We have to wait less and less to get new clothes. Many stores renew the genre every 15 days, others every week and some twice a week. The rapid substitution of one trend for another is at agenda and this has given rise to concepts such as fast fashion, fashion for instant consumption and easily replaceable.

This mass production not only causes tons of waste, which has a great impact on the environment, but also affects the conditions of work of many people. This is explained by Emanuela Mora, professor of Sociology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), who has visited the ICS to offer the course 'Theoretical Perspectives on Culture'. Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) to offer the course 'Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and Cultural Mediations' at the Master's Degree in research in Social Sciences of the University of Navarra.

According to the expert, despite the increase in production, we are increasingly aware of the consequences of fashionable consumption. The 'green movements' of the 1970s began with food, recycling and organic products. Although this is beginning to be transferred to the textile sector, she regrets that it has been the last sector to join, as it is still an uncommon behavior and many consumers look at sustainable initiatives with suspicion.

From agreement with the professor, this incipient critical consumption "is the attitude manager of selecting products that correspond to our desires and needs" and, at the same time, "to be sure that their materials and processes are respectful with the environment, with their workers and that they do not pose a danger to our health".

Individual and corporate responsibility

For Mora, there are currently two social groups that consume fashion in a sustainable way. On the one hand, there are people with a high level educational and purchasing power who "are willing to pay more for products made in a fairer and less polluting way but that, at the same time, follow the latest trends". They cannot be considered group, as they act individually.

On the other hand, it points to a group that can be very recognizable by the way they dress. It is made up of "people who are very committed politically and culturally against the fashion industry". He indicates that for them critical consumption is ethical consumption and implies first of all written request to reduce, so they buy clothes that do not depend on trends and are made through solidarity processes.

Just as consumers are becoming increasingly aware of waste, pollution and poor working conditions in the fashion industry, it seems that many brands have introduced these concerns in their diary and are committed to changing their way of producing, for example, with the use of bio materials, recycling clothing, reducing the use of chemicals ... However, Mora criticizes that many of these initiatives are mostly just a 'facelift' by companies: "They want to stay in the market".

Fashion and psychology

Despite the emergence of movements such as critical consumption, it could be said that most people are driven by other motivations when it comes to buying. As this specialist explains, when we buy and use a product, most of the time we don't do it out of necessity, but out of desire - a desire to show off, to look better - and also to relate - a desire to show who we are, who we like to relate to or our ideas about the world. "We communicate through fashion," says Mora.

In fact, clothing can be of great use in disciplines such as psychology and social work as it is a first indicator of a person's way of being. As the sociologist explains, "we are accustomed to dress in a socially acceptable way, as well as in relation to the weather, the expectation of others, the products on offer in the market, the traditions of a place, etc.". If a social worker or psychologist encounters a person who needs financial aid and dresses out of step with the weather or status, "it may mean that he or she is having trouble fitting into society," she adds.

Despite the frivolous image that can be associated with fashion, Emmanuela Mora emphasizes that there is a deeper component, since with it "we can say that we belong to something or that something belongs to us in an intimate way, since the garments are a second skin". She hopes that the consumption of clothing can also become a generalized vehicle to express concern for the environment and this will lead to the research and the development of new sustainable forms of production.