thanks sooo much for emphasizing the human cost of fashion. I feel like most conversations around sustainability are anchored on the environmental impact, which is certainly important, but human suffering is often left to the side so it was refreshing to see you be so emphatic about it 💗

Thank you so much for addressing the human rights abuses. If we had to deal with our own rubbish I think we’d stop overconsuming very quickly…

I love this video, and I’m not all the way through it but something I would like to say if it isn’t said in the last few minutes is how sometimes when people say “this is cute, but it’s too expensive” they might actually mean “this is cute, but I can’t afford to pay you for this.” Some people definitely aren’t self aware enough or self reflective enough to understand what they really want to say vs what they’re actually saying, especially on the internet. I’m below the poverty line, I have a family and we don’t have the ability to buy from ethical brands (I’m also plus size, and my husband wears larger sizes too). I definitely don’t go out and buy from shein or Temu regularly but I can’t afford target all the time either. All of that is fast fashion. I’m lucky enough to thrift and thrift often looking for what I need/want, but not everyone can. I don’t think people WANT to purposely not buy an ethical garment. They simply can’t afford it, yet don’t have the language to express that or they might be embarrassed to tell an artisan they can’t afford their work. Most people just tell us poor people to “work harder” or “get a better job” when that’s not always an option either.

Last week i commented that Dion's vids can be seen as chapters in a book. This vid is a seminar. It is, as Dion says, "educational" and she urges us to "stay with it". She links to her sources in Google Docs! Last week I wondered how many other fashion influencers post a deinfluencing video. This week I challenge anybody to find another solo fashion influencer who posts a graph from The Economist in the first two minutes of a vid :o ABC News; EEB Channel. Dion said once on one of her vids that she puts 8-16 hours of work into each video. She does this every week. The education that Dion gives us with these vids and the education that Dion receives in researching them is, I will say humbly, unique in this genre.I'm her father and I am so proud that she is my daughter. -In handmade days it cost $4,700 when everything was factored in, to make ONE SHIRT. -97% of our, i.e. American's, clothes, are made overseas. :o -Bangladeshi women are America's cotton field slaves. (Dion gets paid about the same hourly wage to make her vids :| ). Reminds me of the adage that two things you don't want to see made are laws and sausages. Add our clothes. -We, Americanos, throw out 81.5 lbs of clothes a year! Dion can verify this: I probably have 200 lbs of clothes to my name. If you include shoes. And what is the bedrock that underlays all of this? Capitalism. Fast-fashion, hyper-consumerism, slave labor, environmental degradation: capitalism. I live in a capitalist society, ergo I am a capitalist. I don't know a way out. Thank you Dion for this video. I am very proud of you.

As a Texan, it’s so sad to see that “being southern” is all the sudden a trend now. We used to get made fun of but now everyone is moving down here and bringing our prices up. I also liked how you included the fact that people don’t appreciate quality goods anymore such as Ariat boots, my Ariat boots and I think all or most of their boots are made in Mexico. Western wear should be quality clothing not these Shein cowgirl aesthetic stuff.

I wonder how much of a difference it would make if every person in the US (for example - insert your country here) just.... didn't buy any new clothes for a year or two? Surely we all have enough in our closets. You can keep wearing that top for the next 2 years. You don't *need* to update your jean style, you want to. Excepting gifts/gift cards I thrift everything but socks and underwear and every time I go I see literal piles and racks and sometimes BINS upon BINS of clothes donated by others, likely to make room for newer, more exciting, trendier clothes. I really often wonder how long we could last on just what we have already produced and donated. Likely decades counting repairs and alterations. As the quote goes: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Buy clothes with a plan to wear it for life. Ex. a tshirt is first a regular shirt, then maybe a workout shirt, then maybe a sleep shirt, then a chores tshirt, then a paint/craft/home renovation/bleaching the bathroom tshirt, then a towel to wrap your hair in after your shower once it is good and destroyed.

All this is true! AND you still can buy new clothes (preferably used clothes) when you change sizes. You don’t have to beat yourself up about it, either.

Textile major here. Rayon (aka viscose, modal) is not polyester. It’s made from reconstituted wood pulp, making it a semi-synthetic. It’s usually sourced from eucalyptus or beech trees. Rayon is biodegradable and more breathable than cotton, though less sturdy.

This video made me realize why my grandmother thinks I have "too many" clothing. I also like fashion, though I have given a ton away, and donated some and am looking to make my own. (I do also wear pretty much everything I have season not withstanding). I also only every threw away clothing when it was soaked in plumbing water and I couldn't afford to clean EVERYTHING.

Love love love the fact based video with wonderful suggestions to follow or look into. I followed some of the accounts you mentioned that I wasn't already following. Not just accounts, I borrowed a book you mentioned as well. Hard work paid off, in my opinion.

Excellent video! It's educational, and I appreciate how you clearly cited your sources.

Do more videos like this please! I’m not minimalist but I’m really trying because of waste

thank you so much for this video. well well done!!!

love the video dion. keep doing what you do

You did a seriously good job! Just subscribed!

Excellent work

such a good video !!

2:29 I don't think that the math there seems right. I guess it depends on the definition of "equivalent purchase". $176 for a garment seems outrageously expensive to me for most garments. Granted, I typically thrift, so it's not like I'm buying from some boutique or high-end store.

5:48 Vibes. 😭 Standard sizing is anything but standard.

Just wanted to say great work on this video essay - Thankyou 🫡