In today’s world of catwalk to sales rack and new trends barreling in your Pinterest
feed like a category 5 hurricane, it can be hard to keep track of what is fast fashion
and what isn’t. So, I’ll tell you—Fast fashion is the term used to describe a highly-profitable
business model which duplicates runway pieces and reproduces them in a very short amount of
time, for a record low price. Examples of brands like this are Forever 21, Zara, and H&M; all
popular clothing brands for the average American.
Why exactly is fast fashion a bad thing? The ability to buy cheap and trendy clothing sounds like
a dream come true to most people. The issue with fast fashion is that in order for these brands
to sell for at the low prices that they do, they have to cut down on the cost of production. This
usually comes in the form of cheap materials as well as inexpensive labor. Forced labor is
common in countries other than the United States, making it commonplace for these brands to
export their designs to other nations, further increasing their profit margin. This forced labor
usually entails young children working in factories with dangerous conditions and extremely long
hours. Although we are able to get these clothing items at a lowered price, it comes at the cost
of these people affected by these hazardous conditions.
Another cause of concern with the business of fast fashion is its effect on the environment.
Factories that partake in the production of fast fashion generally emit toxic greenhouse
gases and use enormous amounts of water along with other finite energy sources, worsening the
quality of our environment. In December of 2013, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH)
found traces of lead in products from clothing brands such as Wet Seal and Charlotte Russe.
Lead poisoning can lead to brain damage, fertility problems, and kidney damage which is
terrible not only for the customer but the environment as well. The combination of human rights
violations and increased environmental ruin should be enough to convince any person to
abandon the practice of fast fashion.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself when trying to figure out if an item is fast fashion
or not:
● Do the clothes feel/appear to be of poor quality?
● Was the design recently seen on the runway?
● Is the item being sold for a suspiciously low price?
● Does it feel like a steal that’s too good to be true?
● Are there multiple variations of the same product being sold in the store and other
stores like it?
If you answered yes to any of these questions there is a strong possibility the item you’re
holding is a product of fast fashion. Hopefully these quick tips will help prevent you from buying
from fast fashion as much as possible. As always, the only way to be absolutely certain you
aren’t buying something fishy is to thrift or buy from a reputable, sustainable brand!
Sincerely,
Anna