Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host,
Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my students and
I bring you content that's informative, positive,
fun, and uplifting. This podcast is created and
produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok. Let me ask you a
question. You're out shopping in Bangkok and
you have a choice to make. Do you step into a
brightly lit store in the Siam Mall? Drawn in
by the promise of a brand new trendy shirt for
just a few hundred baht? Or do you spend your
afternoon treasure hunting in a thrift shop searching
for that one -of -a -kind piece that no one else
will have? This isn't just a simple choice. It's
a decision that connects your wallet, your values,
and your identity. The world of fast fashion
offers us speed, convenience, and the ability
to participate in global trends. It's a massive
part of modern youth culture. But that convenience
comes with questions. The low cost on the price
tag often hides a much higher price paid by our
planet and by the people in the factories. That's
the ethics of it. Can we feel good about what
we wear if we don't know the story behind it?
On the other side, there's the growing culture
of thrifting. It's sustainable, it champions
individuality, and it's often lighter on the
wallet. but it has its own challenges. It takes
time, patience, and a bit of luck. So this is
our topic today, fast fashion versus thrift culture
in Bangkok. We're not here to say one is good
and one is bad. We're here to have an honest
conversation about the pros and the cons of both.
We'll explore the real cost, the complex ethics,
and the vibrant culture surrounding the clothes
we choose to wear every single day. Today, I'm
joined by co -host Proud and Esther in our show's
student producer highlight. But before we try
to fix the global clothing industry, let's hear
our quote of the day and get some headline news.
Our quote of the day comes from the journalist
Lucy Siegel, who cuts straight to the heart of
this issue. She said, fast fashion isn't free.
Someone somewhere is paying. I think that's so
important because it forces us to look past the
price tag. That price is paid by the environment,
absorbing chemicals and textile waste. It is
paid by garment workers, often in unsafe conditions
for very little pay. And in a way, we pay for
it too. By filling our closets with low -quality
clothes that we have to replace over and over
again, it really challenges us to think about
what affordable truly means. And that's our quote
of the day. Now on to some headline news. That
quote is a perfect lead into what's happening
in the news. Because the real cost of fashion
is making major headlines globally. I've got
three stories for you today that shows just how
big this conversation has become. First up, from
Reuters. The headline states, EU finalizes pay
-to -waste rules for fast fashion brands. In
a major move this month, the European Union has
locked in its new environmental policy that will
make clothing companies financially responsible
for the entire life cycle of their products.
This means brands, not taxpayers, will have to
pay for the collection and recycling of textile
waste. This is seen as a direct challenge to
the business model of producing huge volumes
of low -cost clothing. Second, a story from The
Guardian reads, New report accuses ultra -fast
fashion giants of widespread labor violations.
An international labor rights watchdog released
its annual report this past week. And it specifically
calls out several major online retails for failing
to ensure minimum wage and safe working conditions
in their supplier factories. The report highlights
the human cost that gets hidden behind those
trendy, low -priced items we see advertised all
over social media. And finally, on the other
side of the coin, a headline from Forbes shows
the power of the alternative. The headline states,
second -hand market sees explosive 25 % growth
in Southeast Asia, led by Gen Z. A new market
analysis report shows that the online thrifting
and resale market is booming in our region. It
credits younger customers who are prioritizing
sustainability, unique personal style, and affordability.
It shows a clear cultural shift where used is
now seen as not just acceptable, but fashionable.
So from our new government regulations to ethical
concerns and the rise of thrifting, it's clear
this is a massive global conversation. And that's
our headline news for this episode. Thank you.
Esther, thanks for the news roundup. It really
sets the stage. Let's bring this conversation
into our own closets and start with the giant
in the room, fast fashion. For this first part,
I want us to break down its pros and cons. So
let's start positive. What are the pros? Why
is fast fashion so incredibly popular? When you
walk into a big brand store in Bangkok, what
is the immediate appeal? I'll open that question
up to anybody. I think the most obvious thing
is the price, right? It's the accessibility.
