The term fast fashion is used to describe clothing and accessories that are inexpensive to produce on a large scale. While many appreciate fast fashion for staying up to date with the latest trends, its quick arrival to their home, and cheap cost to purchase, consumers may turn a blind eye to the harm that the industry enables in the name of convenience.
Fast fashion is responsible for staggering amounts of environmental damage such as water waste and pollution, and often exploits the factory workers who assemble the clothing. According to Business Insider, leftover water used in the process of textile dyeing is “dumped into ditches, streams, or rivers,” and is “responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution worldwide.” As for the issue of harsh working environments in factories, Earth Day reports that “Garment workers endure unsafe conditions, wage theft, exhausting hours, minimal pay and gender-based harassment.” According to Fashion United, the fast fashion industry (made up of several companies) employs almost 75 million factory workers globally, but less than 2% of the workers earn a living wage.
“Supporting fast fashion is supporting unethical practices in the work force,” Celeste Moore (12) said. “I personally don’t want to be a part of that.”
Some will make the argument that buying fast fashion products is not an issue, because there’s no way that their money is what is keeping the industry afloat, however according to Credit Donkey, “the average adult aged 25-34 spends $161 per month on clothing [and] adults aged 35-44 spend … $209 a month.” Over time, these prices add up and contribute much more to fast fashion industries in the long run, which should be considered when buying a $4 shirt every few weeks.
“If everyone begins to think that their impact is insignificant on any issue, the problem will not just continue to exist, but compile and become even worse,” Ameena Khan (12) said. “Do your part to make the world a better place when you can.”
If cheap and trendy clothing is what a person desires, rather than turning to fast fashion companies like Shein and Temu, it would be better to look into thrift shopping, known more commonly as thrifting. Thrifting is a similarly affordable alternative, where clothing items are bought at second-hand stores such as Goodwill or Plato’s closet, and often sold at a marked down price. As the practice becomes more popular, thrifting has become a widespread and fresh fashion trend in and of itself, where people are able to find and reuse unique clothing that suits their personal style.
“Thrifting repurposes clothing and is a good way to save money,” Jordan Flowers (11) said. “Fast fashion takes away from the meaning of fashion and resourcefulness.”
There is also the option of upcycling. As defined by Upcycle That, upcycling is a new trend that promotes recycling clothing by “taking something that is no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function.” If a specific item or style can’t be found at a thrift store, it can be made using second-hand materials and craftsmanship, rather than supporting fast fashion.
“No clothes, even fast fashion ones, should be thrown away,” Ray Moody (11) said. “As I like to do with my old shirts, I turn them into patches for jackets, vests, and bags, instead of letting them go to landfills.”
While trendy, cheap, and convenient, students should avoid supporting fast fashion and turn instead to more sustainable and equally affordable alternatives such as thrifting and upcycling. In doing so, students support environmental sustainability and responsible consumption of fashion.