Have you heard? The clothes you are wearing are causing irreversible negative changes in our environment. But before you strip down, don’t worry. Big changes are being made in the fashion industry that will help us take our fashion culture from detrimental to sustainable.

Sustainability is a word you may be hearing more lately, and there’s good reason for it. The production and overconsumption of so-called “fast fashion” is leaving a huge ecological footprint on our world. Thankfully, though, big brands like ASOS are taking steps to save our earth from a fashion faux pas and turning it into a revolution.

Vogue states that ASOS made it their top goal for 2018 to get environmentally conscious with their brand. ASOS held a conference on September 26, which included brands like Levi’s, Adidas and Nike. At this conference, they discussed rights, transparency and purchasing practices. Getting these big brands involved in the discussion is a good sign of more changes coming in the near future.

Modern fashion needs to become less about trends and more of an investment in our sustainability. Being environmentally conscious is more than recycling pop cans and turning off the water while you’re brushing your teeth. It is deep-rooted in our culture, and big companies often hide the secrets behind their production.

More and more brands are becoming more eco-conscious and taking action like ASOS is. Brands are waking up to the fact that the way they are producing their products is leading us into a spiral that ends in our green and blue planet, becoming lifeless much quicker than we could ever imagine. Brands like ASOS are working to undo the norm of cheap, trendy clothes going in and out of style every month.

I’m sure we have all heard of online stores like SheIn, Zaful or Romwe, where the clothes are so cheap we think, “how is this possible?” All we see is the price tag, but not all that glitters is gold. The environmental suffering that is behind that cheap price tag is what is making the fashion industry so polluting to our world. Although the cheap price is tempting, try to work on investing your money into a company with eco-friendly morals, and invest in the greater good of our planet’s future.

ASOS is a great example for other big brands to follow to help us eliminate the fast fashion industry and start being fashion conscious. Supporting eco-conscious brands like ASOS help spread awareness and reverse the harmful effects that fast fashion is having on our environment.

As students, we are the future of our society. We are the ones that need to be educated about how our actions affect the world in order to make productive change. Research the brands you buy from, how the goods you buy are produced. The change lies in us, in our choices, in our consumption. Be the change, in something as simple as what you wear.