Fast Fashion: The Bad, The Ugly, & What You Can Do to Help

Read Time:2 Minute, 48 Second

By Chloe Levine

Chances are you’ve heard of fast fashion, even if you don’t know the name. If you’ve ever frequented stores like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and H&M, you’re a participant in the fast fashion industry – It’s hard not to be. If you want clothes that are affordable and on-trend, you look towards fast fashion.

Unfortunately, there’s a reason why fast fashion companies can afford to sell you the clothes they do at such low prices. The workers who mass-produce clothing are underpaid, forced to work long hours, and suffer from inhumane working conditions. According to Oxfam Australia, 60 million people worldwide are garment industry workers, 80% of whom are women, with their average pay generally falling well short of a living wage. Further, the environmental impact of fast-fashion is staggering. According to Re/Make, It takes 2,720 liters of water, on average, for a fast fashion brand to make a single t-shirt. To put that in perspective, the World Wildlife Foundation says that’s three years of drinking water for one person.

Despite the problems with the fast fashion industry, it is often unavoidable. To ask people to quit purchasing fast fashion cold turkey is asking too much. Alternatives to the industry consist of more sustainable brands like Reformation, though that sustainability comes at a price. As in, the price for a t-shirt is $100 and even $250 for a dress. It isn’t reasonable to assume that everyone can afford that, which is why the fast fashion industry maintains its hold on consumers, even those who know about its issues.

So what can consumers do to make an impact on fast fashion?

Thrifting is a great option: It can be difficult to find wearable pieces depending on where and when you shop, but if you dedicate enough time and energy to thrifting, you can find some gems.

Swap clothes with friends: Rather than throwing out pieces you’ve grown out of or don’t like anymore, trade them with friends (or steal their hand-me-downs).

Keep shopping fast fashion to the minimum: If at all possible, try to only go shopping when you know you need something– rather than just shopping when you’re bored.

At the end of the day, though, it isn’t the responsibility of the consumer to right the errors of fast fashion. Major corporations should be held accountable for the way they treat their workers and the environment. As such, consumers refusing to partake in the system can make a difference– if enough consumers commit.

That isn’t feasible for everyone, though, and we can’t expect every person to be able to stop shopping fast fashion. You should do what you can, but you also shouldn’t feel beholden to single handedly take down a multi-billion dollar industry. If you can afford to stop shopping fast fashion, that’s great! If you can’t, that’s okay, too. Do what you can with what you have– no one can ask more of you.

However, if you’re interested in learning more about the industry, you can check out re/make’s website, a non-profit focused on educating consumers and changing the fast fashion industry for the better.