When hanging out with friends most people end up at the mall. It’s fun to shop! But to what extent is it too much? Fast fashion is our new reality and has been normalized for many.
Fast fashion is trendy inexpensive clothing that has been mass-produced to stock up on new trends constantly. Once these trends are over, these collections are disposed of quickly for the next “micro-season”. Most commonly known fast fashion brands are Shein, Forever21, Gap, Fashion Nova, H&M, Zara, and many more.
Activist and anarchist Frankie states, “While offering affordable and trendy clothing, Zara and H&M have faced criticism for their involvement in exploitative labor practices, often outsourcing production to low-wage countries where predominantly people of color work under subpar conditions. Furthermore, the rapid production cycles encouraged by both contribute to environmental degradation and waste. The lack of diversity in their marketing and representation exacerbates concerns related to racial inclusivity. This spotlight on industry leaders underscores the urgency of reevaluating the fashion paradigm, emphasizing a more sustainable, ethical approach that addresses the environmental, physical, and social implications of fast fashion.”
The reason why fast fashion is overconsumed is because it’s trendy, affordable, and easily disposable. It eases impulsive purchases for many people and sometimes is the only access people have to experiment with styles or fit in with trends. You may think; trendy, cheap, and disposable; what more could you ask for? But the reality is that fast fashion harms our environment and our people. Carbon emissions, child labor, chemical pollution, terrible working conditions, and water pollution are just some examples of the aftermath of fast fashion.
Fast fashion is harmful to our natural resources. When fast fashion is being made, it requires lots of energy, toxic fabric dyes, and other chemicals that contaminate our fresh water and air. Textile dyeing produces 20% of global wastewater according to healthyhumanlife.com. Fashion holds the second place in industries in most water polluting.
This wastewater produced by fashions is eventually released directly into streams and rivers, risking exposure to heavy metals like cadmium and lead to us and animals. Additionally, fashion production produces a 10th of the world’s carbon emissions. Carbon emissions lead to global warming and climate change which cause changes in weather patterns and disrupt the usual balance of nature. According to goodonyou.eco the production of our most commonly used fabrics are also harmful. When producing polyester it contributes to global warming, and plastic microfibers can pollute the water even when worn or washed. Additionally conventional cotton requires large amounts of pesticides and water, causing drought risks.
In the fast fashion industry, 40 million workers endure poor working conditions and unfair daily wages stated by healthyhumanlife.com. These industry workers are exploited. The aftereffects include health issues, insufficient funds for basic needs, and even death. Life-threatening health standards and workplace accidents are common in the fast fashion industry. Poor airflow and breathing in dust and fiber from textiles can lead to lung disease, cancer, and reproductive issues. Additionally, physical strains are dealt with because of repetitive labor.
A turning point for the fashion industry was when 1,134 garment industry workers in Bangladesh died from the Collapse of the Rana Plaza factory. This was a huge accident that led to consequences. Many people spoke out against the unfair treatment of workers after this incident. Furthermore, child labor is constantly being used in these factories. Child labor is most commonly seen in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, etc according to a 2018 US Department of Labor Report.
Eventually, fast fashion will hopefully reform to a safe working environment for its workers with fair pay. For now, to help support these industry workers and our environment we can upcycle our clothes, buy second-hand at thrift stores or flea markets, “do clothing swap parties with friends” stated activist Frankie, or simply just not over-consume and buy what we know we’ll truly wear.
Written by Staff Writer, Fabiola Gomez
Photo Credit Photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre Dalbera