WHY TALK FASHION?
The fashion industry, a global juggernaut worth trillions of dollars, is an undeniable cultural and economic force. From haute couture to fast fashion, it influences trends, shapes identities, and supports millions of livelihoods. However, beneath its glamorous surface lies a stark environmental reality: the industry is one of the world’s largest polluters, contributing significantly to carbon emissions, water waste and pollution. The environmental gap—the disconnect between the industry’s current practices and the sustainable future it must achieve—is a pressing concern that demands immediate attention.
In this context, my work through Changing Room, a project kickstarted by a grant from the National Geographic Society, Kickstarter funding, and the SG Eco Fund, emerges as an initiative that tackles the root cause of one of fashion’s environmental issues: overconsumption. (The other root cause is overproduction.) Unlike many sustainability programmes that focus on recycling or green production methods—which only address overconsumption at its tail-end, often ineffectively (more details on this later)—Changing Room is a programme that uses somatic movements, guided journaling, and intimate discussions for participants to reflect on their consumption habits and question the deeper motivations behind them from the outset. By confronting the psychology of overconsumption, it offers an approach to breaking the cycle of environmental degradation fuelled by our own psychology. The approach acknowledges that so-called solutions such as donating old clothes do not work and should no longer even be viewed as a “last resort” but, in fact, not a resort at all. The real “resort,” both first and last, to reducing clothing overconsumption lies within us.
Fast fashion, slow death to the planet
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that the fast fashion industry is the world’s second-largest consumer of water, intensifying global water scarcity. It also contributes to around 10% of global carbon emissions, driving climate change through resource-intensive production, transportation and textile waste disposal.
Photo: Greenpeace Africa
Beneath its glamorous surface lies a stark environmental reality: the industry is one of the world’s largest polluters, contributing significantly to carbon emissions, water waste and pollution.
WHAT HAPPENS TO DONATED CLOTHES?
Why is this? Clothes that are donated, although once helpful to someone in the past, are now part of a “clothing deficit myth,” a term coined by Elizabeth Cline in 2013 to describe the disproportionate amount of unwanted clothing compared to the number of people who need these clothes. Donating clothes, once seen as a benevolent and environmentally conscious act, is no longer a real solution to help anyone or the environment. A significant portion of donated clothing ends up in landfills instead of being reused or recycled. “More [clothing] is getting incinerated than there used to be,” says Fee Gilfeather, head of marketing for Oxfam’s trading division.1 Many donated clothes get shipped to Africa, with “15 million items a week landing at Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana. And of those 15 million items, 40% ends up in landfill almost immediately because it’s of poor quality, damaged or unsuitable for the Ghanaian climate and local style preferences.” Charities and donation centres in Singapore and elsewhere often receive far more clothing than they can process, and much of it is unsuitable for resale due to poor quality, wear, or outdated styles. The surplus items are frequently sent to landfills or incinerated, creating more environmental problems rather than alleviating them. This includes donations at institutions that have become household names, such as the Salvation Army.
Even when donated clothes avoid landfill in their country of origin, they are often exported to countries in the Global South, such as Ghana. “Some 15 million used garments pour into Accra every week from the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, flooding the city’s sprawling clothing market.”2 These nations have become inundated with an overwhelming influx of second-hand clothing, to the point where their local textile and fashion industries struggle to compete. Markets in these countries are flooded with garments that are often of poor quality or too damaged to sell. These unsellable items then contribute to local waste problems, as they frequently end up in open dumps or clogging waterways.
Mindfulness in motion
Marathon runners often shed cold-weather gear before the race, contributing to significant waste. At the 2017 New York City Marathon, a staggering 86,000 pounds of items were discarded. While this may seem minor in the rush of the event, it has a lasting environmental impact. In response, the 2024 Tokyo Marathon handbook urges runners to avoid discarding gear, promoting greater mindfulness of sustainability.
Photo: CD Liang
How T-shirts donated to charity are causing pollution in Ghana
Source: The Guardian, 5 Jun 2023
Dressing to kill
Shein’s explosive expansion, with 1.3 million styles released in 2022 at shockingly low prices, normalises disposable consumerism and fosters a cycle of low-quality, high-volume purchases. This model raises serious concerns about environmental sustainability, excessive waste and the long-term consequences of rapid, unchecked production.
Photo: Temilade Adelaja / REUTERS
Donating clothes, once seen as a benevolent and environmentally conscious act, is no longer a real solution to help anyone or the environment.
This over-saturation of second-hand markets creates a ripple effect of economic and environmental consequences. Local garment industries, which could provide jobs and sustain traditional crafts, are undermined by the constant flow of cheap, mass-produced imports. Furthermore, the garments that do not sell in these markets often become a source of pollution, as the infrastructure for waste management in these regions is frequently inadequate to handle the waste volume.
The issue is exacerbated by the fact that much of the clothing produced today is made from synthetic fibres, which are not biodegradable. Polyester is a familiar name, and it makes up the bulk of clothing nowadays. When clothes made from synthetic fibres end up in landfills, they release microplastics into the environment as they break down over decades or even centuries. Furthermore, the chemicals used in dyes and treatments can leach into soil and water sources, causing further harm. Thus, while donating clothes may have been presented to us as a socially responsible act—and it may have been so decades ago—in reality, it often perpetuates the cycle of overproduction and overconsumption that lies at the heart of fashion’s environmental crisis.
WHY DO WE BUY CLOTHES?
