The Clothes We Wear Every Day: An Unseen Threat
Every day, people wear clothes. Some choose based on the latest model, trending colours, or prices deemed more affordable. Yet, behind the garments that cling to the human body daily lies a long journey that is rarely questioned. Where do these clothes come from? How are they made? And what happens when they are no longer used? These questions form the core concern raised in the documentary film ‘Menolak Punah’ by Aji Yahuti and Dandhy Laksono. The film does not merely discuss clothing as a daily necessity but attempts to unveil another side of the modern fashion industry that has long remained unseen.
Through an investigative documentary approach, ‘Menolak Punah’ invites viewers to see that environmental problems do not always present themselves in large, easily recognisable forms. Sometimes, the threat originates from something very close to human life, including the clothes worn every day. One of the main issues highlighted in the film is the use of synthetic materials in the modern textile industry. Many clothes today use fibres like polyester, which are derived from plastic. Plastic is often understood only as bottles, shopping bags, or various single-use packaging. However, ‘Menolak Punah’ presents a different perspective: that plastic can also exist in the form of clothing that comes into direct contact with the human body.
Problems arise when synthetic clothing undergoes washing and long-term use. Tiny fibres can detach and turn into microplastics that are difficult to decompose in the environment. What makes this issue increasingly critical is that microplastics do not merely stop at being a problem of natural pollution. Their presence demonstrates that the impact of human activity can re-enter the chain of life through various pathways previously largely unnoticed. The film shows that the modern environmental crisis is not always visible in the form of rivers full of rubbish or polluted seas. There is a threat that is much smaller and invisible, yet has long-term consequences for human life.
However, ‘Menolak Punah’ does not only discuss the issue of materials. The film takes viewers to see a larger problem: how modern humans build relationships with the goods they consume. The fashion industry today is developing extremely rapidly. Trends change constantly in a short time, pushing society to buy new clothes to keep up with the times. Clothes previously considered long-term use items are slowly turning into fast consumption products. When trends shift, clothes that are actually still wearable often lose their value and eventually become waste. It is here that the film offers a deeper critique. The problem is not just about the quantity of clothes produced, but how an industrial system shapes human habits to continuously buy and discard. A question then arises: do humans buy clothes because they genuinely need them, or because the industry has succeeded in creating a sense that humans always need something new?
Beyond environmental issues, ‘Menolak Punah’ also shows another impact of the modern fashion industry’s development: the growing distance between humans and natural materials and traditions in clothing production. Before the textile industry developed as it has today, many communities had their own methods of producing clothing by utilising natural resources, from the use of natural fibres to plant-based dyes. However, changes in the production system that pursue speed, quantity, and low prices have caused these practices to be slowly marginalised. This became a particular concern for Nathan, a student at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), after watching ‘Menolak Punah’. He argued that the film not only reveals environmental problems but also shows how the development of the modern fashion industry can impact the loss of culture and tradition in clothing production. According to him, before the fast fashion trend, humans still had a closer relationship with nature through the use of natural materials, including in the dyeing process. However, changes in consumption patterns have caused these practices to be gradually displaced. He also highlighted the issue of microplastics, which he considers a serious threat because their spread not only impacts the environment but also has the potential to enter the food chain and affect human health for generations to come.
The issue of microplastics is one of the strongest messages in this film. Something that previously seemed simple, like washing clothes or buying new ones, turns out to have a connection to broader environmental problems. Microplastics show that the impact of modern industry does not always stop when a product is finished being used. There are traces that remain and can spread through the environment. The concern about microplastics is not only about the current state of nature but also about how its impact will affect the future.