Student Spotlight: Caroline Sifford, '26
We were sitting in the lunchroom looking for cheap outfits to wear a different outfit every spring break. We looked up Instagram accounts and our favorite influencers to find the new “trend” we needed to join. While there is nothing wrong with trying to express ourselves through different clothes, have you ever stopped to think about the real cost behind the price tag? Fast fashion is the consumption of cheap clothing produced rapidly by employers in response to the latest trends. The fast fashion industry uses social media and technology to appeal to consumers so that they will buy products that they do not truly need. Healthy Human, a brand focused on a healthy lifestyle and a healthy planet, proposes that "fast fashion has three main components from the consumers perspective: it's cheap, it's trendy, and it's disposable" ("What is fast fashion"). Many people think that fast fashion companies are okay to purchase from due to the efficient shipping and cheap prices, and they avoid researching the truth behind the industry. While fast fashion is convenient and efficient, it is horrible for the environment, is a leading cause of overconsumption, and violates human rights.
We all have wanted to purchase new trendy clothing items and have different outfits for every party, which is precisely what these companies feed off of. Fast fashion leads to over-consumerism as it causes people to buy so much at once due to the cheap prices and fast shipping. The Southerner states that "over-consumerism is the rapid consumption of cheap products that a buyer does not truly need" (Hyken). Overconsumption increases pollution and harms the environment because fast fashion brands make their clothes with poor-quality materials so that people will buy more. Overconsumption is eating a massive tray of cookies, as the consumer thinks they are being fully satisfied, but in reality, it just ends in them wanting more. While different fashion trends have always existed, the use of social media has significantly escalated the speed of trends. An increase in popular trends leads to the viewer constantly wanting to buy things that are not truly needed. Social media influencers often get paid to show their followers "hauls" of what they have received from companies. Because of these "hauls," many people who follow the influencer feel they need to buy the particular article of clothing to "fit in." The ironic part of fast fashion is that consumers think they save money when purchasing cheaper clothes but spend more because they are less durable. Many fast fashion companies, such as Zara, use technology to promote their brand and produce more clothes. Rather than having a designer make their clothes, the company researches the trends and uses technology to produce "trendy clothing." Companies use the internet to increase online consumption and impulsive purchases. They offer the viewer reward opportunities to get clothes at lower prices than they are listed.
While advertising clothes is regular for every brand, the fast fashion industry needs to be more transparent as it negatively impacts the environment because it causes air pollution and greenhouse gases to increase, leading to climate change. According to Gale In Contex, many of the materials used by fast fashion brands cannot be recycled due to their poor quality, as they are produced for disposal ("Fast Fashion"). Oftentimes, people purchase cheap clothes made of synthetic fibers that do not decompose over time. Due to this, when the consumer throws clothes away, the products end up in landfills and cannot be broken down. When they eventually break down, the gas and chemicals can get into waterways and soil, putting animals and humans at risk. Greenpeace describes how plastic is made from oil and gas, and many of the threads used in fast fashion factories are made from plastic, such as polyester (Abelvik-Lawson). It is difficult for these plastics to be broken down and decomposed, which leads to a waste issue. Fast fashion promotes the consumption of disposable clothing, which leads to more waste that takes a long time to decompose, leading to chemicals polluting the air, water, and soil.
The environment is not the only cost; fast fashion also puts humans at risk. Fast fashion companies often violate human rights by making laborers work in unsafe conditions for long hours and low wages. Due to over-consumerism and cheap clothes, clothes are in high demand to be produced fast. High demand is the cause of long working hours, and since the clothes are so cheap, the laborers receive little pay. Working conditions for employees in the fast fashion industry are like trying to run a marathon uphill, a never-ending battle. Gale In Context reveals that many fast fashion companies manufacture in low-income areas that lack labor protections. Without labor protections, companies can force workers to work long hours while receiving little pay ("Fast Fashion"). The harsh labor conditions include the factories where the employers work. Textile workers often inhale dangerous fibers and dust, which causes multiple lung diseases and more, leading to more physical restraint. With this, many accidents take place within factories, such as the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, where 1,134 garment workers were killed and even more were injured in Bangladesh. This incident shocked the world and brought attention to the harsh conditions of the labor workers ("Fast Fashion").
Why not use fast fashion if you can get clothes for cheap prices, rather than paying more money than you have to? Some argue that because fast fashion is cheap, efficient, and accessible, it fully satisfies their needs, and what the company does should not affect them. Many people do not research and learn about fast fashion because they know it is morally and ethically wrong and do not want to feel guilty about their purchases. While it is true that fast fashion is accessible, has quick production, and offers low prices, people ignore the fact that the consumer is paying for lower quality while harming the environment. Is it worth having a new outfit in every Instagram post if it means harming at the expense of the safety of workers and the environment?
According to The Southerner, many ways exist to help slow the fast fashion industry. Fast fashion produces 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, generating massive waste while emitting pollution. This means that the fewer clothes produced, the less pollution. We, as consumers, need to hold companies accountable and help "deinfluence" products while being more mindful about the clothing we wear and the brands we buy from. Ways to prevent the harms of the fast fashion industry include thrifting, "deinfluencing" people on social media, and even renting clothes (Hyken). Delaware Today states that even though using more environmentally friendly textile materials is more expensive, the brands would take better care of the workers, and the products they sell would be better quality (Livingston). It is essential to raise awareness and encourage people to care about the clothes they purchase. With this, it is equally important to encourage people to look into the brands they are purchasing from and try to buy from more sustainable brands that do not have a history of harming the environment and having harsh labor conditions.