You can have a small budget, maybe what you have
for the week, and you can still walk out with
something brand new. If you have a last minute
event or a party to go, you can solve your...
Oh, I have nothing to wear a problem in 30 minutes
less than 500 baht. It's an instant solution.
And it's the variety. It's not just one style.
You can walk into one store and find 10 different
aesthetics. You can experiment with who you want
to be that day. One rack has a dark, academic
look. The next has bright, colorful Y2K fashion.
You don't have to commit to a style because nothing
costs very much. It's like a fashion playground.
I agree with both of those points. And also with
Proud, there's a real dopamine hit that comes
from it. The feeling of walking out of a store
with a bag with something new and fresh that
didn't break the bank. It makes you feel like
you're participating, like you're current. It's
a very powerful feeling. That's a great point
about being current. It brings me to the social
factor. How much of this is driven by social
media? Proud, do you feel there's pressure to
keep up with the styles you see on TikTok or
Instagram? Oh, absolutely. It's immense. You
see these haul videos where someone brought 20
new items and trends moving at lightning speed
now. Something is cool for three weeks and then
it's over. If you see your favorite influencer
wearing a certain type of top, you feel this
pressure, this FOMO, fear of missing out. Tabitha,
fast fashion brands are brilliant at spotting
a trend on Monday and having it in their stores
in Bangkok by Friday. And the algorithms feed
it to you constantly. Once you click on one fashion
video, your entire feed is full of these micro
trends. It creates a sense of urgency that's
completely manufactured. It makes you feel like
your current wardrobe is outdated. Even if you
just bought something last month, it's a cycle
that's hard to get out of. Okay, so it's affordable,
it's trendy, and it's constantly in our faces.
But let's flip the coin. Esther, you mentioned
the news about labor ethics. Let's start the
cons there. How much should we be thinking about
the people who make our clothes? I think it's
the biggest con because it's so easy to ignore.
The supply chains are designed to be out of sight,
out of mind. We don't see the factories or the
people working in them. But that low price tag
has to come from somewhere. It comes from paying
workers incredibly low wages from cutting corners
on safety and demanding impossible production
speeds. When a t -shirt costs less than your
lunch, you have to ask, who's paying the real
price for it? Oh, that's a powerful question.
Highlight. We're proud. Is this something that
crosses your mind when you're shopping? It does,
more and more. It makes you feel a bit guilty,
to be honest. You're standing there with this
trendy top in your hand and you get a flash of
the stories you've heard, and then you have this
internal debate. Sometimes convenience wins,
and you feel bad about it later. And of course,
beyond the human cost, there's the massive environmental
cost. What comes to mind for you when you think
about the impact of producing so many clothes
so quickly? It's staggering. I was looking this
up for the show and the numbers are just crazy.
According to the UN Environment Program, something
like 60 % of our clothing is now made from plastics
like polyester. So we're literally wrapping ourselves
in fossil fuels. And every time we wash them,
they shed microplastics. The Ellen MacArthur
Foundation estimates that half a million... Tons
of these plastic microfibers end up in the ocean
every year just from us doing our laundry. That's
the equivalent of more than 50 billion plastic
bottles. Then you have natural fibers like cotton,
which have their own issues too. A report from
the World Wildlife Fund, WWF, states that it
can take over 2 ,700 liters of water to produce
the cotton needed for a single t -shirt. That's
enough drinking water for one person for almost
three years. And maybe the most shocking part
is the waste. The scale is hard to comprehend,
but that same Ellen MacArthur Foundation report
says that globally, the equivalent of one garbage
truck full of textiles is landfilled or burned
every single second. It's just creating these
mountains of trash. I found some other shocking
news. An agency in France put out a report with
images from the Atacama region in the country
of Chile. This place became one of the world's
biggest dumping grounds for unsold and used fast
fashion. It looks like a massive landfill of
clothes. The piles are so vast that they say
you can now see the pollution stained from space.
