Today’s society often overlooks the human welfare that goes into the making of our clothes. While prices are more affordable, buying from fast fashion brands contributes to the suffering undergone by underpaid workers around the world. Before buying from brands like Shein, Zara, and H&M, I ask you to think twice.
Fast fashion companies have the agenda to mass produce low-priced apparel that mirror the latest trends and swiftly put them into stores to receive the highest profit. Although these clothes are sold at a low price, they are also made to be low quality. These garments are not built to stand the test of time, which leads to increased amounts of clothing ending up in landfills.
Evidence found by the US Department of Labor report proves that the fast fashion industry is practicing forced and child labor in countries such as Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam. 80% of garments are crafted by young women from the ages of 18 to 24, according to non-profit Remake.
Not only that, but research done by Worldmetrics states, fast fashion is guilty of producing 10% of global carbon emissions and it is sourced to be the second-largest consumer of water. Unfortunately, consumers often ignore these major issues because affordable clothing is unlikely to be found away from fast fashion companies.
For many, fast fashion seems to be the only affordable option while we live in a current state of price inflation, although a suitable solution would be shopping from second-hand sellers. Sites like Depop, ThredUp, Vinted and Poshmark make it feasible for anyone to easily search for the pieces they desire. People post their out-of-use clothing on these websites to resell them to shoppers at a price discounted from what they originally paid.
Other budget-friendly strategies of cutting down on buying fast fashion include thrifting locally and renting clothes. Rent the Runway is a site dedicated to renting out the latest high fashion styles for a fraction of the original retail price.
While buying from fast fashion is not completely preventable, reducing consumption is. The best method to achieve that is by limiting the number of garments purchased at a time. When people buy mass amounts of clothing from fast fashion retailers, it is likely that several items will go unworn. Before making a purchase, take a moment to recognize how many times you would realistically wear these items from day to day.
