You're killing OUR planet by doing this!! Why I stopped buying fast fashion and why you should too | BrownGirl Boutique

Deesa Sahu
Jul 31, 2024
7 min read

Updated: Aug 6, 2024

In recent years, starting in 1975 with the introduction of the concept of "fast fashion," not many people were aware of what this word exactly meant. Through general skimming, it was easy to infer that it meant fashion that came to stores at a dynamic yet rapid rate. Fast fashion was a concept first brought up by Zara. What other brands took around 6–9 months to do, which included precisely crafting clothing and ensuring that there were no loose threads and sizes available for all, was done by Zara in just 15 days. This took traditional clothing companies aback, as Zara became the first to introduce this new concept. So how was Zara able to do so?

Picture from Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32369691065988551/)

Let's quickly go through the basics and ask ourselves: What exactly is fast fashion? By definition, "fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to take advantage of trends". So, clothes seen on the runway were easily spotted at stores within a couple of days, which wasn't really the case back then, where there were around 2 collections, one being the summer collection and the other being the company's winter collections, which took designers approximately 6–9 months. The ability to come up with designs and make clothing accordingly, and only then successfully present these during fashion shows and then deliver them to stores, was a time-consuming process. But with respect to fast fashion, clothes are adjusted to trends and demand, which was seen to be only done by the rich in the 90s and 80s who had enough money to keep up with such trends. So why is this even harmful? Why have people stopped purchasing fast fashion? And why should we not encourage this? People have significantly stopped buying from fast fashion outlets as they raise concerns about climate change. The overproduction and environmental hazards of garments are major issues, especially for the upcoming generation of Gen Z, consisting of many sustainability-driven and environmentally conscious individuals.

Now let's think about how Zara was able to get collections from fashion shows to stores in just 15 days. Zara's business model was different from the traditional business models followed by most clothing companies. Zara built high tech factories in Spain to start off, which were all connected to headquarters through an underground monorail. In these factories were workers and robots who cut and dyed fabrics to create unfinished, uncovered pieces that could be converted into any garment. Once a design is created in Zara's headquarters, Zara sends these designs to their factories, which begin by producing these designs on actual fabric to turn them into finished clothing. Now, Zara makes only a small batch of clothing for each style to distribute, and retailers send back feedback if they require more or less of the design, which massively reduces the risk associated with the production of garments.

Now the question arrives: has this affected quality and quantity? Absolutely, it has! Clothes have depleted in quality by a hefty amount as compared to when they were produced in the 90s or 80s. Clothes back then were true to size, had many sizes to them, had the ability to be washed and still not deplete in quality or become loose, and were in general timeless and good quality clothing that was cherished and adorned. Whenever a shop sells something of free size, it depicts the amount of elastane used to fit everybody as well as the fact that they did not want to buy more or couldn't afford to do so.

The fashion industry noticed how fast Zara had grown and given rise to competitors like H&M and Forever 21, while others started falling behind as their prices were the same. Over time, changes had been made by compromising on the quality of clothes sold, such as, instead of using pure cotton or wool, the clothing industry heavily relying on polyester and synthetic materials for the production of their garments. They compromised on minute details such as zippers, buttons, sequins, designs, other ornaments, or clothing accessories, or have depleted in sizes, which shows that the business did not want to spend money on getting too many sizes. Noticeably, jeans are stretchy these days, which shows the use of elastane. This not only depletes the quality but also demolishes the durability and the number of times an individual is able to wear those specific jeans.

impacts of fast fashion

social impact

People are now conditioned to consider clothes as commodities, to buy cheap trendy clothes that go out of style quickly, and to renew them very often. When clothes were of some significance and were worn with joy and excitement, they are now taken for granted and are something that people dispose of very frequently.

picture from business insider (Fast Fashion's Mountain of Leftover Clothes Can Be Seen From Space - Business Insider)

environmental impact

This unforgettable impact of overproduction, titled "Fast fashion has spawned a mountain of leftover clothes in the Chilean desert that's so massive it can now be seen clearly from space," was the title of an article from Business Insider. Talking about the spotting of an unusually large pile of clothes found in the Chilean desert. This mountain of discarded and unworn clothes is still growing in size. They ended up here as waste products from companies that sent them to Chile when they weren't sold. The fast fashion industry aims to give consumers affordable access to fashion trends but contributes between 2-8% of the world's carbon emissions.

industrial impact

The fast fashion industry is saturated with all the overproduction, the short life spans of trends, and the tendency of people to dispose of their clothes at an unusual rate. Fast fashion also exploits local and underserved communities in sweatshops to produce cheap garments. It employs more than 300 million people across the globe. Promotes harsh working conditions and abuse, along with offering them a minimum wage. Most of them are young women who frequently face terrible conditions and abuse. They work on farms and in garment factories, being exploited and even forced to abort their pregnancy to continue working. Companies are not held accountable for any tragic accidents in factories; to them, these poor people who work for them are considered temporary assets with barely any value.

Alternatives to fast fashion!

Buying from thrift shops; accountability must be taken, and so must consideration since thrifted clothes were built with the final goal of helping out low-income groups in society.
Buying from recycled stores; investing in supporting local businesses or businesses that upcycle waste such as plastics. By doing so, you're promoting the work as well as saving the environment.
Donate to stores that can upcycle, reuse, or recycle your clothes!
Upcycling clothes that you do not wear anymore; you don't wear them anymore? Okay, all you need is a sewing machine and a pair of scissors to upcycle your long, oversized shirt into a halter top and a midi skirt! Be creative; this can help you in many aspects of life, which don't just involve saving the planet. It also channels your inner growth and creativity as a person. Although this is pretty time-consuming, it's encouraged to do so because it's made just for you with your measurements and your liking, so you'll tend to use it for a longer period of time. There are many YouTube videos that demonstrate how to upcycle clothes and the basics of sewing and cutting clothes! So in your free time, do these instead of using your phone!
Upcycling thrifted clothes: a few vintage clothes have beautiful patterns on them but not the desired cut or piece of clothing associated with them. Using your creativity, you can make them by upcycling them!
Trading clothes: clothes that you might not like would probably come under someone else's preference. Find apps or websites where you could trade clothes or sell your clothes to people who want them more! This way, you can earn a good amount or get your desired wardrobe easily.
Investing in good-quality and timeless clothes: Ask someone else if you see yourself wearing this in the future, or maybe in a couple of years. And if it's really worth it, how many times would you be able to wear it without discarding it? Once you answer these questions and you really want them, you're ready to go ahead and either buy the garment or look for another!

Do brands like Shein, Shopee, and TEMU fall under fast fashion? nope! Brands like such fall under ultrafast fashion. For instance, if H&M or Zara produce 25,000 garments a year, Shein would be able to do that in just a month. By adopting a completely different business model and offering unbelievably cheap prices for their clothing, Shein's estimated a revenue of USD $32.5 billion in 2023, which is growing at a rapid rate. 2023's estimate was a 43% increase on the USD $22.7 billion it made in 2022. It has an estimated 88.8 million active shoppers, out of which 17.3 million are based in the US.

In conclusion, the rapid and dynamic rate at which fast fashion is taking place places a heavy risk on future resources and compromises the well-being of our planet. Fast fashion, or ultrafast fashion, is the shortcut to destroying our planet internally, as well as normalising violent behaviours and promoting the deeds of companies to be able to exploit and snatch the rights of the poor. Please understand and be aware of the consequences of your actions; do not promote fast fashion or buy only when you really need to; try not to throw off clothes; and be responsible citizens of the earth for the sake of the future of your young ones.

Written and edited by Deesa Sahu.

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