How To Break Up With Fast Fashion: A guilt-free guide to changing the way you shop – for good

by Lauren Bravo

You probably know the statistics: global clothing production has roughly doubled in just 15 years, and every year an estimated 300,000 tonnes of used clothing ends up in UK landfill.

Fast fashion is the ultimate toxic relationship. It's bad news for the planet, our brains and our bank balances. We can't go on like this; our shopping habits need an overhaul.

Journalist Lauren Bravo loves clothes more than anything, but she's called time on her affair with fast fashion in search of a slower, saner way of dressing. In this book, she'll help you do the same.

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion will help you to change your mindset, fall back in love with your wardrobe and embrace more sustainable ways of shopping - from the clothes swap to the charity shop. Full of refreshing honesty and realistic advice, Lauren will inspire you to repair, recycle and give your unloved items a new lease of life without sacrificing your style.

Because fashion belongs to everyone, but no outfit should cost us the earth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, Sustainability, Self Help, Environment, Audiobook, Business

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[✨ jami ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

- the authors writing style is great! super readable
- probably a bit too introductory for me. I think this is good for someone who is just starting to think about stopping buying from fast fashion
- The first half was for me more useful then the second (first half is sort of a breakdown of the history of fast fashion and how the industry impacts people/the environment/the planet and then second half is more about actual steps to take to stop buying it)
- I didn't agree with someee of the authors recommendations (for eg, Good On You imo is a bit of a terrible database) but I also don't think anything she said was egregious
- one thing I thought was GREAT was how it touched on fast fashion being a feminist issue. Something often left out the convo, sadly
- overall I think this was good to fine, glad I read it - probably not for someone like me whose already stopped buying FF but very good for someone just starting to learn

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sustainable fashion is something I’ve long been interested in and blogged about, so I was looking forward to reading this.

Lauren writes this in a really down to earth and relatable way which is something that can be lacking in the ethical space at times. She doesn’t preach, she doesn’t give unattainable tips and she acknowledges her own flaws which I found refreshing in this kind of book.

Also refreshing was the recognition that sustainable fashion itself is far from perfect; it is rarely inclusive of size or colour and, for many, the cost can be prohibitive.

The facts and figures in the book were not new to me, but would definitely be food for thought for those just starting to come down from their fast fashion high.

All in all, a very well researched and relatable book. Everyone should read this!

[NAT.orious reads ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

if Lauren could just come over real quick and be my emotional support sustainability token so I can finally get rid of the clothes I am perfectly fine with not wearing anymore but simply too lazy to put up for sale.

[Annaliese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting 2020 off a bit slow on the reads but this book was one that I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the release date.
Devoured within a few hours, this book covers the tips, tricks and consequences of fast fashion - in a consumer friendly and well written way.
This is a great way of dipping your toes in to 'breaking up with fast fashion' or a helpful read for reaffirming your values (in the non-preachy way).

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, yet how many of us really think about the impact of what we're wearing?

Bravo's book is an excellent manual for those of us who want a more sustainable style, yet are confused about: what is the most ecofriendly option, where we should purchase from, and how big does a wardrobe have to be before it's too big?!?

The book sets out firstly WHY we should care about the impact of fast fashion and secondly WHAT we can do about it. I particularly enjoyed the discussion around why society seems to be obsessed with the new, and how we find ourselves scrolling endlessly looking for 'just the right top' which then ends up at the back of the wardrobe 3 months later. The directory at the back which was ordered in the categories outlined in the book (where to buy/sell/get tailored/find secondhand) is something I shall definitely be making use of.

As Bravo reminds us- there's no Planet B, and if fast fashion continues as it has done, the crisis will arrive even sooner. Personally, whenever I feel tempted to 'get it or regret it', I'll be coming back to this book and reminding myself to ask the crucial questions: who made these clothes and how were they treated?

5 stars

[Louisa Holgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for anyone who wants to cut down on fast fashion and find more sustainable ways to shop - eye opening!

[Poppy Flaxman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute gem from Lauren Bravo. She writes in a way that is informative without being patronising and is funny throughout - there were several occassions when I had to pause my reading to quote a line to whoever was sat by me.

The book is well researched and calls upon several contributors from different backgrounds and with different bodies to comment on the fast fashion industry. I've been following Lauren's journey from the beginning so it was really interesting to see how everything came together.

The statistics in this book truly knock you back. I think this is an important read for anyone who is interested in fashion and its affect on the planet. Yes, the industry needs to change drastically but we can have some impact by choosing where we shop and how often we do so. Plus this is a genuinely very funny read so you won't completely go mad with planet panic.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book on fast fashion and it’s alternatives. I’m trying to change my shopping and consumption habits and this has been a great resource, Lauren Bravo has artfully mixed cold hard facts with wry wit and charm, She’s encouraging without being preachy and provided genuinely useful tips for forming a more sustainable wardrobe. I listened to this on audio and think I’ll pick up a physical copy for future reference.

