INTRODUCTION
Trends that describe today’s youth as the most fashionable or most unique for their styling sense, various dresses, and new outfits have their own story and that story can be named “fast fashion”.
Fast Fashion, the drastic phenomenon that happened due to the sudden rise in the clothing industry as buying new, cheap, fashionable clothes to live up to the new trends of society was the new modish. It never crossed our minds how such fashionable clothes are made within a certain time and how the fashion industry can cope with the new outlooks.
All the fashion artists running behind the making of more creative and affordable clothes at the same time, tend to forget the deleterious side of fast fashion.
WHAT IS FAST FASHION
Fast Fashion refers to the trendy cheap clothing inspired by the catwalks in fashion shows so that the common consumer can afford such low-cost outfits.
In old times the fashion of a particular outfit lasted for a decade hence that era was termed a slow fashion era but soon with the development of new technologies and the rise in the Industrial Revolution, many things escalated one of them among which was the fashion industry. Slowly fast fashion changed fashion by producing fancy, cheap clothes which are less durable and won’t last for a long time.
The term “Fast Fashion” came into existence in the 1990s and was first coined in the New York Times when Zara decided to set a goal of displaying garments from designs to stores in merely two weeks.[1]
FAST FASHION AND THE BIG BRANDS
It positively impacts the big brands as they make new clothes based on the weekly style of the fashion shows, the eagerness of the consumer to be in style makes them purchase these clothes as quickly as possible. This creates profit for the big brands due to the recurring purchase of such clothes. Various brands like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M are accused of fast fashion and have scepticism from consumers.[2]
As Ayesha Barenblat stated, “Absent smart regulation, what brands manage to do is then essentially outsource all risk.” This means all the cheap work done by these mega corps of industries is outsourced to different countries so that their profits are maximised.[3]
HOW IT IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT?
It negatively impacts the environment. Due to the fast production, the manufacturing standards of the clothes are not met which leads to the usage of low-quality chemicals or dyes, thus harming the environment as well as the ecosystem of the countries.
As the clothes are cheap, the prices paid to the labourers are also cheap, therefore, exploiting the workers. Also, the instant demand for clothes leads to the severe use of chemicals, energy, water, etc.
According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it is projected that the emissions from textile manufacturing alone will increase by 60% by 2030.
Also according to The Quantis International Report 2018, major factors contributing to the industry’s global pollution are dyeing and finishing up to 36 %, yarn preparation up to 28% and fibre production up to 15%. Fibre production mainly affects the freshwater and the ecosystem quality due to the excessive use of energy-intensive techniques of production and fossil fuel-based processes.[4]
Fast Fashion affects various aspects of the environment contributing to the degradation of the ecosystem and affecting different dimensions of the environment like water, air, soil etc.
Waste Generation
The big fashion industries produce tones of clothing as per the changing trends which leads to the excessive waste generation of clothes as the consumer discards the out-of-trend garments. Also, the clothes are of cheap quality andtend to get damaged after a few uses, thus creating huge piles of waste clothes.
Soil Degradation
The use of pesticides in the production of non-organic cotton as well as the use of fertilizers for the fast cultivation of the cotton fibre, so that the production process could be increased, results in deteriorating the quality of land and the biodiversity.
Water Pollution
The use of dyes for making cheap clothes contains a lot of chemicals that are released into the natural water bodies, affecting the soluble contents of the water bodies and the natural biodiversity of marine life. As the textile industry is the biggest consumer of water its effect on the environment is also major.
Micro plastic
Most of the Fashion style today is made of synthetic clothes and these clothes contain various plastic materials like polyester, nylon, spandex, etc. which after every wash shed off some of their particles also these materials cannot be recycled thus creating huge piles wastelands and harming the natural habitat of animals as well affecting the ecosystem.
IS FAST FASHION OUR STYLE?
Sustainable fashion is the key to reducing fast fashion trends. This could be done through recycling and reuse of the clothes.
One of the major possible solutions to reduce fast fashion is to bring a circulative textile value chain. It refers to bringing back old looks that are out of trend so that people can wear their old clothes rather than discarding them in the dump.
The responsibility to bring back sustainable fashion can be in the hands of the giant fashion industries as people are influenced by their looks and outfits. These industries should try to sustain the looks and should try to adopt eco-friendly methods for the production of the garments.
Not only industries but people should also contribute to the implementation of circulative textile chains, it is possible to create a whole network of sustainable fashion around the world only if people decide not to buy new unnecessary clothes in the name of fashion. As an industry works based on the supply and demand of consumers, it is the responsibility of both producers and consumers to make the efforts simultaneously.
Apart from the circulative textile value chain, people could also switch to natural fabrics like cotton, jute, silk, etc. as these fibres are biodegradable and do not affect the environment.
Many worldwide summits and organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have started the initiative ‘Zero Waste World.’ It is an ambitious outlook to shed light on a high-impacting sector where consumers can make a big difference.
Along with UNEP, the UN Conference of Parties (COP27), and the Non-Profit Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) conducted an event on ‘Circular System on the Net Positive Fashion Industry’ which led industries to discuss the ways to produce more sustainable ways such that the waste and pollution would be less whereas the recycle and reuse can be more.[5]
CONCLUSION
The trend of fast fashion may seem stylish but every trend is good up to a certain limit and if that limit is crossed it may create future problems from which there is no coming back.
This trend of fast fashion may entertain us for a little period but the consequences of it are far more than that of the little period of entertainment and style. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to check whether such trends harm the environment. It’s our collective responsibility and efforts that would make us achieve the era of sustainable fashion where our needs and entertainment align with the sustainability of the environment.
Author(s) Name: Tejasvi Gour (DES Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College, Pune)
Reference(s):
[1] Alma Rominger, ‘The History of Fast Fashion: From 18th Century to today’ <The History of Fast Fashion: From https://www.bigissue.com/life/ethical-shopping/what-is-fast-fashion-brands-sustainable-clothing/the 18th Century to Today (growensemble.com)> accessed on 10 March 2024
[2] Sarah Wilson, ‘What is Fast Fashion which brands use it- and how can I buy sustainable clothing?’ ( Big Issue, 5 August 2022 <Fast fashion brands: How to find out which clothes are really sustainable – The Big Issue> accessed on 10 March 2024
[3] Alma Rominger, ‘The History & Rise of Fast Fashion: From the 18th Century to Today’ (20 July 2023) <The History of Fast Fashion: From the 18th Century to Today (growensemble.com)> accessed on 10 March 2024
[4] Rashmila Maiti, ‘Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact’ (5 January 2024) <Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact in 2024 | Earth.Org> accessed on 10 March 2024,
The Quantis International Report,2018 <measuringfashion_globalimpactstudy_full-report_quantis_cwf_2018a.pdf>
[5] UNEP, ‘The Environmental Cost of Fast Fashion’ (24 November 2022) <The environmental costs of fast fashion (unep.org)> accessed on 10 March 2024
