What Is Fast Fashion?

It is evident that fast fashion is a big problem in the industry, contributing to many issues such as over-consumption, toxic chemicals and poor working conditions. Fast fashion can be defined as "inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends". This post will highlight some of these issues and offer some further resources to learn more.

SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT

Social media has contributed greatly to the increase of fast fashion brands, with the promotion of clothing by influencers and brand collaborations. This leaves viewers tempted by what they see and with the clothing being sold cheaply, it's no wonder people are buying from these brands so often. I think as we move into a new year and talk on sustainability becomes more common, it is a great period for influencers to introduce a more sustainable lifestyle and offer their followers guidance on how you can still love fashion without falling for the fast fashion purchases.

OVER CONSUMPTION

One of the many problems with fast fashion is the over consumption of garments. Many brands release 100's of new styles a week in an attempt to meet the latest trends which are constantly changing. An example is Missguided who have admitted to releasing 3,500 new items every month, suggesting 125 new styles are published every day. Is this number of new items really necessary? What happened with the launch of new styles being introduced twice a year, most commonly for Spring/ Summer and Autumn/ Winter collections?

FABRICS

Many fashion items are made from cheap fabrics which are poorly made due to the demanding quick turn around times in garment factories. This commonly leads to clothes breaking easily which are then thrown away rather than mended, as this would merely cost more than what the garment was originally sold for.

The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to the worlds pollution, including the water supply. Water is used in most processes involved to create a garment. Let's take a cotton t-shirt as an example, which uses 3,000 litres of water to create just one. The water is used from the cotton field stage to the dyeing process, resulting in toxic chemicals which are then thrown back into rivers and streams.

POOR WORKING CONDITIONS

Watch out for garments which are made offshore in countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and India. Many of the factories established here give workers low pay with no privileged rights or good working conditions. Commonly referred to as 'sweatshops', these factories are mostly used for fast fashion brands where employees are overworked for long hours. Due to a mass of these buildings being poorly built and damaged infrastructure, events such as the Rana Plaza disaster unfortunately occur. In 2013, a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed which killed 1,100 people. The workers here had previously reached out to their employers about their concerns over the buildings structure. Bosses ignored their concerns which lead to the event now called the Rana Plaza disaster.

QUICK TURNAROUNDS

Manufacturing companies are constantly under pressure to construct new garments in order for brands to sell as soon as possible. This is partially due to the ever-changing trends which are constantly being introduced through social media platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok. Quick releases of new designs are also inspired by catwalks in an attempt to replicate the similar garments. Can the industry ever go back to releasing a couple of collections a year?

FAST FASHION BRANDS

There are many fast fashion brands out there, which can easily be found on social media within seconds. One of the popular brands is H&M, who's clothing lasts merely a few wears before being damaged. The brand recently introduced clothing recycling bins to encourage customers to bring in their unwanted items. One issue is that supposedly only 35% of the garments handed in are recycled, leaving the rest to landfill. This is why it's important to get to know the brands you buy from and investigate the promises they tell customers.

In recent years, greatly caused by popularity on Tik Tok, China's fashion brand Shein has become centre of attention with their concerning cheap clothing at low prices. One of many red flags about this brand is their continuous avoidance on any details of their supply chain, evident they are hiding things. As well as this, Shein has also been caught out for selling disrespectful religious and cultural appropriation in their items.

USEFUL PLATFORMS

Platforms that offer a Sustainable Brand Directory to investigate a variety of brands and their ways of working are listed below. These can be used to find new sustainable brands and who knows, you could find your new favourite!

• Sustainably Chic (https://www.sustainably-chic.com/sustainable-brands-to-love)

• Good on You (https://directory.goodonyou.eco)

• Remake (https://directory.remake.world/#/)

• Fashion Revolution (https://www.fashionrevolution.org/tag/brands/)

To learn more about the ways fast fashion is damaging our planet, documentaries are very educational to watch. Below is a list which are very insightful and make you think about the impacts of fast fashion across the globe, which can be watched online.

1. The True Cost by Andrew Morgan

2. BBC : The Price of Fast Fashion

3. The Clothes We Wear

I hope this post offers you a small highlight into fast fashion and invite you to learn more about the industry. Please do take a visit to the links above if you are interested in learning more.

Thank you for reading!

Reform Your Fashion