Essay Sample: The Unfashionable Side of Fast Fashion

There is Shein, Zara, H&M, Fashion Nova, Forever 21, and many more. These all play a huge role in one thing. You may have acknowledged these stores, you may as well have even shopped in them before! If you have shopped in stores such as these, then you would be considered a consumer of fast fashion. Doesn’t it seem cool? Well, it isn’t. Fast fashion is when companies produce a mass amount of products perilously in exchange for the latest trends and an ostensibly cheap price. Fast fashion has been unjustly trending and should be stopped. 

For starters, fast fashion is detrimental to the environment. The process of producing these clothes creates a ton of waste. In fact, it’s been reported that 85% of textiles (type of cloth) go into landfills each year. Consequently, this can eminently damage the environment since landfills, ​​a site for the disposal of waste materials, are deleterious as well. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, the fashion industry is also responsible for 10% of CO2 emissions each year! This can be execrable for the environment and we may not even realize it.

Furthermore, fast fashion takes part in pernicious work. The workers get treated cruelly with scarce money in return. EthicalConsumer, a publisher, research, political, and campaign organization that publishes information on the social, ethical, and environmental behavior of companies and issues around trade justice and ethical consumption, asseverates, wages of workers producing the clothing are extremely low. The workers operate in working conditions so abysmal, that it is like a sweatshop or factory in the 1800s. In many cases, children are employed and basic human rights are violated, reports EcoWatch,  a leading online environmental news company. Every human deserves rights, regardless of what they do for a living, and child labor is not acceptable. 

Some may say, however, that fast fashion is congenial for society. Nevertheless, fast fashion actually grows competition amongst society. As specified by BigCommerce, fashion businesses are growing across sectors — from local to global brands and from retailers to wholesalers. All these growing businesses have constructed the fashion industry to be much more competitive. 

Last but not least, fast fashion also negatively affects consumers. People may conjecture that getting all these new clothes will do wonders for them, but that’s not the case with fast fashion. Did you know, fast fashion collaborations can trick you into paying much more than you think you are? According to WhatWonderWomenWear, consumers spend 80 percent more money in outlet stores compared to regular stores. Fast fashion may seem a bit cheap at first, but not for long. According to lifehack.org, fast fashion [when bought often] can wind up costing you more than real clothes! You can gain access to more affordable clothes by doing tasks like shopping at ethical stores or sewing them yourself!

“People are persuaded to spend money we don’t have, on things we don’t need, to create impressions that won’t last, on people we don’t care about.” - Tim Jackson, a professional economist. Fast fashion could be lethal for workers, consumers, the environment, and our society due to these many issues. People can also learn to sow or shop at ethical stores. These are just a few various ways to avoid giving in to fast fashion. Let’s work together and end this trend.