Fast fashion is a term I’ve heard thrown around a lot in the past few years and it’s an issue that makes me feel quite conflicted. For people (like myself) who don’t have a huge clothing budget, fast fashion becomes a more nuanced issue. On one hand, fast fashion is undeniably harmful to the environment and brings up questions of a moral work environment. On the other hand, fast fashion strikes the perfect balance between practical and budget friendly. So let’s dive in, ladies! Factual Friday: Fast Fashion edition awaits us!
Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, fast fashion, as defined by merriam-webster.com is, “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers.” In plain English, that just means cheaply made, quickly produced, trendy clothes. Think Forever 21, H&M, Zara, etc.
(Photo credit to Valeriia Miller from pexels.com)
You may be thinking to yourself, ‘Oh no! I love those stores! What could they possibly be doing wrong?’ Girl, me too. However, it’s important that we are informed consumers if we’re going to continue to shop there. So here’s the tea: fast fashion is detrimental to the environment. Fashion is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, drying up water sources and polluting rivers and streams. Additionally, 85% of textiles get thrown away annually. Fast fashion specifically, is responsible for, “the depletion of non-renewable sources, emission of greenhouse gases and the use of massive amounts of water and energy” (earth.org). I’m gonna be real with you, it does get worse; fast fashion also has a detrimental social impact. According to earth.org, “A 2018 US Department of Labor report found evidence of forced and child labour in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and others.”
(Photo credit to Pixabay and Pexels.com)
Now you’re probably thinking to yourself that there’s no way you’ll ever shop at those stores again. I thought that too at first, but that brings us to the practicality dilemma. Let me be clear, an immense environmental impact and child/forced labor are issues that are extremely problematic and cannot be ignored. However, when talking about fast fashion comprehensively, the convenience and budget friendliness are important factors too. The reality is, for most of us at this age, we don’t really have the budget to consistently shop at nicer stores. This of course brings up the alternative of thrifting. And thrifting is great! Don’t get me wrong, there are few things I enjoy more than sorting through the Goodwill bins. However, due to Covid as well as just normal rules of thrifting, you can’t usually try on the clothes you find. Meaning, you may return home with a pair of pants that don’t fit over your thighs or a sweater your head doesn’t fit through (this happens to other people besides me, right?). Additionally, we all know you can’t go thrifting with specific items in mind since thrift store inventory doesn’t work like that. Which begs the question, when you need a black turtleneck for your hostess job or a blush colored dress for sorority recruitment, where else are you going to go besides a fast fashion store? Because thrifting can be such a hit-or-miss shopping experience, it unfortunately cannot be used for every situation. Thus, there is a demand for fast fashion, practically speaking. But remember ladies, I’m just a girl with access to Google and WRL’s login info, I don’t have all the answers, I’m just presenting the facts. My personal approach is to try to find a balance between thrifting, fast fashion and investing in nicer pieces. What does everyone else think though? Is there a better way to do this? Should I start buying lottery tickets in hopes that I can win enough money to finance a more ethical and environmentally friendly wardrobe? I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts.
And with that, I wish you all a Factual Friday and a fun weekend!
Xoxo,
Zoe
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