Who Is Paying for My Clothes? Uncovering the hidden cost of What We Wear
The Real Price of a “Good Deal”
I used to celebrate a bargain.
A cheap t-shirt. A discounted pair of jeans.
It felt like a smart win.
But one day, a question struck me and it has never left:
“If I’m paying so little, who’s paying the rest?”
Turns out, someone always is.
People. The Planet. Even You.
And they’ve been paying the price for far too long.
1. People Pay. With Their Lives
The fast fashion industry thrives on cheap labour.
But cheap for whom?
Women in garment factories across Asia work 12+ hours a day in unsafe, poorly ventilated spaces for as little as ₹10/hour.
Teenage girls skip school to meet impossible deadlines.
Mothers work late into the night, barely able to feed their families.
But exploitation doesn’t start with stitching.
It begins with the farmer.
In India, cotton farmers live on the brink of poverty. Many fall into lifelong debt traps due to unfair pricing, rising input costs and unpredictable climate conditions.
Some pay the ultimate price with their lives.
Suicides among famers is not uncommon.
Fast fashion is affordable for us because someone, somewhere is paying for it.
This isn’t just low-cost clothing. It is quiet exploitation wrapped in style.
2. The Planet Pays. Every Single Time
The fashion industry is one of the largest global polluters.
- 2,700 litres of water for a single cotton tee
- 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year
- Microplastics from polyester polluting our oceans
- Toxic dyes dumped in rivers that once sustained life
- Clothes piling up in landfills, often after a single wear
We don’t just wear these garments. We wear down ecosystems with every purchase.
When fashion is fast, nature becomes collateral damage.
3. We Pay. With Our Peace
The cost isn’t only external.
We are losing something too.
We have stopped building relationships with our clothes.
We chase trends instead of style.
We shop out of impulse, not intention.
We scroll, add to cart, forget.
Fashion has become noise.
In the process, we have lost the joy, identity and calm that true fashion once offered.
And Social Media Rewards Excess, Not Ethics
The pressure is real.
- One post, one new look
- Hauls over habits
- Algorithms that reward consumption, not conscience
We are told we are never enough unless we wear more, buy more, post more.
And slowly, our self-worth becomes tied to our next outfit.
So, Who Should Be Paying?
Not the cotton farmer.
Not the factory worker.
Not the river or rainforest.
Not your mental health.
We should.
But not with guilt, with responsibility.
With better questions.
With informed choices.
With more heart.
It is a warning sign
If a brand is selling you a t-shirt for cheap,
it is not a deal, it is a warning sign.
Every time we choose cheap over fair, someone pays the price:
A woman. A farmer. A river. A future.
So the next time you shop, pause.
And ask yourself:
“Who is paying for my clothes?”
Let’s make sure the answer isn’t everything we say we love.
UNMODA is India’s first progressive luxury streetwear label for women, redefining fashion with purpose. Built upon the Inspired by Humanity vision and committed to the In Collaboration with Nature path, UNMODA creates designs that respect people and the planet. Every piece is a statement of ethics, creativity and conscious living — where fashion doesn’t cost us the earth.