A woman on a mission to clamp down on fast fashion

Alyssa Hardy, author and fashion journalist, has had her work featured in many big-name publications including Vogue, Refinery29, and Marie Claire. Of course, being a woman with such prestigious writing credits, it’s no surprise that Hardy has recently released her debut non-fiction book with a title as powerful as the message behind it. ‘Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins’ focuses the camera on the workers behind the fast fashion brands we know all too well. I caught up with Alyssa to discuss her beginnings, new book, and the ethics of the fashion industry. 

Courtesy of Alyssa Hardy

Can you tell us a little about your background? How did you get into being an author and fashion journalist?

I didn’t have a linear path into the fashion industry. Growing up I always loved magazines and how they let you escape into a different world. I also just loved to write but I didn’t really know how to bring those worlds together. I worked retail, I worked in textbook publishing, I worked in marketing, but all the while I was writing and pitching magazines until one day I got a now defunct blog to let me do some reporting for them. Soon, I started writing for Teen Vogue as a fashion contributor, where I eventually took a job as the fashion news editor. From there, I worked at InStyle.com and then went full time freelance in 2021. 

Your new book explores the lives of garment workers and the truth behind the fast fashion industry. What was the research process like in preparation for the book?

The workforce in the fashion industry is enormous and it’s made up of so many different jobs and people around the world. Because of this, there are literally millions of stories to tell. At the beginning of the pandemic, when I began writing the book, I didn’t set out to talk about COVID but it was clear that garment workers were truly bearing the brunt of everything happening to the industry. It was truly the culmination of the way the supply chain is structured and the way the industry gets away with mistreating its workers. Many of the women I spoke to for the book had lost their jobs without notice or severance, and some got sick due to ventilation issues and safety regulations. I started with their stories and how they spoke to and were a result of larger historical problems in fashion. 

Courtesy of Alyssa Hardy

What was the drive/inspiration behind writing Worn Out?

I love fashion so much and I believe it is one of the greatest forms of expression. But how can I love an industry that doesn’t care for the people who build it? I can’t do that. What I can do is recognize my part in it and do whatever it takes to make it better. “Worn Out” is part of that mission. 

At what point in history do you think we started to become obsessed with fast fashion?

Fast fashion has been ramping up for decades, but when we all began performing our lives on social media everything went into overdrive. The need of something new every the time and to have what others do at the most affordable price was marketed to us very cleverly. We barely saw it happen. Now it’s simply a part of our everyday scroll – fast fashion hauls, $5.99 t-shirts all of it. 

Courtesy of Alyssa Hardy

Would you describe yourself as a fashion activist?

I consider myself someone who wants to see change in the fashion industry, be part of the change in the fashion industry, and amplify the cause of workers as best as I can. 

What more do you think the fashion industry could do to be more sustainable and ethical?

First of all, the fashion industry needs to pay workers more money. In doing that, we would hopefully slow down on every single level. We also need to invest in research and technology that would change the way textiles are disposed of. And we oversight that actually makes brands liable for the problems they cause. 

What impact do you hope your book has on its readers?

I hope readers come away with a better understanding of just how many people are behind the clothing in their closets, no matter the price. And I hope that they believe there are things that can be done outside of just changing shopping to fix fashion and make it a better and more equitable industry.