Fast fashion is a new sensation in the Fashion market which is causing extensive damage to the environment, harming animals, and Exploiting people. Do you know why fast fashion is creating this ruckus?
What
Is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is cheap, trendy clothes that sample ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into a garment in High Street stores in high demand. this idea is to get the new style on the market as fast as possible so shopkeepers can snap them up while they are still at the height of their popularity and then discard them after a few ways or the trend is over.
This place an idea that outfit repeating is a
fashion flaw and that if you want to stay relevant and new you have to spot the
latest look as they happen in the town. So now this is how the toxic system of overproduction and consumption has made fashion one of the world’s largest Polluters.
The History Behind Fast Fashion
Clothes became easier, quicker, and cheaper. In the 1960s and 70s, young people were creating new trends, and clothing became a form of personal affection. But there was still a distinction between high fashion and high street.
In 2015 Online shopping took place as fast-fashion retailers like H&M, Zara, and Top-shop took over the high street. These brands took the looks and design elements from the top fashion houses and reproduced them quickly and cheaply. Everyone is now able to shop for on-trend clothes whenever they wanted.
Effects Of Fast Fashion On The Planet
1) Destroying Our Planet
Fast
fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes—making
the fashion industry one of the largest polluters of clean water globally,
right up there with agriculture. That’s why Greenpeace has been pressuring
brands to remove dangerous chemicals from their supply chains through its
detoxing fashion campaigns through the years.
The constant speed and demand mean increased stress on other environmental areas such as land clearing, biodiversity, and soil quality. The processing of leather also impacts the environment, with 300kg of chemicals added to every 700kg of animal hides tanned. The speed at which garments are produced also means that more and more clothes are disposed of by consumers, creating massive textile waste.
2) Exploiting Workers
Fast
fashion impacts garment workers who work in dangerous environments, for low
wages, and without fundamental human rights. Further down the supply chain, the
farmers may work with toxic chemicals and brutal practices that can have
devastating impacts on their physical and mental health.
3) Harming Animals
Animals
are also impacted by fast fashion. In the wild, the toxic dyes and microfibres
released in waterways are ingested by land and marine life alike through the
food chain to devastating effect. And when animal products such as leather,
fur, and even wool are used in fashion directly, animal welfare is put at risk.
4) Consumption
Fast fashion makes us believe we need to shop more and more to stay on top of trends, creating a constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction.
Who Are The Exploiters Of Fast Fashion?
- There are many brands we know today as fast fashion exploiters, like Zara or H&M, which started as smaller shops in Europe around the 1950s. It was coined by the New York Times to describe Zara’s mission to take only 15 days for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in stores.
- While these brands were once seen as radically cheap disruptors, there are now even cheaper and faster alternatives like SHEIN, Missguided, Forever 21, Zaful, Boohoo, and Fashion Nova. These brands are known as ultra-fast fashion.
Final Thoughts
Buying Less is the first step Why not turn those old jeans into some trendy unhemmed shorts, or give that baggy old jumper new life by turning it into a crop? Choose Well is the second step choosing a high-quality garment made of eco-friendly fabric is essential.
Choosing well could also mean committing to shopping your
closet first, only shopping second-hand, or supporting more sustainable brands.
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