While it seems magical that you can get looks from the runway in your local department store within weeks, the process of fast fashion is far from a fantasy. But what is fast fashion? And what’s the big deal? Why does it matter how a garment factory chooses to produce clothes?
While it’s enticing to grab that $5 shirt, the cost on such a cheaply made garment is much more than the price tag. But if it’s all you can afford, can you still participate in ethical fashion?
Let’s take a look at the answer to “what is fast fashion?” and unpack how you can be sustainable and ethical in an unethical system.
Defining Fast Fashion
So what is fast fashion?
Fast fashion is the result of the “I want it now” consumerist perspective and mega corporations willing to exploit people to meet that market need.
Historically, releases from big fashion labels would air four times a year in coordination with the seasons. Runway models would put the clothes on display and low to mid-range brands would follow those latest trends set forth by big-name designers.
Nowadays, looks are released to the runway on a much more consistent basis. And many brands will do anything they can to cut down production time to get those looks into their customer’s hands while it’s still hot. Fashion trends rise and fall quickly, and brands want to keep up, regardless of the textile waste and carbon footprint. The environmental impact is unimportant to fast fashion companies when compared to profit.
Like everything in the 21st century, fashion trends move more quickly than ever before. The usual timeline for a piece from ideation to entering the store is 6 months. A professor who did a study on Zara reported that the fast-fashion company can get a product from concept to the store in 15 days.
Now that’s fast fast fashion.
The Impact of Fast Fashion
So, what? Designers can get clothes produced quickly. Isn’t that impressive? Why is that a problem?
The issue lies in the moral and ecological cost.
Clothes don’t make themselves. No matter how advanced machines get, you cannot automate the entire process of clothing production. If you are getting looks out the door that quickly that cheaply, you are overworking and underpaying people to get it done.
And statistically, garment workers are women and children.
It’s estimated that 250 million children work in sweatshops across the globe. And 168 million of those kids are ages 5 to 14 and work in apparel factories.
And 22 million children die in sweatshops every year.
85% of the workers in sweatshops are women between 15 and 25 years old. In the direst scenarios, employers force these women to take birth control and pregnancy tests so they don’t need to pay for maternity leave or lose a worker.
On average, they make $200 a year. They need to work 70 hours a week in order to make an average income in their country on their unfair wages. What they make is nowhere near their nation’s minimum wage (if there is one).
And the materials to make these clothes don’t come out of thin air. People who gather the raw materials along the supply chains, such as cotton, also work under harsh conditions.
The worst part is how little it would cost a consumer if executives chose to pay workers a living wage. A study by Pollin, Burns, and Heintz revealed that giving workers a living wage would increase the price of a garment by a whopping 1.8%.
Beyond the human rights violations, this continual churning out of disposable clothing has a grave toll on the environment.
We throw away 92 million tons of clothing-related waste each year.
That is one garbage truck filled with clothes heading to the incinerator or landfill every single second. Half a million tons of microplastics enter the ocean each year. 20% of all global wastewater comes directly from the dyeing of textiles.
There’s no shortage of horrifying statistics that clearly link fast fashion and the corruption of the environment.
So what is fast fashion? A threat to human rights and the struggling environment.
Do Environmentally Friendly Fabrics Make a Difference?
To combat its image as a fast-fashion mega-corporation, Zara pledged that it will use entirely “organic, sustainable, or recycled” cotton, linen, and polyester by the year 2025.
So that makes it sustainable fashion, right?
While it’s a step in the right direction, their business model needs to drastically change in order to truly move away from fast fashion.
Zara produces 450 million garments a year, churning out 500 new design releases each week. They’re relying on consumers to buy more than they need just to get the latest fashion. In order to make room in their closet, they’ll ultimately need to throw clothes away. This process of high turnover is how fast fashion companies make their money.
So it only makes a nominal difference if the clothing in the landfill was made from sustainable materials or not. It’s just another piece of garbage to add to the pile.
Fast Fashion Brands
So what are some fast fashion brands that you should generally try to avoid if possible?
- Forever 21
- Shein
- Fashion Nova
- Victoria Secret
- Zara
- Urban Outfitters
- GUESS
- GAP
- H&M
As a rule, if the clothing feels like too good of a deal to be true, then it has a cost beyond the few dollars you’ll spend that day.
How Capitalism Makes Ethical Consumption Inaccessible
So fast fashion is both morally and environmentally corrupt. We should just stop buying cheap clothes, right?
Well, the system of capitalism makes the issue more complicated.
Some people simply cannot afford to shop anywhere else. Someone just trying to get clothes on their children’s backs so they can go to school can’t afford to think about where those clothes came from.
Are they morally responsible since they can’t afford expensive fair trade and sustainably sourced options?
The answer is no. Because the same system that exploits workers to make those clothes also pay these people as little as possible. They can only afford to buy into the abusive system because they themselves are abused by that very system.
CEOs get the big payouts for the quick turnaround and overproduction by underpaying the very people that make it possible. It’s the same story across every mega-industry, and clothes are certainly no exception.
So if you’re in a position where all you can do is buy cheap clothes, what are your options? How can you consume as ethically as possible in an unethical system?
When possible, buy clothes that will last. Take care of the clothes you do have. By making them last longer, you need to buy into the system less.
You may not be able to always afford the sturdiest option, but you can treat the clothes you do have well to make them last as long as they can. And when you are able, go for the sturdier option.
In the long run, it will save you more as you won’t have to replace the item as often. But if all you can afford is the option you’ll have to replace sooner, it doesn’t make you a bad person.
Buying secondhand is an excellent way to reduce the strain on your wallet and the environment. All these clothes get to have a second, third, or fourth life and by going into your closet, it stays out of the trash. But if you’re always buying things secondhand, you also aren’t a bad person if you want to buy something new for yourself every once in a while.
So what is fast fashion? A symptom of a corrupt system where no one wins, unless you’re on the very top. And even then, the success is temporary. No amount of money can protect you from a dying environment.
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.
