“I posted a photo on my Instagram of me wearing a shirt I just bought. I will wear it again but not if we’re taking photos — I can’t be seen wearing it in a post twice!” 

This is a common conversation I have had many, many times with my fellow Gen Z friends. It’s a reflection of how Gen Z has gotten caught up in today’s unrelenting fast fashion cycle of social media hype. With influencers constantly encouraging us to shop for the newest trends and latest fads —  that they are often promoting.

Hooked on all this constant messaging, young people feel as if they must keep up with every fast fashion cycle or trend or risk not being cool, or relevant, or they develop FOMO, the fear of missing out.

Green vs Mean

Meanwhile we know that 70% of young adults claim to be concerned about climate change and 90% say they have changed their daily habits as a result. 50% claim to care about the ethical and sustainable sourcing of products. But realistically, have they really changed their consumption habits? 

Gen Z are young, 12 to 27-years-old, and they often claim they can’t afford more sustainable fashion, which is nearly always more expensive. Why? Because it uses natural materials, like cotton and linen that cost more, and to make sustainable fashion – there are higher production costs.

But perhaps Gen Z would shop more sustainably if they were able to properly measure the true cost of their purchases. Which brings us to Girl Math. Could this be a potentially new and more honest way to judge the real cost of our clothes?

How Girl Math Works

Let’s be clear, Girl Math is a new, satirical term that was popularized on TikTok and is used to describe the way girls justify their spending habits. Women jokingly use girl math to “save” money but ultimately justify buying more all while poking fun at themselves in the process.

For example, using girl math logic, buying anything on sale is actually saving money, cash isn’t real money so spending it doesn’t count at all, if there is a buy-one-get-one free, we have to buy because not utilizing this sort of offer is actually “losing” money.

Always use “free shipping” offers that kick in over a certain spend – for example, if your online total is $65 but you can get free shipping when you spend $100, you will spend $35 more to get that free shipping instead of paying $8.99 for shipping.

Plus, anything bought with a preloaded account or in advance is technically free. So, if you order a handbag on preorder before it is even available, that’s free. Because by the time it’s arrived you will have forgotten you paid for it. Finally, anything under $5 is also free.

Clearly Girl Math is Wrong!  

Girl Math rationalizes nonsense and unnecessary shopping and often downright excessive spending and reinforces the culture of consumerism — the same culture that is perpetuated by various social media platforms such as TikTok.

To be sustainable with our fashion choices we need to get real value out of the clothes we wear – we need them to be well-made, long-lasting and not faddy. Typically, clothing in the US is thrown away after only being worn 7-10 times. Discarded fast fashion either gets thrown directly into the trash or is “donated.” Of all the clothing items donated to charitable stores, only 10-30% are actually purchased before around 85% of those clothes end up in landfills alongside all the other clothes sent straight there! On top of this, the volume of clothing production has doubled in the last 15 years.

Real Price Per Wear

One way of using Girl Math for the good is to change the formula it uses to determine the “true” cost and use it to break down the value of the clothes we are paying for by calculating the true cost per wear.

To do this, take the price of an item divided by the number of times you have worn it or the number of times you plan on wearing it. If it costs $25 and is only worn once, the price per wear is $25. Conversely, a dress that costs significantly more but is worn many times is much less expensive. You might end up with a cost per wear of just a few dollars. 

Again, Gen Z claims to value sustainability, but not the ability to afford it. However, if they purchased clothing based on how many times they were likely to be worn — instead of cheaper items used briefly and disposed of — they would save money and own more durable, timeless pieces. It might become part of the cultural shift we need to think about our clothes differently and act. So, start calculating!

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Amid New York Fashion Week, we are excited to see big designer’s new seasonal looks on the runway. In recent years, Black fashion designers represented in New York Fashion Weeks have numbered less than 10% as was the case this year where only 6 out of the over 70 designers at New York Fashion’s Fall/Winter 2024 appeared on a runway show.  

In 2020, following George Floyd’s death, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), responsible for organizing New York’s Fashion Week, recognized the need for increased diversity and inclusion. Historically lacking Black representation, the invitation-only CFDA initiated efforts to enhance inclusivity under the leadership of their former President, Casandra Diggs, and a Black Advisory Board was established to guide the organization’s diversity initiatives. 

