In today’s world, clothes expire faster than yogurt or a fresh loaf of bread! Many people would do anything for the newest purse from Coach, a wallet from Gucci, or a Kate Spade dress, but they realize they can’t afford these things. At the same time, why wait until the next time you go to the mall? Instead, order it right away and wait even longer for it to arrive… yeah, that’s fast fashion.
Faster and more affordable, they say. However, fast fashion is not just produced on online websites; it is also found in many retail stores that many of us shop at today.
Fast fashion has a major impact on the world and its environment. There are many ways to prevent yourself from falling into the trap. Learn the history of fast fashion, its impact on the environment, the difference between companies that follow trends vs. ultra-fast-fashion producers, and how to avoid buying it!
Fast Fashion is a global problem, and it’s so popular because it is more affordable than most foods these days. People will buy a T-shirt for two dollars, wear it once, and then throw it away. This has become a natural routine for society.
Yet, slower fashion had existed at one point. Women used to sew clothing and make everything by hand, and their shoes would be made one pair at a time. These cottage industries would sell their finished projects for higher prices because everything was handmade. People started losing interest in these industries because they wanted their clothing quicker and more affordably.
The move from handmade to factory-made had left a harsh effect on cottage industries; soon, sweatshops and factories grew, and the world had moved on. Nowadays, if a famous influencer wore a certain shirt that was $500, companies would remake that shirt with 100% polyester, and sell it for an amazing price. These are clothing trends; once someone has it, everyone has to have it.
This is nothing new, though. Once factory production grew, the only thing nations wanted was to make money! One of the biggest examples in history is with Marie Antoinette herself. In 1783, a portrait was painted. It was Marie Antoinette dressed in a cotton gown without any jewels or other accessories besides a hat. Once everyone saw this gown, they knew they had to buy it.
This incident created a massive increase in the textile industry; however, it also spiked cotton production and slavery. This event had a global impact, not only by how much cotton had been produced for the dress, but also by the amount of slavery it took to get these dresses made and exported. With that being said, many companies have the name “fast fashion” written all over them, or others just follow clothing trends but produce expensive, good-quality clothing.
There are thousands of clothing brands, whether from websites or brick-and-mortar stores, that sell what’s considered to be “fast fashion.”
Many are very familiar brands:
- Aerie
- Brandy Melville
- Lululemon
- PacSun
- Shein
- Temu
- Zara
Now, many of these brands are not thought of as “fast fashion,” but in reality, they technically are because they follow the newest trends. However, the fast fashion that truly affects the environment is the ultra-fast fashion brands, like Shein and Temu. These are the brands that specifically use polyester to make all of their clothing, not the cotton or silk that stores like Aerie or Lululemon use in their designs.
Many teens, if not all, love clothing shopping. Every teen girl that I know loves going shopping at the mall, Target, or TJ Maxx. When students were asked, “How often do you buy new clothing, and why?”, they held various opinions.
“Every other week, just because I like to have a vast variety of clothing,” said sophomore Ivy Alessi, the only one who frequently shops for the latest trends.
Instead of re-wearing clothes from the past, many people tend to buy new ones for an upcoming event or just in general.
“I only really buy clothes every other month, when I have an event or vacation,” said sophomore Quinn Corrigan.
Other people have to save up money for college or other things, but when they do go shopping, they tend to buy more than just a couple of things.
“I go shopping about a few times a year, normally when school starts, because I think the stores I shop at are too pricey,” said senior Josie Patronik.
These students also said that they sometimes, if not rarely, shop on Shein, and instead, they go to the mall and find some favorites.
A deeper dive into company competition and the impact of certain ultra-fast fashion industries on retail chains shows that no matter what a certain company is selling, they are always competing. Zara vs. H&M, for example. Many people view these stores as very similar; however, Zara offers more expensive items and a wider range of clothing. H&M is targeted towards younger adults and teens, and it is also more affordable. Yet, once Shein had entered the fashion industry, these companies had been negatively impacted due to the low and super affordable prices of Shein’s products. Zara not as much, though. This was because older folks tended to shop there, people who wanted classier clothing, and had the money to buy it.
Based on research of the impact fast fashion has on the environment, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change says that textile manufacturing will have spiked 60% by 2030. Companies like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M create new garments within weeks, while the Chinese-run company Shein has more and more designs produced and ready to order in as little as 10 days. All of these products result in an immense amount of plastic waste around the world. Fast fashion production wastes time, water, and energy. There are massive amounts of microplastics that are contained in these clothing pieces that take hundreds of years to biodegrade. The impact that fast fashion has on the environment and its people is a serious issue that will get worse as time goes on.
Fast fashion has caused many problems over the years, although it boosts economies. It also harms the environment because of its immense use of plastic. Even though there are so many new trendy and cheap items out there, think twice before you buy them. Instead of being a part of the problem, there are many things you can do to try to reduce it.
Just some of these ideas are:
- Buy fewer, higher-quality items that can last longer
- Shop at the thrift store
- Wait before purchasing
- Research certain brands before you buy to see if they use polyester or other harmful materials
- Take care of your clothing
- Shop cotton, silk, wool, and linen
It is not difficult to do any of these things, so think before purchasing your next Shein cart, and you might just help save the planet.
