Written by Victoria Murguia
Image by Fernand De Canne
With the rise of social media, there has also been a rise in the fashion industry. It has really developed with the help of fast media and the craving for “likes”. There is a lot of desire within a majority of the culture to own designer clothing and goods because it is constantly in our faces, due to apps like Instagram. However, there are clothing stores and online stores that will sell items that resemble the styles of big designer houses and sell them for less. When these companies begin to produce these products, they are usually items that are trending for a short period of time. This type of production is called Fast Fashion and many popular retail companies and consumers are guilty of it. Fast Fashion can be defined as inexpensive, trendy clothing that often resembles clothing from very luxurious fashion brands. Because clothing is becoming cheaper, the trending cycles have changed and change faster than usual. There is a problem with this because when a trend is on the rise, cheap clothing brands mass produce the certain item and once a trend is no longer there it becomes this wasted material that no one is buying. The trend is fashion cycle so quickly that one thing hardly stays in fashion for a reasonable amount of time. The reason that Fast Fashion is so harmful is because it is a waste of resources and it does impact our environment.
It has become a problem with sustainability in fashion. Because there are so many items being produced at the same time, there is a use of so many textiles that are made of low quality which is a waste of energy. Stores like Forever 21, H&M, and Fashion Nova are clothing retail stores that thrive off of fast fashion. Also, many of these products that are used cannot be recycled. Another disadvantage of fast fashion is how these companies are involved in the practice of offshoring for the construction and making of the clothing. Offshoring usually involves finding manufacture labor, where it is cheap and is allowed to pay the employees small wages while working in harsh conditions, with hardly any regulations. One of the ways to combat fast fashion is to be a smart consumer and learn about how your clothes are manufactured. Many people often buy fair-trade and in thrift shops to make clothes last longer. Also, there are some people who shop with limits and some who shop with a purpose to only buy what is necessary and what will last them a long time. It is something that can overall help with being conscious with our resources and our planet. It’s mainly about how to live sustainable and not over use what we don’t need.
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