Historically, clothes have represented a plethora of different things, from socioeconomic status, culture, personal style, occupation, marital status and so much more depending on where you lived and in what time. Only very recently have we started to think of clothes in terms of ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ fashion, because, only recently (when looking at history of dress as a whole) have we had the resources and security to produce and buy clothing we don’t necessarily ‘need’ on a larger scale, allowing people to use clothing, in large part, for self expression. However, like many things, the portion determines the poison, and we need to look at what fast fashion is, why it is not sustainable, and how it impacts consumers and designers alike.

Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing that is quickly mass produced in response to trends coming off the high-fashion catwalks. These clothes are usually very low quality, because they need to be made so quickly, and costs need to remain low; most of these garments don’t make it more than a few months before falling apart. Fast fashion became popular in the late 1990s, when the term was coined, but the practice of saturating the market with cheaply made clothes had been around for at least 10 years before, when ‘quick response’ manufacturing was developed, speeding up the manufacturing process. Companies like Zara, H&M, and SHEIN are some of the biggest fast fashion brands today.

Because these clothes are inexpensive and are often ‘on trend’ for what is up and coming in fashion, this drives consumers to keep buying more and more clothing each season. As consumers throw away last season’s apparel to make room for the new, millions of tons of clothes end up in landfills every year. If that wasn’t enough, the fashion industry consumes one tenth of all water used industrially. Fast fashion is a huge driving factor; water is needed to produce more materials and clean products and factories. The more quickly we produce new styles, the more water we consume. Additionally, most fast fashion garments are made from synthetic fibers, because they are cheaper to produce and helps to keep costs low. This has led to a massive increase of micro-plastics in the oceans, and an increase in carbon emissions from making the material.

We have always held that fashion is a form of self expression. Your personal style is all your own, no two are alike, and what you choose to wear is the impression you wish to give the world that day. Because of the sheer mass that garments are being produced from fast fashion brands, this hinders smaller designers, or ‘slow’ fashion designers, from being able to properly enter the market with more unique and expensive designs. Smaller businesses can’t produce at the same level as fast fashion brands, they often choose to use natural, or higher quality materials, and have to source local labor. All these factors lead to both a higher quality and more expensive product. But why spend $200 on a jacket when I can get one similar for $20?

Slow fashion, or trans-seasonal garments, are better for the environment, have a longer life span, and are often more unique, allow you to express yourself and embrace your personal style. Being mindful of your purchases plays a huge part in this. While exclusively buying slow fashion is not an option for everyone (it is expensive, which is a substantial barrier for a lot of people) being mindful of what brands you support, how often you buy, and what you do with the clothing you’re getting rid of can go a long way to reeling in the fast fashion pandemic. As well as supporting small businesses when it’s available to you. Fast fashion doesn’t have to be a death sentence for the industry, or the planet for that matter. As long as we’re mindful of the impact our purchases make, and bands work towards a more sustainable model, we can enjoy our style and feel good about where it came from and where it’s going.