Fast fashion has made clothing cheaper and more accessible. But it comes at a heavy cost for people and planet. Here's what you need to know - and how you can shop more ethically.
What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion refers to inexpensive, trendy clothing that is rapidly produced to meet consumer demand. Fast fashion brands rapidly produce inexpensive, trendy clothes and aim to get the newest styles on the market as quickly as possible so that shoppers can purchase them while still at peak popularity. This model encourages overconsumption and easy disposal of low-quality garments after just a few wears, fueling a wasteful, disposable culture.
To achieve low costs, fast fashion brands exploit workers, use environmentally harmful materials such as synthetic fabrics derived from fossil fuels and produce clothes in unsafe factories filled with labor violations.
The signs of a fast fashion brand usually are:
New inventory daily. Ask yourself: "How can they produce so much in such a short period of time?". Usually the answer to this is: by violating human rights and harming the environment.
Rock bottom prices. Ask yourself: "How can all these clothes be so cheap?". Usually the answer to this is: because workers are not compensated fairly and environmentally harmful/cheap materials are used in unsafe conditions.
Well-known fast fashion retailers include H&M, Zara, and Shein for instance. Their model encourages overconsumption of low-quality garments.
The Impact of Fast Fashion
Cheap prices have a high ethical cost. Fast fashion supply chains are riddled with issues like:
Poor factory conditions and underpaid workers
Water pollution from textile manufacturing
Microplastics shed from synthetic fabrics
Textile waste as disposable clothes are trashed
As consumers buy more clothes and rapidly discard them, the environmental impact multiplies. Fashion industry practices urgently need reform.
Shopping More Ethically: Do's and Don'ts
✅ DO buy fewer, well-made clothes built to last. Consider going capsule wardrobe style.
✅ DO favor natural, organic materials like cotton, hemp and linen.
✅ DO check brands' ethics policies and supply chain transparency (we help you with this on Ganddee if you're not sure where to look!).
✅ DO buy second-hand when possible via thrift stores, swaps or resale apps.
❌ DON'T support brands lacking supply chain transparency or living wages.
❌ DON'T buy clothes made from plastics like polyester. Opt for plant-based textiles.
❌ DON'T fall for vague sustainability claims without evidence.
❌ DON'T confuse upcycled or recycled materials as an excuse for fast fashion.
By being an informed shopper and shifting purchases, you can reduce the demand for fast fashion's flawed model. Support second-hand shops and transparent fashion brands with longer inventory cycles instead.
The bottom line? We must buy less, buy better, and boost brands that genuinely value people and planet along with profits. This not only shifts demand away from harmful fast fashion brands, forcing them to be more sustainable to remain attractive, but it also saves us money by limiting frequent impulse purchases of low quality items (each pound adds up!).
Collectively, our choices can reform fashion for the future.
If you're eager to find hundreds of second-hand and charity shops selling pre-loved or vintage clothes, check Ganddee.