Have you ever entered a store and noticed an incredibly stylish item of clothing at an unexpectedly low cost?
That’s fast fashion: stylish, affordable, and quick.
“Fast fashion is not free. Someone, somewhere, is paying the price.” – Lucy Siegle
Lately, buy now, pay later is trending on simple things, too. This is also fast fashion.
Brands in a race try to cover the maximum audience. However, mostly end up producing low-quality clothing items. Mass production, but the quality is extremely low.
It relies on brands producing runway designs in large quantities. But there are serious problems with it as well. A relatively recent phenomenon about fast fashion is that it exploits workers and seriously harms the environment, but is it real?
Let’s dive into it.
First things first, what is Fast Fashion?
“Low-cost clothing collections that mimic current fashion trends” is how fast fashion is defined. Because of how quickly these trends shift, new styles and trends frequently become outdated within a few weeks.
These trends are followed by fast fashion, but compared to high fashion, fast fashion clothing is typically inexpensive and composed of inferior materials.
Young consumers who have a strong desire to look fashionable and current are the main buyers of fast fashion.
So, Why is Fast Fashion Bad?
According to the 2016 True Cost Documentary, more than 80 billion pieces of clothing are purchased each year, which is more than 400% higher than a decade prior. This is almost a decade from now. If we look in our surroundings, we see many brands offering quick clothing options.
And due to the variety you can access, you also buy often from them. It is not only feeding into the capitalism and hyper consumerism, but also affecting many other aspects of life. How?
Here are some of the disadvantages.
- Environmental Effect:
Yes, in a big way.
One of the largest polluters is fast fashion. Polyester clothing releases microplastics into the ocean, and factories release harmful chemicals and dyes into rivers.
So Much Trash!
Every year, millions of garments are thrown away because they quickly become outdated or fall apart.
Cotton Isn’t Always Clean, Too
The environment and surrounding communities may suffer as a result of cotton’s high water and pesticide requirements.
- Exploiting Workers
They pay too low to the worker. A lot of clothing is manufactured in factories with low salaries, long working hours, and dangerous working environments.
There are no worker rights. Basic rights are frequently denied to workers, particularly in nations where low-cost labor is used to maintain low prices.
Even farmers who grow cotton and other materials may be exposed to dangerous chemicals that are bad for their health.
- Are We Being Tricked Into Overbuying?
Yes, we are.
Fast fashion makes us think we always need the next new thing. Clothes are made to wear out quickly, so we keep buying more.
Trends Change Too Fast
Social media makes us feel like we are left out if we’re not wearing the latest trending clothes. Everyone is running after trends.
- How About the Animals?
Polluted Habitats
Animals and underwater creatures are harmed by the toxic chemicals that fashion factories release into the environment. They are just making money.
Real Fur Sold as Fake
It’s shocking to learn that some fast fashion brands have even sold real fur that has been marked as fake, including fur from dogs and cats. Animals are living beings too, so everyone should at least care about them.
Okay, But What Can We Do?
Do you want to stop wearing fast fashion? Here’s the step-by-step instructions:
- Don’t Purchase From Fast Fashion Brands
The least you can do is more conscious about your purchases. Yes, you love that dress and it is only a few dollars. But think, do you need it or just being manipulated into following stupid trends? Or you are just buying so you can show off to your group? And the brand, are they really just selling a need or making you addicted to fast fashion?
Unfollow influencers who haul. Remove yourself from promotional emails. End the cycle.
- Look for second-hand goods at local clothing swaps and thrift stores.
The thrift trend is booming again. The global market value of secondhand and resale clothes is expected to reach 256 billion US dollars by 2025. This value is expected to skyrocket in the following years, growing by more than $100 billion by 2029.
This means you have better and more sustainable options, just need to look closely to it. It’s affordable, environmentally friendly, and packed with interesting discoveries.
- Browse Your Own Wardrobe
Upcycling, mixing, and matching are sustainable and enjoyable. You can also make a few changes in the current clothing items you have. Look online for the ideas. Mix and match. Alter a few and vola you will be good to go.
- Select Ethical Brands (If New Purchases Are Required)
Look for the brands that offer you a good price but with value. The item that can last long and is ethically produced from its materials. Moreover, how their supply chains work. If they are too complex to understand, you have a problem.
How to Spot a Fast Fashion Brand?
- Thousands of styles that reflect the latest trends.
- Price points are consistently at the bottom end of the market when compared to similar products.
- Continuously offering discounts through coupon codes or deals.
- A very short time between when a trend or garment is visible on the runway or in the media and when it hits the shelves.
- Offshore manufacturing, where labor is cheapest, employs people at low rates with no rights or safety.
- Complex supply networks have limited visibility beyond the first tier of manufacture.
- Zara pioneered the idea of producing a limited amount of a single outfit. With fresh products arriving every few days, buyers are aware that if they do not purchase something they like right away, they will most likely miss their opportunity.
- Marketing that encourages customers to buy quickly and frequently.
- Cheap, synthetic, low-quality materials, such as polyester, shed microfibres and can remain in the environment for hundreds of years.
Conclusion
There are advantages and disadvantages to the complicated and multidimensional phenomenon of fast fashion. Although it provides accessibility, affordability, and financial advantages, it also brings up serious moral and environmental issues.
We can contribute to the development of a more responsible and balanced fashion industry by encouraging sustainable practices and holding companies accountable.
We can support a fashionable and sustainable fashion industry by remaining informed and making thoughtful choices.
Style as you like, but be more aware of what you are consuming.
