- Okay, I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit this but I have a little bit of a tiny shopping addiction and I have a lot of clothes.

(contemplative music) So, when I was tasked with coming up with an episode topic, sustainability and fast fashion was at the top of my list.

And if you don't know what fast fashion is, fast fashion refers to the busin of producing and selling the latest it item as quickly and cheaply as possib while consumer demand is still h It also encourages consumers to purchase more frequently to keep up with the latest trend And it's working.

I mean.

Within the last two decades, clothing production has doubled and consumer purchases increased This has also led to garments becoming more disposable, with consumers keeping their clothing for half as long.

In fact, in 2018 alone, America generated over 17 million tons of textile waste, which is the equivalent to every person in America discarding roughly 103 pounds of So, who bears the responsibility for the rise of fast fashion?

Is it the consumer?

Is it the manufacturer?

And how can the everyday person, such as myself, go about tackling this massive environmental issue?

(contemplative music) (playful music) Hi, nice to meet you.

This is Rachel Boucher, the visionary behind Rach-Al-Pac a fiber processing mill in Minne - [Rachel] Hi, Larry.

He's the token sheep for the alpacas.

- That's it.

(Larry baas) The primary fiber produced here is alpalca wool.

But the reason why I'm here toda is because Rachel graciously agreed to give me a tour of her operations.

They're as tall as me.

(both laughing) They're so cute.

Oh my goodness.

Here you go, here you go.

Now, Rach-Al-Paca is a small-scale farm to fashion mill that operates very differently from what you'll see in the fast fashion industry.

But it does give me an opportuni to view how clothes are made from the ground up.

How much fiber can you get out of a alpalca?

- Total fiber you get off an ani is probably anywhere from five to eight pounds.

That's 5,000 yards of yarn to make a sweater, so it would make a couple sweate - Just from one?

- Yeah.

- [Susan] That's amazing.

- Yeah.

We have 29 alpacas.

They're easier on the pasture than most livestock because they have two toes.

They don't have hooves, so they don't tear up the ground very much.

And they're very efficient in their digestion, so you don't have to keep feeding them more and more.

And their manure is useful, it doesn't burn the ground.

- [Susan] I see.

- So, they're a lot better for the environment.

- Yeah, it's a very natural substance.

- Yes.

Yes.

It can go back into the ground, no problems.

- Yes.

- That's good.

- We're an artisanal fiber mill.

We do individual fleeces, so you can know the name of the that produced the yarn.

Each machine has to be individually monitored and run.

It's not computerized, it's not This is the alpaca.

- How warm are they?

I would like to try.

(laughs) - They're super warm.

You'd be surprised how super warm they are.

We make yarn from our own animal which we make into socks and hats and mittens and things, and sell in our store.

- Do you think that by giving exposure to the manufacturing process, would that help customers to be more appreciative of the textiles that they wear?

- I think it definitely does.

Today's society, everyone wants immediate gratification.

As part of that, we've lost the concept that back in the 1800s, people had two or three garments they wore.

- All the time.

- All the time.

- Yeah.

- They had their good Sunday dre which was also their wedding dre That's all they had because they made it themselves.

- But how did fast fashion come about in the first place?

Well, the rise of fast fashion could be attributed to several f such as the invention of the sewing machine, the emergence of ready-wear clot as well as the widespread adopti of outsourcing work to developing countries.

All of these advancements transformed the manufacturing pr and retailers capitalized on it.

Enter in the era of fast fashion In the early 2000s, companies such as Zara, H&M and became widely popular for their to offer affordable, runway-inspired clothing in less than 15 days.

However, what was not known to many at the time was that companies were actually employing cost-cutting measures like using lower quality materia underpaying workers, and neglecting sustainable pract in order to meet their advertised timeframe.

- There has been another horrifi at a garment factory in Banglade An eight-story building collapse and put the unsafe working conditions at many factories in the global spotlight.

- [Susan] The 2013 Rana Plaza co not only revealed the harsh working conditions of textile workers, it also highlighted the negative environmental impact of the fashion industry.

In fact, this collapse is often regarded as the catalyst that propelled the slow fashion - Slow fashion to me, start by trying to buy one or two foundation pieces that are truly made for you.

And you can recycle clothing by buying used clothing.

You might get really lucky and score a cashmere sweater for five bucks.

- Yeah?

- You know, you never know.

And if we all did that, where we just reduced our consumership of fast fashion by one or two garments, that would make a huge differenc - [Susan] And what better way to score a $5 cashmere sweater than at a thrift store?

I also invited Ana Benson to come along with me.

Ana's the creative force behind an upcycle vintage clothi called Dusted Archives.

And since I'm pretty new to thri I'm hoping to learn a lot from h So, teach me some of the know-ho for whenever you're thrifting.

- For me, I think that one of the biggest things that I have been known to look for for myself is just like, almost like material scanning in a way.

Like, it's really easy for me to kind of pick up on something that, you know, this is definitely like a more contemporary-made piece.

It's like, you know, stretchy cotton for the most part.

It's really easy for my eyes to like that's silk, that's like a crushed velvet, or that's definitely linen.

Sleepwear is something that I also really like looking Slips are really in.

Thrift stores have always been there for me in my life.

My mom taught me how to sew, and she really likes sewing Renaissance dresses out of materials that she finds at thrift stores.

I'll probably turn this into a crop top somehow, I think, just to make it a little more tr per se.

- Yeah.

Okay.

- And then, the last thing that I saw here was just this cute little apron.

- [Susan] (gasps) Apron.

- And I might just try and make like a dress out of it.

Here is my studio.

- [Susan] Oh, it's so pretty.

(l - Thank you, thank you.

I appreciate it.

(laughs) - I love it.

- So this one was a bra and then - That was a bra?

- Yes, yep.

Repurposed, reused, you know.

- That's awesome.

- So, I used the bra kind of just in like the natural area and I made a crop top out of it, and I used this piece of lace he - Yeah.

- And this was just from just like just a dress, hon And I saw it and I was like, "I think I'm gonna cut that out and like do something with it."

I choose to repurpose for just a sustainability perspective.

To repurpose is to essentially take something that has already been made and to find a different use for I take anything, any kind of material is a means to create for me.

I have a series of doily tops coming out right now, so I'm gonna turn this one probably into a crop top.

It'll end up looking more or less like this guy but essentially, I kind of like either will add g or like just chain links in - Yeah.

- with some thread, and I'll be able to create like a wrap- - Crop top.

- Exactly.

Exactly, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Slow fashion to me is like intimately interacted with, you know.

I want it to be something that people treasure and cherish and like have as a permanent piece in their closet.

People are becoming so much more personalized with t and they want to find something that reflects them and reflects their ethics and va And I think that we are kind of to shift our consumer trends towards a more ethical format.

- Ultimately, it's not necessari about who's to blame for the rise of fast fashion because the truth is, both sides played a role.

What's more important is shifting the conversation towards collaboration and accoun between both parties in order to bring about change in the fashion industry.

The progress made by Zara and H& is a clear indication of this, and consumers should continue to hold them accountable to their promises.

For me, personally, I've made the conscious effort t and wear more of what's in my cl And it's honestly been really fun experimenting and creating different looks with the same garments.

And besides, a truly fashionable person will shine regardless of what they wear, or re-wear.

- If you reverse it, it's got a little glitter on the top.

We only have one alpaca this col No alpacas were harmed in making - No (laughs).

Exactly.