While the meaning of “fast fashion” is fairly straightforward–the description is in the name, after all–understanding why it has become so ubiquitous requires a deeper look at the clothing industry as a whole. On the most basic level, fast fashion is quickly produced trends sold at low price points. But producing and consuming clothing at the current rate we are is taking a massive toll on both the planet and the people who work to make it.
Despite the growing popularity of sustainable and ethically made fashion among younger generations, fast fashion is growing rapidly in volume and profit. According to research by CoherentMI, in the United States alone, fast fashion was worth “$41.15 Billion in the year 2023 and is anticipated to reach $59.85 Billion by 2030.” This means that fast fashion is showing no signs of slowing down and more clothing will end up in landfills and secondhand markets around the world.
What is fast fashion?
There isn’t a set price, product offering, or even seasonal cadence that makes a fast fashion brand. Rather, it’s a way of manufacturing, marketing, and selling clothing that gives a brand that title.
In the late 1800s, collections were produced in two seasons: Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. “The whole industry is based on systems that were developed after the Industrial Revolution for productions of scale that would allow for economies of scale. And because of that, we have to produce huge volumes to get the cost and pricing right,” Preethi Gopinath, Director of MFA Textiles and Associate Professor at Parsons, tells Vogue. As access and demands for trends increased throughout the 21st century, this system of quickly made clothing using what was then new technology like sewing machines allowed for larger volumes of clothing to be created and sold.
By the 1990s, trend cycles sped up, pioneered by brands like Forever21 and Zara, which began producing clothing at upwards of 52 “micro-seasons” per year. Now, as social media amplifies trends at faster rates, newer, online-only brands like Shein and Temu are producing at an even faster rate using sophisticated algorithms to get new styles to market in a matter of days, sometimes this is referred to as ultra-fast fashion.
Why is fast fashion controversial?
The impact of fast fashion on the environment is a layered issue. For starters, a March 2023 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said that fashion was responsible for up to 10% of annual global carbon emissions. On the production side, overusing oil-based textiles like polyester means that brands rely on fossil fuels to create new products. According to Business of Fashion’s 2023 report, “Oil-based polyester accounts for about 50 percent of fiber production.”
“In order to produce lots of goods, [brands] want to use the cheapest materials,” Gopinath says. “What is not sustainable then is the system of buying for short-term use and then tossing. And, when it’s poor quality, it starts peeling off microfibers.” Polyester doesn’t biodegrade and sits in landfills and water systems, shedding microfibers over time. These microfibers end up in the water systems.
Still, overproduction, whether of synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon or natural fibers like cotton, can be an issue. Cotton, for example, is a plant that requires a significant amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticides, with the exception of truly organic cotton.
Fast fashion is made to fit into current trends. Couple that with the fact that it’s made as cheaply as possible; it’s often looked at as disposable. In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that landfills received 11.3 million tons of MSW textiles. What’s more is that the donation system in the United States and the United Kingdom is imperfect. Many of the unwanted clothing meant for charities is instead sold into secondhand markets in the Global South in countries like Ghana and Chile where textiles that can’t be sold end up in dumps or in the oceans.
“Overproduction rides on the back of the most vulnerable people along the fast fashion supply chain, who are usually from the Global South,” Sammy Oteng, Senior Community Engagement Manager, The Or Foundation, tells Vogue. “In Ghana, where I’m from, the influx of these garments overshadows the good, culturally driven work that Kantamanto—the largest reuse and upcycle economy—does. It is also a culprit in the decline of local textile industries and has eroded the quality and sentimental value people place on garments. This is simply because fast fashion positions garments as disposable. A decrease in garment production amounts, coupled with Globally Accountable Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to provide the investment necessary to develop localized circularity and revitalize the local textiles industry, is a way forward.”
Fast fashion is not affordable simply because the materials are cheap. Historically, workers around the globe (80% of which are women) are paid through a piece rate system resulting in wages that are extremely low. Within this system, workers make a very small amount per item, totaling to wages as little as $200 a week for full time work. In Bangladesh, the second largest exporter of garments in the world, workers are paid a monthly minimum wage of just $113 per month.
Pay isn’t the only problem, though. The fashion supply chain is complex, with systems that include subcontracting to work factories around the globe. This often leads to a lack of oversight on safety for workers–many of whom have reported gender-based violence, harassment and building safety issues.
In 2013, a Bangladesh garment factory, Rana Plaza, collapsed killing 1,134 people. As a result the Bangladesh Accord was created to prevent this in the future. According to the the Accord, it “ is an independent, legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions to work towards a safe and healthy garment and textile industry in Bangladesh.”
What are the solutions to fast fashion?
In the last decade, but especially since 2020, several important pieces of legislation impacting fast fashion have been introduced around the world. In the United States, the Fabric Act seeks to make the piece-rate illegal across the country. The Fashion Act is a New York State bill that would require brands to trace their supply chain, and the America’s Act, another federal bill, includes $14 billion in incentives for circularity across the textile industry.
Other solutions to the fast fashion boom involve shifting consumer mindset toward sustainability trends and slow fashion. “Slow fashion is all about choosing to buy fewer pieces: shopping consciously and benefiting from having some amazing made-to-last pieces in your closet instead of lower quality items from a fleeting trend that you might wear just once,” says George Graham, co-founder and CEO of Wolf & Badger, a retailer specializing in amplifying small designers and sustainable fashion leaders. “By shopping slower and with purpose you will find yourself accumulating pieces you truly love and will often wear for years.”
The expansion of second-hand fashion and upcycling is another promising solution to overproduction of fast fashion. A recent ThredUp report highlighted that the global secondhand market is expected to grow to $350 Billion by 2028.