By Karla Pena
Fast fashion is a term that has gained some attention in recent years, especially regarding companies who utilize this gluttonous approach to the manufacturing of clothing. Clothing within fast fashion is produced abundantly at an alarmingly speedy rate regarding the design and fabrication as a marketable system. From the first step at the sketching table to the ultimate goal of being in stock at online and physical stores, fast fashion industries value quantity over quality to increase profits. Companies who utilize this method have increased in recent years, and although it offers a cheaper option for shoppers, it has also contributed to the inhibition of global success in sustainability and ethical labor. Owing to modern fast fashion, current and coming generations can use durable clothing through conscious financial decisions and promote awareness to help alleviate the adverse effects of this disposable cycle of mass consumption.
There is no doubt surrounding the dominance of major fashion companies such as Shein, H&M and Forever 21. These clothing corporations offer thousands of stylish apparel items made more appealing by close-to-nothing price tags attached to them, allowing these companies to tighten their grip on consumers. Being able to please thousands of people's fashion choices and never failing to follow media trends, these brands have no rest days to pump out new selections. According to an article by Alina Selyukh on the NPR website, Shein adds over 10,000 new items to its catalogs daily. In this numerical example of astonishing mass clothing production, one must question how companies can accomplish this and whether these methods benefit the world.
Like Shein, companies convert fashion designs into tangible garments in less than 10 days. This antithetical approach differs from higher-end clothing brands, in which designs can take two years before hitting the market (or runway in some instances). While marking trends and modes, fast fashion has also created an enormous environmental footprint. Factory emissions contribute 10% of global carbon emissions. Since it takes 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt, it makes sense why the fast fashion industry is responsible for its criminal mass consumption of 93 billion tons of clean water, as stated in bigreuse.org. In addition to its adverse impacts on nature, fast fashion companies are known to follow unethical labor practices. Even though they are overworked, underpaid and often operating under dangerous circumstances, fast fashion factory workers in China are paid an average salary of 1,000 Chinese Yuan per month (equivalent to $138.25 in US currency). Several companies have tried to improve working conditions after facing harsh media backlash; however, factory employees still earn less than livable wages, with an annual salary of 12,000 yuan falling short of China's national yearly average of 350,000 yuan.
What can we do to address the unforeseen consequences of fast fashion? It is impossible to tell the public to boycott these companies and stop buying their products altogether. An often-overlooked factor in this industry's success is that fast fashion is among the only choices for consumers needing affordable clothing. Along with the environment's inability to catch up with mass production, people from all over the globe have been suffering from paychecks that do not match up with perpetually increasing prices. Therefore, we can focus on harm reduction rather than totaling and ceasing consumption.
One tip that has increased in popularity is the purchase of used clothes. In addition to thrift shopping, consumers with keen eyes for fashion who are cutting down on funds can head to locally used clothing shops or chain thrift stores, such as Goodwill stores, to fulfill their needs. This tip allows people to practice sustainability by reusing clothes and choosing clothes they know will last.
Another tip is to buy less than you usually would. As previously stated, there is sometimes no way to avoid fast fashion. However, we still have autonomy over how much we invest in these corporations. When looking for garments in a fast fashion, you can check the information list for which materials are used and reviews to see if they are long-lasting, as well as buy stylish clothes that can be reused on various occasions rather than for one event.
There are numerous repercussions of humanity's desire to want what we do not have consistently; however, we do not need to entirely succumb to or reject companies within the fashion industry that jump to take advantage of this. Instead of focusing on completely stopping the unfavorable effects left by them, we can slow them down as a more realistic expectation.
Finally, one of the best ways to help is to reject ignorance and to choose to be aware of what is going on. If you truly feel like making a difference, consider educating others on the detrimental impacts of fast fashion, promoting sustainability and advocating against harmful environmental impacts and labor practices to take companies out of hiding in the dark and shine an even brighter light on the fast fashion industry.
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