Fast Fashion is literally built upon the foundation of consumer frenzy. We live in a drive-through age where customers are wanting everything right now, if not yesterday, and fashion is not excluded.
In the late 90’s customers began demanding fashion instantly. No more was the time of fashion consumers who waited with anticipation for the next season’s collection to be revealed by fashion powerhouse designers. Designers were not the ones in control of the current dictating trends anymore. Women were not dressing up as they once were and a whole new generation was on the rise. A more relaxed generation, where rock stars, celebrities and social media were now calling the shots and creating a fashion frenzy. This, I believe, has been the vehicle for fast fashion.
Department stores and specialty stores stepped in and met the ever-insatiable thirst customers had for constant changing trends and fashion at their fingertips all at a lower cost. In simple supply and demand blueprint consumers created a frenzy and thus fast fashion is born. Fast Fashion delivers inexpensive clothing produced at lightning speeds and distributed to the mass market in response to the latest “trends”.
Fast Fashion can produce and distribute a new trend practically weekly. This is extremely dangerous and has severe repercussions. My opinion? Fashion has died in this design. Full pun intended. Where is the consumer that pays attention to detail? That sees the stitching, knows the feel of a quality fabric and values the investment in a good piece of apparel that lasts for years to come? You now have to search through a thrift store to find that treasure of a designer piece donated in the name of vintage, but that is a blog for another day.
Ready for some irony? The same generation demanding on point fashion trends that change with the wind is also a very environmentally conscious generation and is the first to step up in the name of going green. However, Fast fashion is extremely dangerous to the environment.
There is no way around it, producing fast fashion is damaging our environment and quite frankly slowly harming us by the foods we eat. Example: Denim jeans. A household favorite among men, women, teens and children. It takes 2,000 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans and not including the toxic chemicals and microplastics in the dying process for every pair of jeans that is then thrown out as waste water into our oceans and then into our fish, which in turn we eat.
Fashion is the 3rd highest polluting industry in the world and textile dying is the 2nd largest polluter of clean water globally. It takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt. While these statistics and more are terrifying, environmental damage is not the only factor.
Human welfare is neglected. Most human rights are violated within these warehouses where textile production and manufacturing take place. Most of these companies are manufacturing out of the country to keep costs down, yet refuse to pay a fair wage to their garment workers and demand excessively long days in an unsafe work environment and run sweatshops. A lot of these factories and shops have forced child labor. This is one example of modern slavery today.
These garments are in such high demand that as consumers we have sacrificed quality and longevity in our closet. Fast fashion garments are not meant to last, in fact they are meant to break a part and have you come rushing back for more. It is literally a wear once, throw out, buy more, repeat cycle. I don’t know about you, but as a consumer of fashion I am offended and angry. My dollars, my hard earned money is what these companies are after. These companies do not care about what I think or how their fashion fits into my life. They are not designing for me anymore. They are designing for my money.
Possibly at this point you may be wondering what are the top fast fashion brands and labels? Some may surprise you. This list is not exhaustive yet informative. Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Anthropoligie, Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, Madewell, Missguided, Top Shop, J crew, Hot Topic, H&M, Guess, Free People, Nike, Old Navy, Pretty Little Thing, Rip Curl, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Shein. It goes without saying, buying has power. Continue to buy from these labels and some are power houses, you are supporting their business model of producing fashion at all costs, even damage to the environment and violation of human rights. The choice is literally yours.
This is the very reason why I believe in thrift shopping. I admit, I do love some of these labels and the designs they have laden before us, but I will not buy full retail from the company. The most sustainable thing you can do is to buy it second hand from a thrift shop where your money makes a difference and supports community.
Now, unfortunately, some of these garments do not make it to the donation pile due to tears, and breaking down of the fabric because it simple was not made to last. Even then, I believe the textile could be repurposed and refashioned. Speaking of thrifting, the most amazing feeling is finding that one true design from a design house long forgotten that designed with precision with hand sewn stitching with fabrics made to form the body of a woman. That garment will last forever if cared for properly. Now that is a treasure to be found.
What do you want your closet to reflect? Fast fashion? Here today, gone tomorrow without a care? If so, you have to ask yourself, where else are you settling in your life? Make no mistake, your closet speaks for you. Dive into that discussion here