Fast Fashion and Impending Doom 💀

I remember when the Chinese online retail brand Shein app was banned by the Indian government; many of us cried and wailed at losing a high-end fashion brand. Very recently, Shein caught under fire because of the years of ill-treatment the factory workers had to survive. Factory workers had to work through eighteen-hour shifts and were only paid a meager amount of three pounds for each garment. For such a large enterprise, this is rather measly. And do they get a weekend off to rest and replenish for the next week? No, they get a day off in an entire month. Humanitarian conditions of work? Well, that’s a concept hidden deep and dark in these factories.

In addition, people are becoming more and more environmentally conscious. Thus, many around the world are against the atrocities of pollution that fast fashion brands like these cause. Social media was thus flooded with hashtags #boycottshein, and it is a cry for help for the fast fashion industry. While some influencers faced massive backlash for being elated over collaborations with Shein, others condemned the brand. Drag queen environmentalist Pattie Gonnia sent an open letter to Shein over the pollution it causes and broke all future ties with them.

Growing fast fashion

Trendy, poor quality, and disposable- this qualifies as fast fashion. This constitutes brands like H & M, Zara, Victoria's Secret, Mango and many more. Think of it this way, the fashion industry makes 80 billion garments annually, and the earth has a population of 8 billion people. This leaves more than 10 clothes for each person. And the growth rate compared to 20 years ago is 400%. So this industry is growing alright!

Fast fashion brands have no more seasons; they have divided production time into 52 micro seasons per year. Collections after collections roll out in the market. And this rolling out most definitely leads to overconsumption and umpteen amounts of wastage. The problem of overworking laborers is also common in many fast fashion brands. it is expected that under these growth rates, 160 million tons of clothing will be produced by 2050.

What’s wrong with it?

The world has enough resources for everyone’s needs but are not unlimited to suit society's unlimited wants. Now more than ever, the environment is crying for help, and fast fashion brands that churn out tons of clothing are not helping. Production of fashion products leads to 10% of the world’s carbon production. Is the second largest industry to use the world’s water supply. As production takes place, even the water is tarnished. Toxic chemicals seep into water bodies and harm the organisms that swim underneath.

Fast fashion brands are pressured to tailor clothes as fast as possible, lest they lose out on the trend. But does quality follow these brands that have such a rushed production pace? Probably not. The lesser quality these clothes may have, the less time they can be worn. Making them wastage and unfit for multiple wearing. This story shows how fast fashion is a scary situation where someone somewhere is paying, metaphorically so. Laborers with unruly working hours or rampant cuts of wages are ways by which they are paying the price. Thus, fast fashion harms humans, organisms, resources, and the environment.

Sustainable fashion is the future.

This is the context under which EcoRight, an online start-up, sells tote bags, travel pouches, handbags, and makeup kits. They say that the impact of global warming is evident and sustainability is the way to go. They say that even consumers are open to sustainable and eco-friendly products. While brands like H&M still flourish, sustainable fashion is a way both sellers and consumers are open to trying. It’s high time we stop falling for the greenwashing (unsubstantiated claim by a company that they are sustainable) traps that fast fashion brands set for us.

So, here's a question:

Which way are you leaning toward? Fast or sustainable?

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