What is Fast Fashion? And Why is it a Problem?

What is Fast Fashion? And Why is it a Problem? 

By Emily Zhu

We hear about fast fashion all the time, how it's unsustainable and destructive. But what is fast fashion? 


Fast fashion is cheap clothing being produced very quickly. It's made in bulk, and the idea is to obtain the latest trends at an affordable price. Sounds good, right? With that also comes horrible working conditions and negative impacts on the planet, and much more. But before I delve deeper into all that, let's talk about the history of fast fashion. 


To start, in the 1800s, all "fashion" was produced by hand. If you could, you would make your clothes. This was a very inefficient way to make clothes. Still, due to a shortage of other options, this continued until the industrial revolution where things like sewing machines made it easier and faster to produce clothing. Eventually, clothes became a way of personal expression, and trends were popping up left and right. So, clothing brands such as Zara, Forever 21, Shien, and Romwe became the cheapest and fastest way to obtain new trends. It was accessible, so, understandably, people hopped on the fast fashion train. However, soon enough, the detrimental effects of fast fashion would emerge.


Now there are a lot of points on why fast fashion is terrible, so I'll be breaking them down into different groups.


Environment: 


Fast fashion promotes a "throw away society," which is throwing things away! In this case, it's clothes. These clothes were made to be thrown out. Because they are so cheap the material is poor and flimsily thus that don't last very long. So consumers will discard the garments creating more and more landfills. Five hundred thousand tons of material (non-biodegradable and microfiber) end up in our oceans annually.


But this isn't the only reason why fast fashion is unethical.


Fast fashion makes up 10% of carbon emissions globally and is the second largest industry fueling pollution. This is all due to the cheap material used like toxic dyes and polyester, which both negatively impact the environment. These harmful materials end up in ecosystems where wildlife will consume them through the food chain, detrimental effects. But even when natural fabrics are used, it still causes a strain in the environment with the high demand because it requires large amounts of water and pesticides from developing countries which risks droughts, puts pressures on water basins, and causes competition for resources. 


Even with animals, there's an impact. There have been scandals where real animal fur was being used and was passed as "faux" fur because it's cheaper. The conditions these animals are put in are also horrible. 




Workers:


Another impact is on workers. Often, the people working in these factories are in poverty, desperate; they turn to Fast Fashion. However, the working conditions are dangerous, but working days are long, and they don't even make minimum wage. There was an incident in 2013 where 1000 workers for Rana Plaza died because the workplace had collapsed. Employees are being exploited. Continuing even further, farmers who create the material for fast fashion have to work with toxic chemicals and conditions that negatively affect their mental and psychical health. 

Shahzaib Akber, "Workers at a garments factory in Karachi" The Guardian 


How we can stop it: 


Here's how we can stop fast fashion. 


Buy less and busy more meaningful products. Buying more meaningful products will last longer, and the more basics you own, the more styles you'll have. 

Keep your eyes out for fast fashion. Sites with low prices and "tons of style" are red flags. 

Inform others and make them aware of the situation 


You can visit https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/ to learn more about how 

you can help and more about the problem. 



Works Cited

"The Negative Effects of Fast Fashion." Borgen Magazine, 25 Nov. 2020, www.borgenmagazine.com/the-negative-effects-of-fast-fashion/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2021.

Rauturier, Solene. "What Is Fast Fashion?" Good on You, 26 July 2021, goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2021.


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