[Paige Docking · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't purposefully pick up this book as I dont buy much fast fashion anyways but I flicked through it at the library and fell in love with Laurens style of writing. It's one of the few books that I literally laughed out loud as she is fantastic at appealing to the general public and being very real.

[Daniëlle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book to everyone ever. But especially if you have a gut feeling that your shopping habits aren't healthy and shopping never makes you feel quite as good as you hoped it would, or if you would like to dress more sustainably for the environment but don't know where to start. You don't have to figure slow fashion out yourself, this book is an amazing help.

[Hermes~ Draconostus.png · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best books about ditching fast fashion I've read and I really recomend to anyone interested in changing their shopping habits. It's humour is in a mock relationship book style mixed with statistics and debates. Highlighting how fast fashion and changing it is a highly complex mixture of priveledge, economy and ethics. Gives great tips from how to start loving your preowned clothes to getting 'that' smell out of your vintage dress:

"To summaries:start your shopping ban,Anne. Give mending a go, Jo. Unsubscribe your email, Gail. Just listen to me.
Learn to upcylce, Michael. Count thirty wears, Claire. Ask who made your clothes, Rose. just get yourself free."

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Първо, авторката е много забавна, на много места откровено си се смях на глас. Текстът е много лек и приятен за четене. Направо се влюбих в стила й на писане. :)

Второ, книгата обаче е насочена към хора, които обичат мода, искат да опазят планетата и си падат по vintage дрехи. Уви, ако си някой като мен, който носи дрехите си до скъсване и отвъд това и после му отнема поне две години да купи заместител на каквато дреха е умряла, не е правилната книга. Аз искам дрехи, тя говори за мода и от там идва огромната разлика.

Надявах се на насоки и съвети как да избираш дрехите си така, че по-рядко да имаш несполучливи покупки от дрехи или как да навигираш света на модата, че да намираш качествени дрехи с минимално количество усилия, отделени за проучване и търсене.

Уви, не получих това, но беше много забавна книжка. Няма спор. Имаше тук-там някои интересни неща, които не знаех, но толкова. Просто стилът й на писане ми допадна твърде много и това спаси книгата за мен, а и е първата ми книга на тази тема. Обикновено съм по-щедра с първите книги по дадена тема, защото още нямам натрупана информация, че да сравнявам кой е по-добър и кой не. :)

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a fantastic book!

Not only was this book full of such amazing tips for how to break up with fast fashion but it was funny too.

The structure of this book was brilliant. It was so easy and engaging to read.

This book covered everything from renting to mending and charity shops to selling old clothes.

There was so many wonderful tips and useful resources which I know I will be referring back to in time.

I'm glad this book touched on intersectionally, and how it's a privilege to be able to live a more sustainable life.

Books which cover the topic of climate change and the environment can be a bit doom mongering but this managed to escape that trap. It was funny, light hearted and very informative.

If you want to give up fast fashion either for the planet, your bank account or any other reason then you need to pick up this book ASAP.

[Cathy]

This book grew on me. I initially found it a bit 'fluffy', it reads like a fashion magazine puff piece and I suspect that's the target reader, but it does also contain useful information and tips. The author references Aja Barber's work several times, I read her book 'Consumed' previously, and its approach appealed to me more but I can see there's a place for both. Bravo's love of charity shops did win me over in the end. I also liked her quote from Stella McCartney suggesting that you can't expect consumers to choose terrible looking clothes, that 'eco fashion' still needs to cater to a range of tastes and look good (I'm paraphrasing, but I think that was the point). With some good cleaning and repair advice as well I ended up getting quite a lot out of this read after wading through the padding.

[Helen Stansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring book, glad I read and definitely a good nudge to change my habits around clothes and (avoiding) fast fashion where I can!

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Switched to audiobook. Definitely had me thinking about where I get my clothes from and realizing that I need to stop looking for cheap clothes that won’t last long and start spending more time thrifting/looking for better quality clothing from companies that provide their workers with living wages.

[Amy Mcdowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

not to be dramatic, but this book literally changed how I live

So personally written and informative and incredibly relatable - it makes you question everything but in the best way

[Miglė Butkevičė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five points for the topic itself.
Three points because I was not the target audience for this book. Thus it was hard to relate to the author when she was struggling after two months without shopping.

But back to the importance of the fashion topic. We need to talk more about how fast fashion and our need for new clothes exploit our planet. Because once sustainability is brought to the table, it usually includes such topics as recycling our waste, abandoning plastic straws, buying totem bags, commuting more by bicycle, or even eating less meat. But fast fashion is still a rare topic in these kinds of conversations. However, fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Textile production alone produces more CO2 than international flights and maritime shipping combined. And that’s before packaging, shipping, delivering, etc.

Even if people are aware of how fast fashion harms our planet, there are still lots of misleading information, complex questions, stereotypes. One of them is a belief that a more expensive clothes will be more sustainable, which is not true. Although more sustainable clothes are usually more costly, however, a high price itself does not mean the item is more sustainable. Another interesting thing was about natural materials. We know that a polyester shirt has more carbon footprint than a cotton shirt (actually - more than double). And yet the cotton needed to make a single T-shirt takes the same amount of water that would be enough for one person to drink for three years. So just looking for natural materials is also not a panacea.

