worth capitalizes on current trends and strives to make its products as affordable as fast fashion companies like Zara and H&M. The company is currently an online storefront and ships throughout North America.
“Their goal is to be able to transform the fashion industry and be able to make a difference for the environment and the community,” says Carly Harris, a third-year media, information and technoculture student and intern at Worth. “The goal is simply to create sustainable fashion and to create sustainability and positivity for the community, for the environment and for yourself.”
Fast fashion is created due to the ever-changing nature of fashion and clothes are produced to follow the latest trends. Once the season is over or the trend is over, these clothes are often in the trash. Some companies also choose to burn their clothing so that their excess stock is not reduced.
Fast fashion impacts the environment from production to disposal. Clothing production requires an enormous amount of energy and resources while using toxic dyes and chemicals that can contaminate water systems. According to Healthy Human, fashion produces a tenth of global carbon emissions.
Worth’s goal is to stay on trend with leading lean fashion brands. They have a design team that researches the latest trends and helps bring them to life under the Worth name. After the initial design process, the brand pitches its ideas to its core demographic — Gen Z, Millennials, and all gender identities — to see if the clothes would buy and if they’re truly on-trend.
In addition to producing clothing to stay fashionable, Worth offers basic clothing and special drops called capsule collections.
“When the spring season comes, they want to do special things [capsule collection] drops that somehow reflect the zeitgeist and current trends,” says Harris.
Worth emphasizes her ability to rework items into something people love to wear and can feel confident in. They launch their spring collection on March 15 via their website, with the collection featuring around 50 items.
“The Spring line is inspired by how you think about spring. Things are flourishing and happy. It’s warmer and it’s the transition from the dull winter period, so it really comes from a place of happiness and warmth and excitement,” Harris says.
