Fast Fashion and Ethical Alternatives
Buying clothes can bring a rush of joy, but behind much of today’s popular fashion are systems and practices that bring real harm to both people and the planet. Here’s a look behind the fitting room curtain at fast fashion, how it’s harmful, and how you can put your clothes where your ethics are.
WHAT IS FAST FASHION?
Fast fashion refers to the fast-paced, unsustainable production of cheap, disposable clothing. This type of fashion is extremely prevalent today, with clothes produced by large companies in vast quantities and with reckless speed. It’s “fast” in many senses, such as:
The constant introduction of new styles
The speed of production
The low quality of clothing, leading to quicker discarding
High demand and frequent purchases on the part of the consumer
While being able to purchase an item of clothing for a cheap price can be an eye-catching draw, the downsides of fast fashion run much deeper than many people realize. Fast fashion is destructive to the environment and punishing to garment workers. Globally, we’re consuming an appalling 80 billion new pieces of clothing a year—a 400% increase from just two years prior. At that scale, fast fashion can dish out frightening damage.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOLL
From an environmental standpoint, fast fashion perpetuates a multitude of issues. The industry has an outsized carbon footprint, uses billions of cubic meters of water each year, and pollutes air and water supplies around the world. One of its biggest environmental impacts, however, comes from plastic.
Fast fashion, in an effort to source cheap materials, is heavily dependent on synthetic fiber. These fossil fuel-based, plastic-derived materials include polyester, nylon, and acrylics, and make up more than 60% of fabric fibers. This makes the textile sector one of the biggest plastic users, behind only construction and packaging. Washing these clothes also produces microplastics that leach into the ocean, at a volume estimated to be equivalent to more than 50 billion plastic bottles.
Another major concern is the waste involved. Clothes are thrown out quickly for new styles, and are generally not well made or stress-tested to begin with. Fast fashion has “created millions of tons of textile waste in landfills and unregulated settings.”
SOCIAL TOLL
The damage of fast fashion is not only felt in our planet’s ecosystems, but by people working in and living near garment factories. In order for companies to sell clothes cheaply, they’re also paying their workers cheaply and unfairly. Workers are also pressured to work quickly, while safety hazards are a constant concern.
Fast fashion’s toll on garment workers was exemplified by the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013. The collapse of the illegally-built factory killed more than 1,100 people and injured another 2,500, most of them female garment workers. Following the public outcry regarding the collapse, many major clothing companies had difficulty determining whether they sourced clothes from Rana Plaza or not. Fashion is in desperate need of transparency, reform, and rededication to ethics.
SWITCHING TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION
The antidote to fast fashion? Slow fashion. It’s everything fast fashion isn’t—dedicated to longevity, conscious of environmental and social impacts, and responsible for upholding values. Clothing companies and consumers alike are turning to more sustainable fashion systems as the consequences of fast fashion are increasingly made known. Here’s what you can do to pull away from fast fashion and embrace sustainable clothing!
SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS BRANDS
In the market for new clothes? Do your research on clothing brands and support the ones that stick to social and environmental values. Sustainable brands will often have information on their website, transparently discussing how they source their materials, who makes their clothes, and how their products are designed and tested for quality.
It’s important to be aware that sustainable fashion is typically much more expensive than fast fashion. You’re supporting better wages and working conditions for laborers and improved environmental outcomes! Plus, you’ll be wearing those items a lot longer, maybe even forever! If items seem out of your price range, though, you can look for sales or clearance events, or save up for a certain piece you really love. Another popular approach is to wait until an item of clothing you already own wears out, then replace it, creating a quality wardrobe over time, piece by piece.
SHOP SECONDHAND
Help reduce waste by purchasing clothing secondhand. Thrift fashion can be a ton of fun, and you can find some fantastic and unique second hand clothes to get a look you love! There are also many nonprofit thrift stores that serve the double benefit of supporting important causes. If you’re in the Detroit or Hamtramck area, consider stopping by our thrift store, Joy Thrift. All proceeds help immigrant, refugee, and low-income communities in the area!
WEAR WHAT YOU’VE GOT
The best way to be sustainable is to use what you have! In this case, support sustainable fashion by wearing what you have for as long as you can manage it. Extend the life of your clothing by following instructions for care, swapping your clothes with the seasons, and mending holes and tears. You can even try visible mending, using embroidery to mend clothes with colorful designs and patterns. If you’re getting bored of your closet, try swapping clothes with a friend for fresh (and free!) looks.
DISCARD RESPONSIBLY
When it’s time to get rid of a piece of clothing, please discard responsibly! If it’s still in good condition, you can donate it to nonprofit organizations, clothing drives, or thrift stores near you. There are also some online thrift stores that accept your old clothes for shopping credits. If your clothes are beyond repair or reuse, you can try repurposing the fabric into other items like headbands or simple rags, or you can look for textile recycling in your area.
By implementing these practices, you can fight fast fashion and support cleaner, greener, and more socially conscious moves in the fashion industry! Make a difference with ethical clothing, and seek out sustainable brands or thrift stores when you need to.
Joy Thrift and our other community initiatives like Sylhet Farm, Sisterhood Fitness, and the upcoming C. Love Bakery make an incredible impact on the lives of Hamtramck residents. You can be part of that by donating now to support our work! If you’re in the Detroit area, consider dropping off in-kind donations, organizing a collection drive, or shopping at our nonprofit thrift store, Joy Thrift in Hamtramck! Together we can elevate our beautiful community, and bring joy and support to those who need it most.