Ecology Of An Outfit Assignment

Rough Draft

The clothing I chose for this assignment is my legendary rain jacket gifted by my father. The jacket is made of waterproof materials like polyester and vinyl and has been serving my father for the past ten years. The company that made this jacket is heard to be participating in the fight against pollution by using waste water bottles to make polyester and making cool clothing and accessories from it. Pollution in the world is increasing, and initiatives taken against it should be appreciated. The process of making polyester is done by crushing water bottles into small pieces and then melting them into the shape of clothes. Plastic clothing is now becoming a trend, and it will take over the fashion industry in the near future.

Final Draft

The piece of clothing I selected for this assignment is my rain jacket. It was gifted to me by my father when I started college, and he had to walk long distances to get to the college. The area I lived in had heavy rains during monsoon season, and transiting in local traffic for students was very difficult. This rain jacket was worn by my father, who used to wear it on rainy days while he was travelling to work. This jacket came very handy, as my father used to say that once he had an interview, it started raining. My dad luckily had this raincoat, and it helped him walk to the bus station and from the bus station to the office. Since then, he has cared for his jacket more than any other clothing he had.

Yesterday, I had to travel to my friend’s house, and the weather was cloudy. To be safe, I decided to keep this jacket with me as I had to travel on foot. I noticed the tag inside the jacket that read “Polartec Fabrics, 100% synthetic”. I couldn’t help but notice that this jacket is made of synthetic materials like vinyl and polyester, as they are all the best waterproofing materials. I remembered something I learned in a chemistry class: thermoplastics are non-biodegradable and cause pollution. We, as humans, have polluted this world enough. What should have been our responsibility to take care of our environment? We started polluting it and are not even stopping after seeing its adverse effects like global warming, toxic gases, and polluted oceans. Millions of plastic water bottles can be seen lying on the beach, and they are thrown as trash by the people who visit those places.

This jacket is made by a company named Polartec Fabrics. This company is known for its contribution to reducing plastic waste. They are using plastic bottles and shaping them into beautiful clothing, saving the plastic waste that pollutes the oceans. The company’s effort in the reduction of plastic waste should be appreciated as it showed interest in environmental concerns. It may be possible that it is just a publicity stunt, and the company is doing it for its own promotion, but it is no doubt a good initiative, and it should be appreciated.

This jacket is made of two synthetic waterproofing materials, polyester and vinyl. It is double-sided, with outer layers made of plastic and vinyl for waterproofing. The inner layer is made of thick polyester, and the jacket is leakproof by a reinforced layer of plastic and elastic material on the wrists and waist. Its polyester fleece resists moisture and also keeps the person warm. The porous surface of polyester and its structure creates air pockets between the layers, making it a bad conductor of heat and, therefore, keeping the wearer warm.

The manufacturing process of this jacket is simple. Polyester is made by crushing waste water bottles. The crushed pieces are then melted in a furnace and then pressed by rollers to make sheets of plastic fibres; these plastic sheets are then used to make clothing items and waterproof materials. This jacket is made using the same process, in addition to its extra leakproofing, which was done by coating vinyl that was used in dye that coloured the outer layer.

There are some concerns related to plastic and polyester clothing, and the market is growing. Polyester items entered clothing in the early 18th century, and since then, their popularity increased. They have become a hot fashion trend among women because of their shiny looks and durability. Polyester-made clothes do not need washing and are resistant to water, saving us from the difficult and time-consuming work of washing clothes. Plastic clothing has become a fashion trend when famous celebrities like Kim Kardashian are seen wearing plastic clothing and shoes. It is said that plastic clothing is going to be the hottest trend in 2018.

On my way to my friend’s home, it started raining, and I took out my beloved raincoat and enjoyed the cool wind on my face. As I was enjoying the rain-washed roads, green grass and trees, and the beautiful lake, I looked up and had a kind of pleasant feeling of how great an environment God has given to us. My mood got sad when I thought how savagely we were ruining this world. Just before I rang the bell of my friend’s house, I promised myself to contribute to what I could do to save this planet for a better future for us and our children.

References

Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., … & Reisser, J. (2014). Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea. PloS one, 9(12), e111913.

Vadicherla, T., & Saravanan, D. (2014). Textiles and apparel development using recycled and reclaimed fibers. In Roadmap to sustainable textiles and clothing (pp. 139-160). Springer, Singapore.

Wagner, M., Chen, Y., Curteza, A., Thomassey, S., Perwuelz, A., & Zeng, X. (2018). Fashion Product Solutions and Challenges for Environmental and Trend Conscious Consumers. Journal of Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering, 2017.