The Price of Fast Fashion
“Fast fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere is paying.”
— LUCY SIEGLE
Shopping for clothing has become a natural part of our lifestyle. The way we dress is a unique reflection of who we are. Unfortunately, the fast fashion industry can move quite quickly, and as consumers we sometimes follow trends that don’t truly align with our values. Today, affordable and cheap clothes have become widely accessible and readily available. But how often do we ask ourselves if our shopping choices are sustainable?
Fast fashion quickly became the norm when brands like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M became popularized and favorable among shoppers. These retail companies base their designs on current trends that depict celebrity culture and the movement of societal norms. To appeal to their audiences, fast fashion brands produce clothing at affordable prices to meet consumer demand.
The “cheapness” behind the reality of fast fashion has a long-lasting environmental impact on our planet, natural resources, and labor forces. It has created many heavy concerns requiring global action that can begin by simply changing the way we shop and consume goods.
What Exactly is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is a phrase that describes the rapid manufacturing process of trendy clothing designs. After a runway or catwalk show, fast fashion retailers begin releasing collections based on these new “hot” and “ready-to-wear” looks. By doing so, these brands allow mainstream consumers to shop for trending clothing at incredibly affordable prices. Their goal is to present the latest styles to the common market as quickly as possible, so the general consumer can purchase new outfits during the peak of popularity.
In our fast paced world, fashion trends develop and change within a simple blink of an eye. As a result, these trends don’t last very long, and neither does the lifecycle of the clothing. There’s a growing pressure in today’s society to embody the latest “it” look, and the idea that we can’t wear the same thing twice plays a heavy role in the toxic system surrounding fast fashion.
Why is Fast Fashion Bad?
There are numerous consequences to workers, animals, and the environment that have followed the rise of fast fashion. All of these ramifications are still affecting our world today, so it’s important to be aware of the dangers that lurk behind the apparel and fashion industry.
What’s the impact of fast fashion?
Environmental impact:
Fast fashion’s impact on the planet is immense.Fast fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes — making the fashion industry the second largest polluter of clean water globally after agriculture.
Cheap textiles also increase fast fashion’s impact. Polyester is one of the most popular fabrics. It is derived from fossil fuels, contributes to global warming, and can shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic in our oceans when washed. But even ‘natural fabrics’ can be a problem at the scale fast fashion demands. Conventional cotton requires enormous quantities of water and pesticides in developing countries. This results in drought risks and creates extreme stress on water basins and competition for resources between companies and local communities.
On workers:
As well as the environmental cost of fast fashion, there’s a human cost.
Fast fashion impacts garment workers who work in dangerous environments, for low wages, and without fundamental human rights. Further down the supply chain, the farmer may work with toxic chemicals and brutal practices that can have devastating impacts on their physical and mental health.
On animals:
Animals are also impacted by fast fashion. In the wild, the toxic dyes and microfibres released in waterways are ingested by land and marine life alike through the food chain to devastating effect. And when animal products such as leather, fur, and even wool are used in fashion directly, animal welfare is put at risk.
On consumers:
Finally, fast fashion can impact consumers themselves, encouraging a ‘throw-away’ culture because of both the built-in obsolescence of the products and the speed at which trends emerge. Fast fashion makes us believe we need to shop more and more to stay on top of trends, creating a constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction.
What can we do?
|“buy less, choose well, make it last.” — Vivienne Westwood
- Buying Less is the first step — try to fall back in love with the clothes you already own by styling them differently or even ‘flipping’ them.
- Choose Well is the second step, and choosing an eco-friendly fabric is essential here.
- Finally, we should Make It Last and look after our clothes by following the care instructions,wearing them until they worn out, mending them wherever possible, then responsibly recycling them at the very end of their life.
