Kate Lubitsch, a senior at Tulane University, is determined to avoid fast fashion this Halloween. Lubitsch, an economics and environmental studies major, is deeply concerned about the environmental impact of clothing consumption.
Tulane seniors Kate Lubitsch, Sonya Bierbaum and others are trying out fast fashion this Halloween season. (Nathan Rich)
“I’ve written a lot of papers on fast fashion, and it’s a very big part of my academic work,” Lubitsch said. “[I see fast fashion] In my social life. Every day I see a package in a random store and it’s like, this is something I’m going to touch for the next seven months of my college career, and then I’m never going to touch it again. what do you mean?
In 2023, Americans spent a record $12.2 billion on Halloween costumes. This year, consumers are expected to spend $11.6 billion. In the United States, discarded costumes generate an estimated 5.4 million kilograms of waste.
Lubitsch talks about his shock when he saw Tulane’s fast fashion culture as a transfer student.
“When I came here my junior year, I felt like an outcast,” she said. “It’s going to make me stand out in a bad way. I don’t have the right clothes to wear to school.”
But Lubitsch has vowed to no longer buy clothing directly from January 2024 due to environmental concerns. Since then, she has restructured her fashion consumption, moving to thrift stores and resale sites to build a more sustainable wardrobe.
One of Tulane students’ favorite places to buy used items is Big Star Vintage & Cosplay Co. in uptown New Orleans.
Anastasia Campeau, owner of Big Star Vintage & Costume, is a strong advocate of sustainable fashion.
“The usual, [secondhand fashion is] More durable. It will last a long time. It’s also made from better fabrics, so if it needs repairs, it’s easier to repair,” Campeau said.
Tulane senior Sonya Beerbaum is also passionate about creating sustainable Halloween costumes. Beerbaum prefers to make her own costumes.
Beerbaum believes one reason Tulane students participate in fast fashion is because they don’t plan on living in New Orleans after graduation.
“There’s really no incentive to hold on to things the same way, and because of that, [there is] There is no incentive to get something of high quality. Therefore, people choose the cheapest one by default. There’s a reason fast fashion is so popular. That’s because there’s a demand for it,” Bierbaum said.
Lubitsch aims to reduce that demand by encouraging her friends to swap costumes, shop at thrift stores, and do minor repairs on their sewing machines instead of throwing them away. She understands that a one-year challenge may not be the best way to change habits for everyone, but she believes it’s worth it.
“Adopting a completely sustainable lifestyle is difficult, but I think fast fashion was very mentally challenging,” Lubitsch said. “It takes an individual. You are influenced by your peers. The more people adopt this lifestyle, the better it will be practiced.”
Mark Davis, director of the Environmental Law Center, examines the role that policy and regulation can play in mitigating the negative effects of fast fashion.
“Everyone likes things simple. This is one reason why we need standards. If you’re wondering why we have laws against child labor, why we have environmental protection laws… , the reason we have environmental laws is because sometimes we need to set rules for everyone to compete against,” he said.
Davis noted that individuals have the power to influence the behavior of producers.
“We’re in a market economy. In a sense, your vote matters, and you vote by how you buy.”
But that responsibility does not lie solely with consumers, Davis argued.
“I think it’s extremely important that we don’t put all the blame on people who can’t do anything about it,” he said. “Because the overwhelming majority of the pollution we see in the world does not come from homes.”
In 2022, residential and commercial emissions accounted for just 13% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation, agriculture, electricity, and industry accounted for the rest.
For the Halloween event, Lubitsch has put together a collection of unique and sustainable costumes. All the items she wore were from her closet. They transformed their baggy jeans and white tank top into a full-fledged costume, accessorized the costume with a red hat, and added homemade labels to spray cans to impersonate Tricky, the character from the popular video game Subway Surfers.
