How the Slow Fashion Caucus plans to fight fast fashion
How the Slow Fashion Caucus plans to fight fast fashion
Slow Fashion Caucus founding member Rep. Jill Tokuda talks to Zivvy about the caucus’ plans and goals
Congress is now setting sights onto the runway - with a new “Slow Fashion Caucus”.
Founded by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the Caucus primarily aims to address the environmental implications of the fashion industry, with a focus on “fast fashion” companies and corporations (like Shein, H&M, Forever 21 to name a few) and their tendencies to release large numbers of (often poorly-manufactured) collections of clothes and accessories under unethical labor conditions. The Caucus currently boasts 11 more founding members, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI).
Tokuda, who had been involved in multiple projects related to textile and clothing donation at the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii prior to her Congressional career, tells Zivvy News that her time on these projects told her a lot about current consumption habits.
“People were donating tons of clothes,” she says, “Now, that's an eye-opener, first and foremost, when you really think about how much clothes people purchase new and then use maybe one or two times, or a few times, and then literally either throw it away or donate it.”
Even then, donating clothes isn’t always the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of clothing you don’t wear anymore. Several factors, including the condition and wearability of donated textiles, dictate whether they actually end up in domestic or overseas landfills.
Tokuda acknowledges that the donations had been a good source of revenue for the Foundation, but she hopes that the first-of-its-kind Slow Fashion Caucus will open the floor for conversations regarding the textile industry’s contributions to water pollution across the U.S. and around the world, increasing rates of carbon dioxide emissions as a result of synthetic fabric and material manufacturing, and other issues. She also hopes this would pave the way for more environmentally-conscious practices on a broader level, like promoting a more responsible manner of recycling.
Some states, like New York, have already introduced legislation requiring companies to pledge to improve their environmental impacts. The Caucus is yet to introduce any form of legislation, although Tokuda says the Caucus has engaged collectively in a number of conversations related to its goals. The Caucus is currently composed of all Democrats, but Tokuda is anticipating that some of her colleagues across the aisle will join.
“I would bet many of them might do it themselves in terms of thrifting or considering their wardrobe,” she says, “I think we've just got to be intentional in our ask and show that this is an opportunity to find some common ground over a topic that's not too controversial. I would hope, right? This is not something where there's strong political lines in the sand.”
After all, Tokuda herself was intrigued by the idea after Pingree approached her about it on the House floor. A longtime lover of thrift shopping, she brought that love to Capitol Hill since 2023.
“Coming to Congress, you know, it's interesting,” she says, “We wear very different attire in Hawaii, as you can imagine - much more Aloha-wear, local designers, Aloha fashion, versus what we will have to do in D.C. That's very cost prohibitive for most of us, but also, it's wasteful, almost, to be duplicative in what we have.”
After that problem presented itself to the first-term Congresswoman, she put her thrifting chops to the test with the help of a friend who works as a stylist and professional shopper. According to Tokuda, the plan worked, with many of her most-complimented Congressional outfits having originally been acquired via thrift stores or auxiliaries. She hopes that her fashion-recycling habits do not stop on the House floor, but rather extend to her own outreach and campaigning efforts as she runs for re-election.
“We often have many campaign shirts that, as you change offices, you run for House one day, you run for Senate the next day, you've got more,” she says, “I've made them into bags!”
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