How to be a Conscious Consumer in a Fast Fashion World
A Deep Dive into the History of Fast Fashion
It’s no secret that fast fashion brands are getting a lot of heat today for their impact, but how did we get to this place anyways? Today, we are going to delve into the world of fast fashion, exploring its history, impacts, and what we as consumers can do about it. Let’s dive into the deep dive of fast fashion! (P.S. if you’d like to listen to this deep dive, check out my podcast episode all about the history of fast fashion HERE!)
What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion refers to the rapid production of high volumes of clothing by mass-market retailers. We really use the term “fast fashion” as a way to describe the business model of these types of companies, which capitalize on quickly changing fashion trends. You’ll find that fast fashion stores tend to offer affordable & cheap, trend-based clothing that encourages us to continually buy more and more in order to keep up with trend styles.
We’re starting to see many brands we know and love, turn to fast fashion business models because of things like social media that accelerates the trend cycle since we all have way more access to other parts of the world than we ever have before. We know what’s popular in NYC, LA, and even London & Paris! It’s incredible, but also puts pressure on clothing brands to keep up with what the internet is deeming as “cool” and “hip” to wear!
While the convenience of fast fashion is definitely something we (as a society) have grown to rely on, this business model has been criticized for its environmental and social impacts - including excessive waste, poor labor conditions, paying employees unlivable wages, and just plain greenwashing by saying their clothes are somehow better for the environment than the store down the road.
The History of Fast Fashion
The history of fast fashion can be traced back to the late 20th century. Prior to this, fashion was dictated by seasons and designers, with new collections being introduced a few times a year. You still see this trend in high end designers with events like NYFW.
HOWEVER, with globalization and as technology became more advanced, retailers began to mass-produce clothing because it was cheaper to do so overseas.
Fast froward to the 1960s and 1970s, the concept of 'Boutique' fashion came into existence where designers started producing less expensive versions of their high-end clothing. This made fashion trends more accessible to the every day person.
The real shift to fast fashion as we know it today happened sometime between 1990s and 2000s with the rise of brands like Zara and H&M, which focused on replicating high fashion trends at a fraction of the price. These brands introduced new collections every few weeks, dramatically increasing the speed of the fashion cycle. I remember when Zara became a household name almost and I started seeing it in every shopping mall - they were really the first brand to introduce this new business model, and people LOVED it.
After the fast fashion business model started gaining traction, things like online shopping in the 2010s further accelerated the fast fashion industry, as brands could now reach people like me and you directly through their websites and social media. So this basically was a way to create instant demand for new trends and the possibility to market directly through social media, blogs, and websites.
Modern Day Awareness
Recently, there has been a growing awareness of the environmental and social impact of fast fashion, leading to people asking questions and seeking out more sustainable alternatives.
Now that we have Fast Fashion’s Backstory…
It’s important to note the nuance that comes when talking about it.
In many ways fast fashion is able to bring affordable clothing to the everyday person, but on the other hand the impact (both social and environmental) is something that can’t be ignored.
Some of the most common fast fashion brands are Zara, H&M, Forever21, Madewell, Free People, Target/Walmart, FashionNova, Boohoo, and even the notorious Shein which has now transcended into a new category of its down as “ULTRA fast fashion”. That’s because Shein is said to put over 2000+ new styles and products on their website every single day. Since the prices can range anywhere from $3 to $50, people will buy hundreds of dollars worth of clothing just because it’s cheap and fits into the micro trend of the moment.
What about these fast fashion brands “going green” lines?
Unfortunately, the “sustainable” lines do not hold much value. They’re made with only a portion of recycled fabric, which is often not any better than just shopping for clothes made of organic materials such as cotton, silk, and linen.
As for recycling programs like H&M’s, there have been investigations by The Times that put trackers in several pieces of donated items to be “recycled”, and found they ended up being shipped 15,000 miles away and thrown away in foreign countries. All of this contributes to the major impact of fast fashion and the fact that 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year.
So what do we do about it?
NOW IF YOU’RE LISTENING TO THIS KINDA FREAKING OUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE THESE BRANDS IN YOUR CLOSET, take a deep breath, you’re gonna be okay!
You don’t need to purge everything in your closet to get rid of the clothes, but it’s important you have awareness of what these brands are doing behind the scenes that you would never know otherwise.
The best thing we can do as a consumer, is to stop supporting and purchasing from these brands cold turkey. Is that accessible and achievable for everyone? Heck no. Not everyone has the ability to shop sustainable brands that are often 2-3x more expensive than common fast fashion brands. HOWEVER, what we can do is either thrift (if that is accessible to us and our lifestyle), and the other thing we can do is shop consciously.
How do we shop consciously?
If your budget doesn’t fit with sustainable brand prices, then you can be intentional with what products and clothing items you’re purchasing from fast fashion brands. Look for pieces that will last you a long time (I like to stick with organic materials like cotton, linen, silk, etc.) and for the love of everything HOLY, please resist the urge to impulse buy hundred of dollars of fast fashion product only to return it, donate it, or have it rip. It is not worth the longevity and if you’re willing to spend hundreds of dollars anyways, then I encourage you to research brands with better values. For brands I like are: Allbirds, Ten Tree, For Days, Girlfriend Collective, and Sezane.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
I know that’s a lot of information - but you got this! As a final send off, here are some gentle, friendly reminders to keep in mind when thinking about your closet.
Outfit repeating is sexy
It’s not normal to buy a new dress or outfit for every single new event you schedule
It’s more important to develop your own personal style instead of falling into trend cycles and micro trends.
That’s all I have for ya this time!
XOXO,
Krys <3