Thus, I think it’s essential to become aware of all the problems fast fashion & our urge to buy new clothes causes to the planet and the people who work in this industry. After reading this book, I also ended up with a few new apps, e.g., goodonyou.eco which shows the sustainability ratings of different brands considering child labor, modern slavery, energy use, carbon emission, water consumption, chemical waste, animal welfare. Yes, all these things (i.e. child labor, modern slavery) still exist in our fast fashion industry.

The quote which stuck to my mind after reading this book:

`If your feminism is truly intersectional, you should care what the lady in Bangladesh is paid to make your “feminism” T-shirt.`

And of course, as a Lithuanian, I was super excited & proud to see two Lithuanian brands mentioned in the section on sustainable fashion: The Knotty Ones & Vinted . So definitely there is a way on how to break up with fast fashion.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say I had (mostly) given up on fast fashion by around 2018, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d get out of this book. However, Lauren Bravo offers a fresh and extremely funny take on fast fashion and this book was well worth my time. It’s inclusive, accessible and non-judgey, and what I appreciated most was the ‘let’s all try our best’ attitude, rather than a prescriptive, blanket list of dos and don’ts. Perfect is the enemy of good and there’s no ‘most ethical’ way to clothe a body that will work for everyone. We all just need to do the best we can to reduce the environmental and human cost of our clothes, and this book is a great place to start.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and funny - I found this so interesting and entertaining I bought a copy to give to a friend. There are lots of up to date resources so even if you know the basics you’re likely to find something useful.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review with be on my Instagram (Booksandbargains_) but I will say I went into this book thinking I wouldnt take much from it as I am already a committed second hand shopper but honestly took so much from it and recommend EVERYONE reads it!!

[RocioST · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read of 2021, and it was an awesome one!
I've been interested in the horrifying reality of fast fashion and its connection to feminism and different systems of inequality for over 10 years so I knew this book would at times be repetitive to me, but it was surprising to read Lauren's very practical tips and alternatives, which often are not spoken about as clearly.
While reading it I imagined giving this book to my future daughter and other girls and boys around the globe in the hopes that they would learn more about the fast fashion industry and horrendous impacts.
Lauren also speaks about the individual complexities of ''quitting fast fashion'' including speaking about important minorities in this space such as plus size women or poverty within this context. Lauren holds space for this and understands it which I appreciate as a plus size woman that often has trouble finding jeans in charity shops that fit- but also softly challenges this. Lauren brings Aja Barber into the context and stating that we need to be held accountable. Fast fashion isn’t a problem because “the poor” bought it. It is a problem because of middle class people with disposable income buy five dresses at a time and wear them once or twice. Because we buy 20 times the amount of clothes as our grandparents did and it’s all over consumption. Its racism, misogyny, female and child labor and is destroying our planet- its time for change.

[kieran ⋅˚₊‧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding primer on fast fashion, exceedingly accessible and charmingly written. it doesn't coddle you, but it also doesn't condescend, which is something that the book acknowledges as an issue within such activism. the discussion was split to three parts - how fast fashion harms, how to quell it from your wardrobe, and an exploration on alternatives to fast fashion - which provided good pacing. it also acknowledges right off the bat the layers of capitalism and privilege that underlies all nuanced discussion towards the issue. despite the scale of the topic at hand, it's overall a very compelling, uplifting and inspiring read!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A terrific primer on the fast fashion / sustainability discourse, written in a perky, accessible tone. Short of making your own textiles and hunching over a spinning loom, it’s pretty much impossible to be an ethically clothed person. Although it’s difficult, it doesn’t mean we can’t be resourceful about how we buy and wear garments. I’m appreciative of the one-size-does-not-fit-all take on the mindful practices we as individuals can incorporate in our consumer habits and Bravo’s acknowledgement of fashion as a form of (joyous) creative expression instead of a symbol of frivolity.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo's writing style is relatable and a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed this book. Lauren kept things interesting while covering a lot of topics. I love that she talks about fashion not being a black and white subject but more of a gray; There are so many layers to the fashion industry. This book gives me inspiration, in a down to earth way, of where to start.

[Salomé Esteves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not teach me anything new. It did make me smile and gave me the strength to resist sudden urges to go shopping. If you buy some or most of your clothes second-hand or have learned to make or mend clothes, this book will not be a revelation. But I adore Lauren's Bravo voice and tone, and that's enough for me.

[Sarah Capper · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERYONE needs to read this

[Elizabeth Telford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who loves clothes - made me want to rush to oxfam immediately

[Sammy Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very realistic, non judgemental approach to shopping more sustainably. Would recommend this book to anyone looking to cut down on fast fashion/ find out more about the industry. 5/5

[claudia ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely a must-read if you’re someone who wants to shop sustainably but not sure how or where to start. wonderful book with a lot of very good points! highly recommended