[INFORMATIVE] Fast fashion and it's harm

Fast fashion and it's harm

By: Naransuvd Turtogtokh

Fashion plays a significant role in our lives. It is a powerful means of self-expression. Moreover, our fashion choices can reflect who we are and our perception of ourselves in relation to the outside world. The clothes we wear may sometimes reflect a little about our personality, our cultural influences, and maybe even our values. With the world becoming more and more driven by fashion, I have one massive question for everyone. And it is, “How many new clothing items did you buy this year alone?”

The term "fast fashion" was first used in a 1989 article in The New York Times concerning the brand Zara. The label is sometimes described as the only real inventor of fast fashion, making its mark not just in the production but also in the consumption design of fashion. In the past four decades, fashion businesses have shifted away from sustainable expert craftsmanship and seasonal, trendy collections to one based on speed, low prices, and immediate demand. This has led most brands to produce high-fashion designs at a fraction of the price, hence making fashion trends affordable to the general audience.

Among the biggest problems that are associated with fast fashion is the generally poor quality of material used to create their items. In the past, clothes were truly made from fine fabric and were created with attention to durability and excellent artistry. Today, most fast fashion garments are made from synthetic material, which is not only bad to wear but also pollutes the environment heavily. Such fabrics, like polyester and acrylic, take hundreds of years to decompose.

Within the context of today's rapid fashion trend, brands are producing thousands of pieces that are definitely not made to last as long. Their life spans are much shorter compared with similar pieces from previous generations before the emergence of fast fashion. Whereas once a well-tailored ensemble could see multiple years of wear, many swift fashion pieces start to fade or lose their shape after a couple of washes. On the other hand, brands run to catch up with the latest trends, restocking as quickly as possible to meet the desire and huge demand for an endless consumption of the "buy-use-discard" cycle.

Back then, seasonal trends such as fall/winter, spring/summer collections were only launched a couple of times a year, and consumers could actually appreciate craftsmanship and attention to detail. Fashion brands actually invested the time and resources into crafting pieces of art with unique embellishments and high-quality fabrics. This fostered a consumer culture in which one viewed their clothing as valued possessions, not just disposable items.

Furthermore, accelerated fashion actually brought the culture of throwaway, in which the product is cleared and discarded whenever it no longer fits within the current trend. It fosters an attitude that would rather quantity over quality, hence mass consumption and disposal. In an era where even fashion trends are controlled by social media in less than a split second, one finds themselves buying items they wear once or twice and may then exile to the back of their closets.

Efficient fashion comes with great environmental costs. Fashion sends about 10% of global carbon emissions into the air and contributes significantly to climate change. Also, huge amounts of water are associated with the production process. Some researchers found that it can take up to 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans. And we see most people, at least 100 of them, wearing denim jeans outside, such as on the streets. While freshwater resources are becoming increasingly scarce, textile dyeing and the improper disposal of unwanted garments further add to pollution, making the need for change within this industry tremendously pressing.

In addition, this trend phase immensely contributes to global labor markets. Most of the brands that take part in fast fashion have factories all over the world. Usually, in developing countries with less strict legislation on labor and hazardous working conditions. Workers are often under hazardous conditions for small-scale wages barely sustaining a living, let alone for insanely long hours of work. This fast-fashion model creates an exploitative cycle that prioritizes profit over ethics, really the extreme opposite of values of sustainability and fair labor practices.

Fortunately, more and more people are becoming aware of these problems, which leads to growing sustainable fashion. Many brands now focus on eco-friendly materials, ethical labor conditions, and durable designs. Second-hand shopping is getting increasingly popular, as are clothing rental services that foster more conscious decisions about impulsive purchases.

Navigating this complex landscape requires us to question our relationship with clothes. While fashion is one of the things in which people can uniquely express themselves, it is also one in which individuality needs to be balanced with sustainability. We can contribute positively by investing in a few quality pieces over a large quantity of poor-quality pieces, buying from ethical brands, and considering options that compete with fast fashion.

While fast fashion changed the game of how we see fashion and consume clothes, it is equally costly to the environment and to our society. The clothes we wear should speak to our personal style, and yet also be channeled into a way to honor the much-needed call for sustainability and ethical practices.

Yes, fashion can still be a form of your unique expression, but it's important to keep in mind its much broader impact on the world. Together, we can walk toward a future in which we understand that fashion is beautiful, but it needs to be responsible too. Moreover, it reflects who we are as individuals and citizens of the world.


References

10% of global carbon emissions - The impact of textile production and waste on the environment (infographics): Topics: European parliament (no date) Topics | European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographics (Accessed: 08 September 2024).