Skip to main content

The Environmental Nightmare Behind Your Halloween Costume

by Marilla Cate

 

It’s that time of year again where the leaves fall from the trees, the nights draw in, and the quest for the perfect Halloween costume continues. 


Instagram is full of people showing off their costumes, from the gruesome and gory to niche pop culture references, it’s the season where creativity knows no bounds. 



But beneath the allure of dressing up for Halloween lies an unsettling truth - the unsustainability of Halloween costumes, driven by overconsumption and the damaging influence of fast fashion.

 

The problem with Halloween costumes begins with their very nature – they are designed to be single-use. 


Many are made from cheap, low-quality materials designed to be worn once and disposed of after. This overconsumption fuels a culture of disposability, contributing to the growing crisis of textile waste.

 

In a world already struggling to manage an overflow of discarded clothing, the annual influx of Halloween costumes only exacerbates the problem. The desire for fresh, unique costumes each year promotes excessive purchasing, ultimately leading to a vast pile of worn-out, discarded outfits.

 


Halloween costumes have not escaped the clutches of the fast fashion industry, which is notorious for its harmful environmental and ethical impacts. Fast fashion brands produce large quantities of low-cost, mass-market costumes, encouraging consumers to buy new ones annually. This rapid turnover in costume trends is detrimental to the environment, as it leads to resource depletion and increased waste.

 

As our awareness of the impacts of synthetic fibres grows, clothing like Halloween costumes, which are often made from synthetic materials like polyester, seem increasingly unnecessary. The production of such materials from non-renewable sources generates a substantial carbon footprint and consumes precious resources. What's more, these synthetic fabrics take hundreds of years to decompose, filling up landfills and contributing to environmental degradation.

 

The time has come to confront the dark side of Halloween costumes and consider more sustainable alternatives. It's crucial that we break free from the allure of disposable fashion and focus on making eco-conscious choices.

 


There are so many ways to minimise the environmental impact of your Halloween costume. Getting creative by upcycling old clothes and materials. Re-wearing old costumes or swapping with friends and family. Putting together a costume from clothing you already own or can find second-hand. Or even considering how you might rewear parts of your Halloween costume in the future to ensure it’s not single use.

 

It’s essential to acknowledge the environmental and ethical concerns surrounding unsustainable costumes and fast fashion. By making mindful choices and embracing more sustainable alternatives, we can celebrate Halloween without the haunting guilt of contributing to overconsumption and the disposal of clothing. Perhaps making this Halloween a little less scary for the planet.


Edited by Emily Duff

 

Most Popular

Fashion For a Cause: Brands That Stand with Palestine and the history of fashion as a form of Activism

by Oana-Maria Moldovan For over two months, there has been an ongoing genocide war in Gaza. To simplify a long and horrific issue, the situation that started, on a larger scale, around one hundred years ago, and has only become amplified since October 7th 2023. Taking place around the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel–Lebanon border, the armed conflict is between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups.  The problem is about “stolen” land. Said land is seen as an important holy part of both religions involved. But really, how holy can we consider a land to be, if people kill other people for it? It’s important to remember that this genocide is about three things: forced occupation, zionism, and religion. It’s also important to remember what ethnic erasure is. This terrible expresion, also known as cultural or ethnic assimilation, refers to the process by which the distinct cultural or ethnic identity of a particular group is gradually diminished or erased, often due to...

Now What? The Aftermath of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'

by Susan Moore Here is a bit about me: I am an open, excitable, creative AFAB who is also moderately attractive. I have a unique sense of personal style and a personality that on the surface can only be described as “bubbly” and “quirky”. For this reason, dating is a nightmare. To be sure, I do not have a hard time finding dates or potential suitors. The problems arise when said dates spend some time with me and decide that I am a rare specimen, and the connection they feel with me is “unlike anything they have felt before”. Then, things go one of two ways.  Either a) they decide I am too high maintenance and no longer palatable, or  b) they choose to never look further than the surface and are content to date the idea of me rather than the real me. There is something rather interesting, perhaps funny, about my situation. It is in no way unique. I have met so many people who constantly dealt with the same problem. Even funnier still, is the fact that there is a trope that simu...

Victoria’s Secret's Downfall: Lack of Diversity and the Reimagined Fashion Show That Aims to Save the Brand

by Ally McLaren For 23 years, Victoria's Secret dazzled the world with its extravagant annual Fashion Show, but in 2019, the event was abruptly canceled.  This decision, however, wasn't entirely surprising. The brand had faced mounting criticism for its lack of diversity, which contributed to declining ratings and scandals behind the scenes.  Now, Victoria's Secret is attempting to reinvent itself with a new fashion show concept. Will this be enough to save the brand from its troubled past? The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was once renowned for its bejeweled bras, angel wings, and A-list performances. Despite thus, its popularity waned due to the brand's refusal to embrace diversity.  Public outcry intensified in 2018 when the show's organizer, Edward Razek, made controversial remarks about not featuring plus-size or transgender models, suggesting it didn't align with the brand's fantasy image.  Moreover, revelations about the brand's former CEO...