To feel so guilty about shopping in primark

[Arkk]

I feel so guilty after shopping in fast fashion shops like primark. I haven’t bought pjs for well over a year so really needed some and ended up in primark as my friend wanted to go in there. I got some lovely pjs really cheap and a few other bits. I start to feel guilty thinking I should have spent a few quid more and bought more ethically. AIBU?

Don't feel guilty OP, you're aware of the issue and if you could do something else, you would but for now, Primark will do. One of the main issues of fast fashion is the disposableness - people buying bags of clothes, wearing them once, and getting rid.

As well as buying ethically sourced clothes, you can also be more ethical in your buying practices - just by buying less, wearing stuff more, and repairing where you can. Sounds like you've got that nailed!

Primark are not the worst, ethically - they do a nice range of sustainable cotton pyjamas which are fairly long lasting. Clothing is difficult and expensive to buy ethically - you can’t buy everything secondhand and new ethical stuff is really pricey. It’s easier to buy other things like fair trade coffee and tea. I wouldn’t feel too guilty tbh.

Idealistically I think everyone would like to avoid fast fashion. Not everyone can afford to.
No shame at all in clothing your self and your family.

@contrmary

As long as it's cheap who cares. If people have made the items in other countries where the employment rights are not as strong as those in western Europe, it's up to the people of those countries to change their laws.

We didn't get laws on gender equality, minimum wage and safe working conditions by doing nothing. It took many years of hard work over several generations.

The "colonial" attitude is to assume that other countries should abide by our standards; that we have it right and they have it wrong. It's actually quite an arrogant opinion.

Oh. My. God. Marie Antoinette is alive and well and living on mumsnet. How do you suggest that these poorly treated and often poorly educated people, children and families go about challenging and overthrowing their currupt laws and governments?

It's all very well lecturing on the evils of fast fashion. I really hate it as a concept. But @contrmary is spot on - it's cheap. The brands linked to as ethical, like Rapanui or Peopletree, charge £12 for a t-shirt (Rapanui) and People Tree is a LOT more - their basic black striped t-shirt is £35.

If you're on a budget or course you're going to go to Primark where for your £35 you can get a dress, two pairs of jeans, three tops and probably underwear and socks too.

I looked on Rapanui and the first t shirt I clicked on was £25 and it refused to tell me how much delivery was. Primark sells T-shirts for £2.50, you can get an organic cotton one for £6, and for £25 you could buy a whole outfit. So there’s a huge difference in price.

I buy things like vests and pyjamas at Primark and they last me years. I’d look to buy things like jumpers and coats second hand. I don’t buy many clothes now, don’t really need to as I have plenty and am not bothered about following fashion. I don’t know anyone who buys clothes and throws them away after one wear.

@Silvergreen

Good quality pyjamas will last you 5 years.

My Primark pyjamas have lasted me at least that long. I couldn't afford to buy from elsewhere at the time.

@Sunshiney1981 I’m afraid you’ve fallen victim to greenwashing there with your views on H&M and the ‘conscious’ range.

www.google.ie/amp/s/www.dezeen.com/2019/08/02/hm-norway-greenwashing-conscious-fashion-collection-news/amp/

@halcyondays it’s very true that not everyone can afford to shop sustainably or buy ethically sourced clothes. No one should be criticised for buying what they can afford. Shopping ethically is a privilege.

I think the number one thing we can do is only buy when absolutely necessary - so the days of going and buying some new dresses just because they are cheap should be gone.

In particular around weight gain/loss pregnancy otherwise. I’ve kept all my pjs / dresses from a few years ago. I put on a stone and bought some new clothes now lost that weight so I’m rotating my clothes around and getting my older ones out of the attic instead of treating myself to new stuff based on how I did well to lose weight which would usually be what I’d think!

We all just need to work to change our mindsets.

Don't feel guilty. Shop where you can afford - it's easy for a load of champagne socialists to tell you to shop ethically, but the reality for most people is that it isn't always possible to choose the most ethical option for a fair price.
The fact you recognise the faults of some places (like primark but also MANY other high street brands that people don't acknowledge) is a positive step and make sure you recycle, give old items to charity shops, and take care of items so you're not constantly just getting rid of and replacing items.
I generally shop on H&M, sometimes Marks and sometimes Next. I can't afford much more than those. I will occasionally go into primark and get pj's or something similar but I also wear things till they're literally falling apart.
I hope everyone posting here criticising suppers are vegan, walk and cycle everywhere and only flush their toilet when they take a big dump

Unfortunately when they are pyjamas for dc the dam things grow and grow! I buy too big and eek out a couple of years and ds has only just abandoned some far too small pyjamas but with dc it is hard. And there are not often second hand pyjamas going for dc as they are often so ropey by the time dc grow out of them.