Seeing that, knowing it's real, makes it impossible
to forget. It's not just a landfill. It's a monument
to our overconsumption. Yeah, let's bring it
back to our own experience then, which is maybe
an easier con to see day to day. What about the
quality? Have you all had that experience of
buying a fast fashion item that you loved only
for it to fall apart a few weeks later? All the
time, it's almost a universal experience. You
wash a shirt once and it shrinks half to its
size, or the seam on a dress unravels the first
time you wear it out. It feels like you're renting
clothes rather than buying them. Exactly. I bought
this really cute top once, wore it out, washed
it carefully, and it came out with three small
mysterious holes in it. It was completely unwearable.
It's frustrating because it feels so wasteful.
And that's part of the model. It's not a flaw.
It's a feature. The clothes are not designed
to last. They are designed to be replaced. So
while you saved money on that one item, you end
up spending more over time because you constantly
have to buy new things to replace the old ones
that fell apart. That's the concept of cost per
wear. A 300 baht shirt you only wear twice actually
costs you 150 baht each time you wear it. A better
quality 900 baht shirt that you can wear for
years might end up costing you just 10 baht per
wear. The cheaper item is often the more expensive
one in the long run. So there's a clear conflict
between the immediate reward of fast fashion,
the low price, the trends, and the significant
long -term cost to people, the planet, and even
our own wallets. It's a lot to think about. We're
going to take a short break and we'll be right
back after this PSA. We've talked a lot about
the mountains of textile ways from fast fashion,
but let's bring it closer to home. What happens
when your favorite shirt, the one you wore on
that perfect beach trip, gets a tiny tear or
a button pops off? Our first instinct, the one
we've been taught by a replace everything culture,
is to sigh and think. Well, it's ruined. Do you
toss it? We've become so used to seeing clothes
as disposable, but it doesn't have to be that
way. That small hole is an opportunity, not a
death sentence for your garment. That's why we're
introducing the Repair Don't Replace Pledge.
It's a simple promise to yourself to try fixing
it first. Think about it. A quick YouTube tutorial
can teach you a basic stitch in five minutes.
Manning a hem or sewing on a button is a small
act of defiance against the cycle of waste. When
you repair something, you do more than just save
money. You honor the materials, the labor of
the person who made it, and the memories you
made while wearing it. You can even turn a repair
into a style statement. A cool patch or some
colorful visible stitching can make your old
favorite truly one of a kind. Give your clothes
a second chance. You might even find a relaxing
new hobby. Repair it, wear it, love it longer.
And we are back. In the first half, we broke
down the complex world of fast fashion. Now let's
switch gears and talk about the alternative,
thrifting. While fast fashion has its hold, thrifting
is really starting to take off and is growing
big time here in Bangkok. What's making it so
popular? I mean, it's not just about finding
a bargain, right? Esther or Proud, any thoughts
on why people are jumping on this bandwagon?
I think a big part of it is that people are becoming
more aware of how bad fast fashion is for the
environment. After hearing stats like the one
highlight shared, Thrifting feels like you're
actually doing something good. You're saving
clothes from ending up in a landfill, which is
a huge deal. You're not just buying something
new. You're giving an existing item a second
life. That feels like a win. Totally. And it's
also something unique about its factor. When
you're thrifting, you're looking for something
that's rare or has its own history. It's like
hunting for treasures. You're almost guaranteed
to walk out with something that none of your
friends will have. Can you give us an example,
Esther? What's the best treasure you've ever
found thrifting? Oh, that's easy. Once I found
this amazing, perfectly worn in denim jacket
from the 80s at the Bangkok market. It has this
cool faded, bland patch on its back. It's better
made than any new denim jacket I could buy today.
