Dear Activist,

The term “Fast Fashion” sounds similar to “Fast Food,” and it is similar to a certain extent. Fast food refers to food that is cheap and can be prepared quickly. Fast fashion also refers to a type of mass production but of clothes that are a replica of trendy, stylish clothes sold at a lower cost; thus, the quality is quite poor. Just as fast food is detrimental to our physical health, fast fashion is harmful to our global health.

The Rise of Fast Fashion

Fast fashion gained popularity in the 1960s and has continued unabated until recently. The sole reason for its continuation is that it satisfies the consumer’s wants instantly and, at the same time, cheaply. However, the retail price of the clothes produced by the fast fashion industry is affordable, but the actual price to our world’s well-being is exorbitant.

As clothes become cheaper, the quality drastically falls but the consumption increases. This, in turn, results in accelerating fashion trends. This is a vicious cycle and stopping this would need a “revolution.” To further emphasize this point, the fashion industry produces 80 billion garments a year, according to Pebble Magazine.

Now, you might be wondering how exactly is this a problem? For clothes to be produced in massive quantities and in a short duration of time, there must be some compromise, which includes much more than quality. The condition of workers in the fashion industry is hostile; the wages are low, and the working hours are long. Certain companies risk the lives of their employees by exposing them to hazardous environments for a prolonged time. It is unfortunate that children below the age of 14 are also some of these employees.

Fast fashion brands not only exploit laborer and violate human rights, but they also give rise to child labor. Child labor interrupts education, negatively affects children’s health, and deprives them of safe and better futures. The unethical labor used is described as “modern slavery.”

Issues Provoked by Fast Fashion

By replicating the designer’s work, fast fashion brands steal the original idea of designers and thus, the designers’ creativity, giving rise to copyright issues. Additionally, fast fashion leads to overconsumption, which causes increased waste and results in a depletion of resources. As clothes are cheaper, more accessible and new trends are produced almost every two weeks. People are purchasing clothes rapidly, which leads to a “throw-away” culture or “wear-it-once” attitude. Clothes are being purchased not because they are needed, but because people want it, and wants are never satisfied.

This overconsumption has led to huge waste production. Fast fashion produces over 500 billion dollars worth of waste. It is worth mentioning that most fashion industries do not have an efficient way to dispose of waste, leading to pollution. The waste includes discarded materials, under-utilized clothing, and a lack of recycled goods.

This industry is also not spared by the usage of chemicals and toxins. The chemicals degrade the soil, and toxins are harmful to the consumer as well as the environment. In order to produce enormous amounts of clothing, often sheep and goats are used for their wool and overgrazed, leading to soil erosion. Wood is also a popular raw material used in the fashion industry, which causes deforestation. All these cumulatively contribute to climate change.

Fast Fashion Brands

Despite numerous harmful impacts of products produced by fast fashion industries, they continue to survive to date. Shein is a Chinese-based online clothing company that produces over 500 new items a day with extremely affordable prices. It has been accused of using child labor for its production and is being sued by multiple designers for plagiarism. It has continued to survive because of its strong social media presence. The hashtag “shein haul” gained huge popularity during the pandemic, which is appalling.

We cannot talk about this issue without mentioning Zara, the original fast fashion brand. The company has repeatedly been guilty of having poor working conditions and using child and slave labor. It has also been accused of stealing designs. A few other fast fashion brands joining the list are H&M, Fashion Nova, Forever 21, Boohoo and more.

Activate Change

If you carefully observe, a common thread between all of these companies is their strong social media presence, which propelled their businesses at some point in time. Who is responsible for this? It is us. To eliminate such unethical production methods, consumers can play a major role. Here is how you can participate:

• Do not purchase products from fast fashion brands. 
• Buy less. We need not buy everything we want.
• Go thrift shopping. Thrifting is a good alternative to buying new clothes.
• Researching about the brand before buying from them.
• Try purchasing from sustainable brands or brands that generally care about the environment.
• Purchasing good quality clothing could also be a better alternative.
• Reuse or recycle clothes that you have only worn once.
• Avoid being a part of all social media trends; avoid being a part of the hashtag hauls.
• Generate awareness about the impacts of this pressing issue.

Lastly, I would like to highlight one of the least-talked about reasons for the rise of fast fashion: Capitalism. Fast Fashion is often remarked as the child of capitalism. Because of large competition, greed to maximize profit, and labor exploitation fast fashion has continued unabated. Another point that must be mentioned is that no one should be shamed for consuming fast fashion if that is the only thing that they are able to afford. All of us, however, must attempt to minimize its consumption.

Cordially,

Sarah Brahma