I hope everyone posting here criticising suppers are vegan, walk and cycle everywhere and only flush their toilet when they take a big dump grin

They should also be growing all of their own food, including the rice, planting trees everyday and collecting rubbish as their daily jobs.

But we both know they are all driving their 4x4s 5 mins down the road to M&S to buy their food and get their clothes for the week. But they of course NEED their 4x4s because how else could they possibly cope?! It's just not possible!

I try not to shop in Primark and other fast fashion places and shop in more conscious shops when they have discounts. I think it all depends on how much money you have to spend on clothes. If you are struggling or don't even meet your basics, don't worry too much about it, just buy what you can afford. If you are well off than yes, pay more attention to where you shop.

At the end of the day I think it's more important to buy less, regardless of where you buy it. Buy what you need, items you can match with what you have and don't buy anything extra that you will just wear once or twice.

I love Primark skinny jeans, and got DD’s last pyjamas there a year ago, which are still going strong. What I’ve started to pay attention to more recently is materials, and the cost of the item - in M&S I was admiring a jumper, which turned out to be acrylic, and which was £34. Primark acrylic jumpers, 8. For the M&S price, I’d expect a nicer fabric, or some kind of wool or a decent breathable fabric.

^£8, that should have said

The honest answer to this is that very few high street retailers can be considered ethical.
I decided to shop more ethically a few years ago and it was a gradual process over about a year (very difficult to change any behaviour overnight).

If you were looking for some ideas on how to start buying more ethically, here are a few things that I have found:

1. I don't beat myself up for the choices I made previously, and I still have clothes from high street shops that I bought 3+ years ago (no point in wasting them).

1. Buying brand new ethical clothes are expensive (especially compared with Primark) so I "treat" myself to buying from these places maybe 3-4 times per year. Ethical shops have some beautiful choices!

1. The majority of my purchases are second-hand clothes from charity shops.

1. If I need something specific that can't be found in a charity shop, I buy second hand from ebay (select 'used' and then sort by 'time ending soonest' to get some deals).

1. I give money every month to a charity which works to expose unethical behaviour in the fashion industry and which supports vulnerable workers.

1. All of these changes (as I said above) were gradual and I cut myself a lot of slack whilst I was working to change my mindset on fast fashion.

I'll add the caveat that I don't have children, so I only have to clothe myself.
Obviously, these changes would be more difficult to implement if you have a bigger family, but any small changes that you can make are amazing and really make a difference to people's lives :)

I posted on this before and meant to come back sooner but been having a busy day with NB DD. I mentioned I worked in ethical fashion and wanted to share more tips in case anyone is interested...

Already mentioned that organic standards have virtually the same 'people/worker' standards as Fairtrade certification so shop organic where possible. Watch out for Primark's ethically/sustainably sourced cotton -this is not the same and I often find it's mixed with other fabrications and is harder to recycle later, so part of its content is sustainable but it's not sustainable in the future. If you're worried about the volume of fast fashion that's so cheap and poor quality being dumped in landfill (because 8/10 items sent to charity shops end up in landfill) then shop 100% natural fibre products eg 100% cotton, so at least the fabric can be recycled in some way. Fabric made with man-made fibres mixed with other fibres can't be recycled other than sold as second hand. Even shopping '100% polyester' is better than mixed fabrications because if the clothing is worn out, the fabric can still be recycled.

However, I've recently stopped buying clothing in man-made fibres altogether because it's not breathable and makes me hotter/sweaty...TMI??

If you have the time, watch The True Cost, a film on fast fashion. My boss was featured in the film and we met the filmmaker, who wanted to highlight the bad practices within the industry, from factories poisoning villages by disposing of clothing dyes unethically/illegally in the local drinking water, factory workers' rights, the Bangladesh factory fires and to huge corporations such as Monsanto leading cotton farmers to commit suicide because of huge debts. Rather than avoid Primark, avoid evil genetically modified product companies like Monsanto... the film explains all.

Sorry, bit of a long post but I'm passionate about it. Watch the film... the ending made me cry when you see a montage of shots...from the greed of shoppers racing in to shop the Black Friday sale to the loneliness of the factory workers who leave their children in the countryside to work in Dhaka and provide for their children.