The impact of these efforts became evident in 2022 when 25% of the 110 designers featured at New York Fashion Week were Black — a significant shift from previous years. While strides have been made, ongoing prioritization of Black designer representation remains crucial for sustained progress.

Amidst the celebration of Black History Month, it is essential to recognize the numerous talented black designers who captivate fashion enthusiasts. Beyond creating aesthetically pleasing garments, these designers are notable for considering the true costs associated with their work, including their impact on both the people involved in the production and the environmental implications, whether within the country or abroad.

Here we highlight seven designers who strive for equity within their communities as well as globally by implementing sustainable policies to lower their environmental impact. 

• Tracy Reese 

Tracy Reese launched Hope for Flowers in 2019, aiming to empower women and make a positive social impact. The brand stands on three pillars: Conscious Design, Community Art in Detroit, and Partnerships. Using digital printing with OEKO-TEX-certified inks, Reese ensures that prints for her clothes are free from harmful chemicals. The brand embraces on-demand and small-batch production with organic and eco-friendly materials. The brand also contributes to community education through The Hope for Flowers Art enrichment program and engages in sustainable partnerships with Naturalizer, NEST, and Pottery Barn.

• Studio 189

Co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, Studio 189 is an artisan-produced fashion lifestyle brand. The brand supports community-led projects in both the USA and Africa. Emphasizing empowerment, job creation, and ethical and sustainable practices, Studio 189’s clothing is hand-made in various West African countries such as Ghana and Mali just to name a few. The brand employs ethical production methods like basket weaving, batiking, recycled glass breeding, and natural plant dye, favoring hand-made items over mass production. They also incorporate recycled fabrics, including pineapple pinatex leather and recycled cotton, using low-impact azo dyes.

• Brother Vellies

Designer Aurora James’s, Brother Vellies aims to preserve traditional African design practices while promoting sustainability. The brand employs vegetable-tanned leather, recycled tires for soling, hand-carved woods, and floral-dyed feathers. Besides upholding the value of fair materials, labor, and fair practices, Brother Vellies allocates one percent of each purchase to a non-profit. Customers can select from a list of nonprofits on their website.

• Chelsea Bravo

Inspired by indigenous philosophy, sacred texts, and art and rituals, Chelsea Bravo, a healing arts practitioner, seeks to reclaim her ancestry through her brand. Offering menswear, womenswear, and unisex styles, the brand features custom designs made from repurposed and reclaimed clothes and fabric. Incorporating hand painting and hand embroidery, Chelsea Bravo’s designs prioritize sustainability, using materials like hemp, linen, wool, and organic cotton.

• Autumn Adeigbo

Autumn Adeigbo focuses on investing in women, evident in her limited quantity purchases and made-to-order production approach. She contributes to a more sustainable fashion industry by minimizing fabric waste and excessive manufacturing. Adeigbo partners with female-owned production facilities throughout the United States, ensuring fair wages and employment. Her commitment extends globally with the launch of four fair-trade fashion production pilots in Africa.

• Taylor Jay

Designing with an emphasis on clothing durability, Taylor Jay prioritizes effortless fashion for all occasions. The brand embraces size inclusivity, aiming to instill confidence in all women. Ethically sourced from a fair-labor factory in Oakland, California, using eco-friendly textiles, upcycled threads, and non-toxic tints, Taylor Jay actively pursues green certifications to contribute to a cleaner environment.

• Gracemade

Featured by Jasmine Rennie, Gracemade is a place and means for women to find modest yet expressive clothing. Gracemade produces locally in Los Angeles, and not only does the brand use natural fibers such as linen and cotton.. The brand also incorporates deadstock material, leftover fabric from garment production that often gets wasted. They also resell their unused fabrics—Gracemade partners with Life Impact International and other organizations to give back to their global community. 

While supporting ethical, sustainable brands is an important step to supporting a better fashion industry, there is still more to be done. Our campaign Fashion for the Earth strives to educate and take action to create a more sustainable industry and to stop the mass production and consumption of clothing.

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