Fast Fashion. How bad is it?

Fast fashion retailers put out new collections nearly once a month, destroying everything in its wake.

The luxury fashion world was once divided into two structured seasons, Spring and Fall, with designers sharing their vision through celebrity-studded fashion shows. Now, fashion has become fast fashion, with designers' cultivated collections being stolen and instantly reproduced with shoddy copies for the masses. New clothing production has increased exponentially, with brands like H&M and Zara releasing a new collection every month and some fast fashion retailers every two weeks.

Fashion has become fast fashion through stolen designs that were then reproduced for the masses.

This alarming pace of garment production, and its consequential cheap quality, is now normal for younger generations. In a desperate attempt to stay on-trend, Americans don’t even wear all the clothes they buy, with one study suggesting that 40% of the clothing bought in the United States is never worn. Moreover, fast fashion’s pace is exploitative of workers abroad, detrimental to the wellness of those who buy the clothes, and is destroying the global environment. And in its desperate need to constantly release new items, the industry is actually harming itself.

Factories abroad

To achieve the output that fast fashion demands, you can be sure that brands are cutting corners. In many cases, these shortcuts are at the expense of workers abroad. For fast fashion to keep its prices cheap, the labor costs must also remain low. Citizens don’t necessarily have social protections like a federal minimum wage requirement. Sadly, most manual laborers in the fast fashion industry do not make a livable wage. In China, the minimum wage for a garment worker is typically between $150-$350 per month; the estimated Chinese living wage needed is at least $750 per month.

Most manual laborers in the fast fashion industry do not make a livable wage.

The supersonic supply chain only survives if the manual labor is outsourced to other countries with fewer human rights and worker protections. Workplaces don’t need to follow standards like OSHA safety regulations, and laborers don’t have the right to form unions. Fashion contracts abroad are highly competitive, so when a brand makes last-minute adjustments or demands a faster turnaround, the workers have little power to push back. In China, the average workday in one of these factories is almost 15 hours. In Bangladesh, it’s 17. Long hours can lead to accidents, injured workers, and even death.

A negative cycle for consumers

Even with literally billions of clothing items available, human beings still feel pressure to follow specific trends (re: crop tops, “mom” jeans, athleisure, and Crocs). Generation Z specifically is spending three hours each day on social media platforms, experiencing a visual assault of advertisements for new styles and great deals. According to digital experts, Americans are exposed to an average of 7,000 ads every day.

You’re either welcome or deemed an outsider based on whether your clothes fit in. It’s human nature, and the fast fashion industry is exploiting it.

The younger audience is choosing fast fashion. In one survey, over 50% of the Generation Z participants shared they bought their clothes from ultra-cheap brands. While it’s easy on your wallet, many young consumers are falling victim to the fast fashion industry’s misguided body image standards (because it’s more affordable to make smaller sizes) and addictive tendencies. Fashion can affect how you feel in a group: you’re either welcome or deemed an outsider based on whether your clothes fit in. It’s human nature, and the fast fashion industry is exploiting it.

Retail stores closing

The demand for instant fashion and super low prices is killing the middle-class department store industry. While the pandemic exacerbated a downward spiral for brick and mortar clothing stores, traditional department stores were already in a state of economic emergency before COVID19 sent everyone home. Following the Recession in 2007, Americans absorbed a significant blow to their household incomes, which in turn diverted consumer spending towards discount brands with easy online retail options. Fast fashion retailers with a successful online strategy kept their prices devastatingly low, whereas inflation crippled department stores as rent, utilities, and wages swelled.

Department stores once employed over one million people, many of them women. Over the last ten years, these jobs have been cut in half. In that same period, the amount of department stores in the United States has decreased from more than 8,500 to barely 6,000. These shuttered storefronts are damaging to the nearby communities, both economically and socially.

Fast fashion is actually destroying fashion

First, it was department stores. Next, it’s the luxury brands. The rise of instant fashion has even altered the tradition and exclusivity of elite designers like Gucci and Dior. Consumers are driving the fashion industry’s accelerated pace. Shoppers no longer care about the traditional “seasons” for their wardrobes and are looking for a bargain. This is forcing a Darwinian reality on old-school brands to either evolve or die.

Before the American Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, these small, family-run brands prioritized craftsmanship and quality. Today, these labels are no better than fast fashion. To stay competitive, luxury brands outsourced abroad and became accessible to anyone with a credit card (whether you could pay your balance or not). Over the last few years, high-end brands like Brooks Brothers, Roberto Cavalli, Barneys New York, Christian Lacroix, and Betsey Johnson all filed for bankruptcy. Luxury has lost its meaning.

The tipping point

The fast fashion industry’s breakneck pace will eventually crash. In 2018, following a string of human rights scandals, H&M saw profits tumble by 62% in the first quarter. In 2019, Forever 21, one of the biggest names in early fast fashion, filed for bankruptcy. In 2020, the major online fast-fashion retailer, Boohoo, had some shaky leadership and serious financial losses amidst criticisms of its own worker’s rights abuse. Though the companies continue to operate, many experts believe it’s a sign of things to come.

69% of people agreed that sustainability was an important factor in their purchasing behavior.

Undoubtedly, Americans and people around the world are still buying from fast fashion brands. But, younger consumers are starting to opt for more sustainable products, and it’s clear, based on the aforementioned human rights scandals, that social justice can disrupt fast fashion profits. In the post-pandemic retail world, consumer sentiment is changing. One study demonstrates that over two-thirds of its participants would invest in more durable clothing and feel committed to throwing out fewer items. Another 2021 global fashion survey showed that 69% of people agreed that sustainability was an important factor in their purchasing behavior. The world is starting to witness the industry’s threads unravel (literally if you’ve purchased from Forever 21). But there’s a long way to go, and a lot of people’s livelihoods are at risk if fast fashion retail continues.