The video also put a spotlight on the disparity between fast fashion brand billionaires and their unpaid factory workers during the Covid-19 economic downturn.

for me, there wasn’t a ton of new information but i was shocked at many data points (only 1% of total material flow through the system is still in use 6 months after its sale, holy shit? This powerful, speaking-truth-to-power book is an essential read for everybody who wants to stop feeling clueless and helpless about the impacts of consumerism, and start doing their part to help create a more sustainable world. i wouldn’t say it was like WOAH mind-blowing if you’ve explored the topic before, but i do think it covers enough ground that there’s something new to take away for even the most seasoned of sunrise movement warriors! They target countries with lax labour laws, with poor safety and where they can save as much money as possible to inflate their profit margins.I think this book tried to tackle too much and that may also contribute to it being underwhelming for me - the fashion industry (as a job industry) is a separate discussion from the fashion industry as environmentally destructive. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It was very surface-level, repetitive, and scattered, which made it extremely difficult to actually process the information. In the second 'unlearning' half of the book, I will help you to understand the uncomfortable truth behind why you consume the way you do.

I think this is a great book for people like me — those who have used consumption to fill a void, who used to pride themselves in not wearing the same thing twice, who was led to believe that the more you have, the better you are. There really wasn't a lot of scientific evidence to back up claims, rather it was more of a memoir/personal account of changes needed in the fashion industry to reduce waste. All of a sudden, you’re a climate activist, fighting for the rights of garment workers in countries you’ve never heard of, let alone visited. as someone who’s been plant-based for nearly 6 years for sustainability reasons, i am a strong believer in the combination of individual choices + collective action! It dismantles the myths of greenwashing and sustainability lauded by these companies in vain attempts to appease its consumer base.I had been following Aja’s work on Instagram for years and was impressed with her informational—albeit informal—fast fashion presentation for the Slow Factory’s Open Education program this year. Using simple examples, like the blue ball/green ball analogy and stories from her upbringing, Barber is able to connect with the reader and discuss uncomfortable subjects.

Instead, the chapter is a hodge-podge of other people's opinions and explanations, meaning the chapter is void of much consistency and linearity. The pattern followed in this genre is now recognizable to many readers: approximately half of the book is dedicated to presenting the problems plaguing the fashion industry.Regardless, Consumed misses the mark, as its shortcomings eclipse some of the most important discussions in the book: the impact of textile waste in Ghana's Kantamanto Market, Anannya Bhattacharjee’s take on labor rights for garment workers in Asia, and Aja’s tips on how to get off the hedonistic capitalist treadmill as a Global North consumer. Neither did I read the reviews on “Consumed” prior to reading it, as I wanted to form my own opinion. I liked the illustrations and the physical book is beautiful, but also felt like the structure was a little disjointed, and although the personal anecdotes were helpful in some places, I thought they were way overdone. However, it became apparent to me that she never intended the book to be a scholarly or journalistic piece, as some reviewers seem to expect.