What is Fast Fashion? with Tiyasha Sarkar

Welcome to season 3, episode 4 of the Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast. 

It is with great excitement that I announce this week’s fast-fashion-fighting, powerhouse of a young changemaker Tiyasha Sarkar. Tiyasha is a high school junior in who is actively positively disrupting the status quo in order to expose the negative effects of the fast fashion industry. She is involved in a program at school that is focused on taking action against fast fashion by hosting highly successful thrift fairs  and engaging in outreach with a worker’s rights organization, Labor Behind the Label.

Tiyasha Sarkar aims to inform people on the effects of their choices by revealing the deeper impacts behind seemingly simple concepts such as shopping at clothing stores around the mall. She defines fast fashion as “the creation of low quality products in an imitation of high fashion products”, explaining that it is “built on exploitation of the environment, mental health, and labor rights”. Throughout the interview she calls out popular brands such as Zara for their role as the spitting image of a fast-fashion corporation. By outlining the true cost of our decisions regarding clothing, Tiyasha is able to arm the public with the knowledge and motivation to practice more conscious clothing consumption.

Tiyasha draws attention to several crucial issues surrounding the fast fashion industry such as its impact on mental health, specifically that of women, as it perpetuates the idea of a “perfect body”. This act of creating a box for all people to fit into excludes the majority of the population and contributes to unrealistic beauty standards. She brings light to the situation by suggesting increased diversity among the industry, specifically mannequins of different sizes and advertisement of groups such as the LGBTQ+ community. She then explains the environmental effects of fast fashion by commenting on our overconsumption and overproduction as well as the presence of microplastics in our waterways, following up with jaw-dropping statistics to back her claims. Tiyasha also directly addresses one of the most horrific aspects of the fast fashion industry which is the lack of labor rights among garment workers. She firmly declares, “clothes cannot be based on the exploitation of children”, a statement that we as consumers must not take lightly.

Tiyasha advises us not only to stay informed on the happenings of the fast fashion industry on a large scale but to take matters into our own hands through practicing mindful consumption, upcycling, and mending our clothes before buying new. To get involved with the movement directly, follow her Instagram @soleburyteach2serve and stay tuned and stay tuned for the next thrift fair coming up between the months of May and June.

Listen in to hear a lesson that Tiyasha has learned that she wants to share with both young and seasoned changemakers.

Do you have a story to share? If so, reach out to Jodi at jodi@todayisthedayliveit.com.

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Jodi is also the CEO and co-founder of the Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation. To learn more visit: www.applaudourkids.org, Facebook, Instagram

Sign-up for our mailing list, schedule a conversation with Jodi or ask a Changemaker a question: jodi@todayisthedayliveit.com

Next week Jodi interviews Kimberly Kravitz, Emmy Award Winning Journalist & Producer. 

Have a great week everyone!