by Morgan Collins

Today, we live in a consumption driven society with the ability to have anything we want at our fingertips. The lifestyle to cut corners and do anything to save money has been sewn into the fabric of our society from the corporation to the consumer. These principles ring true in any industry, but above all the fashion industry is plagued with wrongful actions and little repercussions. Fast fashion defines the rapid production of cheap, trendy clothing to meet consumer demand for the latest styles. It’s characterized by quick turnarounds in design, production, and distribution, allowing retailers to bring new styles to market in a matter of weeks. While problems associated with fast fashion have begun to be addressed, there is still much to be rectified. The cataclysm of fast fashion can be broken down into environmental impact, labor practices, and social implications. 

We have all seen the images of hundreds of articles of clothing being dumped into landfills and oceans. While those pictures help us understand the gravity of the situation we created, nobody can truly process how much clothing we have on our planet. There are over eight billion people on our planet; by 2050, we will be nine billion. The most recent data point to 150 billion pieces of clothing produced every year. Do the rudimentary math, and you quickly see that’s a new wardrobe for every man, woman, and child on the planet every year. The average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment half as long. It is also important to note that there are communities all over the world that still do not have the means to purchase these clothing items. So where do the excess billions of clothing end up – in landfills, waterways, and incinerators. Most fast fashion ends up in the landfill where it will take two average lifetimes to decompose. This means that the clothes you throw out today could outlive your grandchildren. Many discarded clothes also get thrown into oceans and local waterways leaching microplastics and toxic dyes which have adverse effects on the flora and fauna. On average, the fashion industry wastes 79 trillion liters of water each year. Finally, in order to save space, clothing is incinerated which leads to higher air emissions. The fashion industry, as a whole, creates 8.6% of the total greenhouse gas emissions. This is double the aviation industry and more than France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined. 

Fast fashion runs on the backs of people who barely make enough money to survive. The farther down the supply chain you travel the worse your wage and working conditions become. The fashion industry supplies over 3 million jobs to people all over the world but they are not always treated as equals. In the United States, people in the fast fashion industry make $13.45 on average, which is $2 below minimum wage in our state. However, the same workers in countries such as Indonesia and China only make between $8 and $10 an hour. These wages are not enough to support people especially in a world with prices inflating so quickly. Furthermore, the working conditions in many of these factories are poor with cramped rooms, unregulated machines, and underaged workers. All of these factors contribute to a poor working environment and quality of life.

Lastly, the fast fashion industry has faced many negative social implications, especially against young women. Big fashion companies such as Shein, Brandy Melville, and Zara have a long history of hiring attractive young women directly from the aisles of the stores. These companies also plagiarized their clothing by taking photos of shoppers who they believe have “cute” style. This helps propel fast fashion and allow for the quick output of new goods. Their marketing is also built on the backs of unknowing teens. Companies such as Brandy Melville have been known to reach out to young teenage girls on Instagram and ask them to model for them. This clandestine act of marketing is yet another example of the fashion industry cutting corners in the interest of making more money. 

In confronting the myriad of problems posed by fast fashion, there are actionable steps we can take to foster a more ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible approach to clothing production and consumption. By properly donating unused clothing, only buying items that are necessary, and thrifting when possible, the reach of fast fashion becomes significantly reduced.