Year 11 student Raquel Calandre feels the pressure of keeping up with ever-changing fashion trends. As a young person, growing up in the digital age means greater exposure to those trends. Social media feeds are flooded with advertising, product unboxing, try-on videos and influencer partnerships.
"I go to a lot of parties and every single time I go out, I'm like, 'I need a new outfit'," said Calandre, a student at Santa Sabina College in Sydney's inner west. "It's normal today. You can't wear something twice.
" Enter ultra-fast fashion, characterised by even shorter production cycles and trends than its predecessor. It's affordable, it's accessible — and it's everywhere. "Online, on buses, on buildings — it's always in your face," said Year 12 student Lucy Gee.
"Trends come and go so quickly. I guess it's a natural human instinct to follow them and [fast fashion] is so convenient and so cheap." Source: SBS News But this climate-conscious generation is also aware of the environmental impact of their consumption habits.
Last year, the students had a moment of reckoning. After learning that Australians were among the largest fashion consumers, Gee and a team of senior students at Santa Sabina decided to launch a pre-loved clothing store. "We [realised] we can sell really cheap clothes, just like fast fashion, and we can also be really, really convenient," Gee said.
The shop, Santa Style, is now a permanent fixture on campus, open two lunchtimes a week. The students also run .