Since 2023, Changing Room has operated in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Greece and Switzerland. In September 2023, an eponymous film, made with funding from the National Geographic Society, was released at The Projector, where close to three hundred audiences came to view it. The film followed three women and the various triggers they experienced to buy more clothes: usually, some external force suggested to them that how they already were was not enough, and more clothes would resolve the issues.
Challenging the idea that viewing a film is enough to create change, Changing Room’s screening at The Projector came with a brief glimpse of a somatic practice. In the year to follow, in Singapore alone, there would be six deep somatic movement sessions, sometimes coupled with guided journaling. Participants delved into how their relationship with their bodies translated into their clothing consumption behaviour. From exploring what their thoughts are on the end-of-life of clothing they own, to what it means to use clothing as a “second skin”, participants grappled with questions seldom asked about the role of clothing in our lives and fantasies.
Changing Room participants from all walks of life gather to discuss the unconscious forces driving their clothing behaviour.
Consumer behaviour in fashion is often driven by emotional and psychological factors, such as a desire for self-expression, status, or instant gratification.
Initially, Changing Room was solely administered by a Singapore-based team. Now, as it connects with many other creatives and sustainability enthusiasts worldwide, it is being developed and managed by local teams abroad, with the Singapore-based team mainly serving an advisory role.
As many fashion brands, particularly those on the high street, continue to release new collections at a relentless pace, creating a sense of urgency and obsolescence among consumers, consumers’ self-awareness becomes an essential ingredient in the battle against overconsumption. Consumer behaviour in fashion is often driven by emotional and psychological factors, such as a desire for self-expression, status, or instant gratification. Marketing campaigns and social media amplify these impulses, encouraging people to buy more than they need. Unless these underlying motivations are addressed, efforts to curb overconsumption will remain superficial.
Consumers need to take a mindful pause amidst the desire to buy and identify why they want to buy something they might not need in the first place, which is an empowering state that helps prevent them from falling victim to marketing.
What environmental degradation cycle would more self-aware consumers who consume less bring to an end? The one in which overconsumption creates a feedback loop whereby consumer demand drives overproduction, which, in turn, fuels further consumption. This cycle not only depletes resources but also exacerbates the environmental problems of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
Changing Room in Bangkok: Participants engage in gentle movements to raise self-awareness about their connection with clothing.
Guided journaling helps participants uncover the unconscious forces influencing their clothing behaviours.
HOW TO CHANGE CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOURS?
While Changing Room focuses on the consumer side, it complements industry initiatives to reduce environmental impact. For example, circular fashion and sustainable materials are more likely to succeed when paired with a consumer base that values and demands these innovations. The sessions have also become a place where people with various entry points into sustainability and/or fashion converge, allowing owners of small, thoughtful and more sustainable brands to connect with potential new clients, and enabling people from varied backgrounds to exchange perspectives and learn from one another. The project has fostered a sense of community among participants, who often share their experiences and insights with others. Within the intimacy of the conversations and somatic practices, dialogues emerge about why each of us consumes. These sessions often reveal the emotional and cultural factors driving overconsumption, such as social pressures or the pursuit of happiness through material goods. In the intimacy and vulnerability of these discussions, we can see the real root causes of overconsumption, call them out, and engage with (or challenge) them.
Changing Room represents a paradigm shift in how we address the environmental impact of the fashion industry. By focusing on the psychology of overconsumption, it tackles the issue at its root, offering a pathway to meaningful and lasting change. As participants reflect on why they consume, they not only transform their personal habits but also contribute to a broader cultural and industry shift towards sustainability, where conversations about sustainability begin in the first place. Instead of having conversations that show a reliance on technology—which is largely an imperfect solution and often leads us to think that we don’t currently have enough to work with for a more sustainable world—we begin with the human core that drives consumption. It’s something we can already work with, and is effective to work with.
Circular fashion and sustainable materials are more likely to succeed when paired with a consumer base that values and demands these innovations.
The journey to a sustainable fashion future is not an easy one, but it begins with reflection and intentionality. Initiatives like Changing Room teach us that in true sustainability, the first step may involve looking inward and asking why we consume in the first place? ∞
Kanon Nishizaki, a former ballet dancer turned movement healer, encourages participants in Tokyo to cultivate deeper self-awareness.
THAMMIKA SONGKAEO
Thammika Songkaeo is a National Geographic Explorer who wears two hats with a shared environmental focus but distinct approaches. As an INSEAD-trained coach, she works with sustainability-minded professionals globally, using Systems Psychodynamics to guide individuals and groups towards self-stewardship. She also directs Two Glasses LLP, producing events that transform people’s relationship with the planet. Two Glasses LLP created Changing Room, a National Geographic-funded film exploring the mind-body-clothing-consumption connection, with publicly ticketed events in Singapore, Bangkok, Zurich, Athens and Tokyo. Additionally, to help more offices relate to sustainability, it offers Trillion-Dollar Question, a Lunch and Learn initiative covering various sustainability-related topics, now counting corporate clients in F&B, Clean Energy, Strategic Planning, Packaging and more.
FEBRUARY 2025 | ISSUE 13
MIND THE GAPS; BRIDGING THE GAPS
- Gittleson, Kim. “Used Clothes: Why Is Worldwide Demand Declining?” BBC News, BBC, 31 Jan 2018, www.bbc.com/news/business-42777804.
- Besser, Linton. “‘Dead White Man’s Clothes’: The Dirty Secret behind the World’s Fashion Addiction.” ABC News, 12 Aug 2021, www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702.