And it has its own character. The thrill of finding
that perfect piece after an hour of searching,
it's like winning the fashion lottery. For sure,
Esther, and that ties into the cool factor. It's
not cheap shopping anymore. People are proudly
posting their thrift finds on Instagram and TikTok
with the hashtag thrift flip. It's become a status
symbol to show off your unique style. It says,
look at me, I'm sustainable, I'm creative, and
I don't follow trends. Gen Z is definitely leading
that charge. And there's a whole subculture of
thrift flipping now. People will go to a market,
buy an oversized men's shirt or a pair of jeans
that don't quite fit, and then they take them
home and completely remake them. They'll crop
the shirt, add new details or tailors to the
jeans into a modern style. It's incredibly creative
and entrepreneurial. It's not just consuming
fast fashion. It's participating in it. And that's
a fantastic point. It's like becoming your own
designer. But it's not all treasure hunts and
creative projects. Let's talk about the cons.
What are some realities of thrifting that people
might not see on social media? Esther? The biggest
one is time. Thrifting isn't the instant gratification
that fast fashion gives you. You can't just walk
into the shop like Jatachak Weekend Market and
expect to find something perfect in five minutes.
It can be overwhelming. It's a real scavenger
hunt. Sometimes you strike gold, but a lot of
times it's a lot of drifting through stuff that
has been stained, damaged, or even just not your
style. You need to practice and take your time.
Okay, let's be real. There's the ick factor for
some people like me. The idea of wearing clothes
that a stranger wore can be a hurdle. And sometimes
the clothes have, you know, a certain smell.
You absolutely have to wash everything as soon
as you get home. Sizing is another big one. It's
all over the place. A medium from 1995 is not
the same as a medium today. Exactly, Proud. And
as thrifting has become cooler and more commercialized,
the prices are creeping up. Resellers will go
into thrift stores, clear out all the best vintage
and brand name items, and then sell them on Instagram
for five times the price. This gentrification
of thrifting means it can be harder to find a
real bargain, and it can price out people who
rely on secondhand stores for truly affordable
clothing, not just for fashion. That is such
an important point. It adds a whole new ethical
layer into drifting too. So even the solution
has its own set of complex problems. It seems
the perfect answer isn't so simple. We've talked
about the good, the bad, and the complicated.
What's the final takeaway here then? I think
it's about the balance and intention. Maybe you
don't stop buying new things entirely, but you
commit to making your first choice and a secondhand
one. Or you learn one basic mending skills like
we talked about in the break. It's about shifting
the mindset from more is better to better is
better. And it's not about being perfect. It's
about being more aware. Every time you make a
conscious choice, whether it's thrifting, repairing
something, or just buying less overall, it's
a step in the right direction. We're all learning
and that's what counts. All right, that's a fantastic
summary, so thank you for that. It's clear that
whether we're in the mall or market, being a
conscious consumer is what truly matters. It
makes me think of a certain phrase, know your
clothes so your clothes know you. And that phrase
really means something. The first part, knowing
your clothes, is a call to action. It's about
understanding their whole story. It's asking
those questions we've discussed today. What did
this come from? Or where did this come from?
And what are the ethics behind it? Was it made
of? And what was the environmental cost? How
can I care for it and make it last? And the second
part, so your clothes know you, that's the reward.
When you make those conscious choices, your wardrobe
stops being just a random collection of disposable
trends. It starts becoming a real reflection
of who you are. Your clothes begin to tell your
story, align with your values. and carry meaning.
They become a true part of your identity. It's
the ultimate shift from the mindless consumption
to dressing with purpose. And that's all the
time we have for today's look into the world
of fashion, both the fast and the secondhand
kind. We've covered a lot from the convenience
and trends of fast fashion to the ethics, sustainability
and unique treasures of thrifting. The biggest
takeaway is that every choice we make about our
clothes is a chance to dress with purpose. A
huge thank you to my co -host Proud and Esther
and to our wonderful producer and guest Highlight
for adding to an insightful conversation. And
of course, thank you to all of you for listening.
We hope this sparks some reflection on the choices
you make when it comes to your own clothes. If
you enjoyed the episode, please be sure to subscribe
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at studentsincorporated for extra content. And
as always, this podcast would not be possible
without the hard work and support of our international
student production team. All music and sound
effects are courtesy of Pixabay .com, a vibrant
community of creatives sharing copyright -free
images, videos, and music. And we are signing
off until next time. We are Students Incorporated,
because your voice matters.