Each day we wake up and pose an indispensable question: “What am I going to wear today?” We carelessly fling open our closet and dresser drawers in the morning and search through all of the articles from shirts to belts that lie before us. In this situation, much thought goes into our decision: How do I feel today? What emotions do I want to exude? What is the weather like? What do I want to say? Whom do I want to impress? But do we ever ask ourselves where that black T-shirt from Forever 21 was made, who made it, or even what it is made of? I’m guessing most people’s answer is no. While the fashion industry has been around since the 1850s, clothing consumption is rapidly growing due to the increase in population. This impacts the quality of the clothing, turning elegant hand-made pieces into clothes made of cheap materials made in factories in large volumes. The rising consumption of mass-produced clothing, called “fast fashion,” has an effect on the economy, environment, human rights, and physical health. Leaving many groups and individuals to design resolutions to this problem.
“‘Fast fashion” is a term used by fashion retailers to describe inexpensive designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends (Stanton). The fashion industry, up until the twentieth century, plans out designs for each season: fall, winter, spring, and summer. As a result of fast fashion, the tradition of introducing new fashion lines on a seasonal basis is being challenged. Today, it is not uncommon for fast-fashion retailers to introduce new products multiple times in a single week to stay on-trend. For example, Zara, Forever 21, H&M, Gap, Urban Outfitters are just a few of the mass-producing industries that are corrupting society today. These brands are taking clothes and trends off the runway and recreating them with cheaper material and pricing them exponentially lower than quality designer brands.
Society is paying the ultimate price for fast fashion industry waste, with the long-term effects on the environment, pollution, and ultimately the increased global carbon footprint. Through the rapid growth of human consumption and industry expansion, this issue is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. According to a full report on the industry of garment production, Quantis states:
The apparel and footwear industries together accounted for more than 8 percent of global climate impacts — the equivalent of 3,990 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2016. The total greenhouse gas emissions related to textiles production are equal to 1.2 billion tons annually — more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping trips combined. (qt. in Cerullo)
In the twenty-first century, clothing has become comparable to plastic bottles and bags: we use them and then throw them away. We produce a throwaway wardrobe for every man, woman, and child on the planet. Every day, month, year. “The fashion industry devours one-fourth of chemicals produced worldwide. The creation of one cotton T-shirt requires a third-pound of lab-concocted fertilizers and 25.3 kilowatts of electricity, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has stated it can take up to 2,700 liters of water to grow the cotton” (Thomas). Not only are the fashion industries leaving behind a carbon footprint but they are creating and selling non-biodegradable fabrics. “Each year, the clothing that is simply thrown away amounts to about 11 million tons in the US alone” (Stanton). These garments are filled with pesticides, lead, microfiber, along with many other toxic substances. “More than 60 percent of fabric fibers are now synthetic, derived from fossil fuels, so if and when our clothing ends up in a landfill (about 85 percent of textile waste in the United States goes to landfills or is incinerated), it will not decay” (Schlossberg). There are several contributing factors to fast fashion that are heavily impacting the environment.
The second casualty in the age of fast fashion has been work labor and human well-being in developing nations. The clothes displayed in the mall, behind the glass case, glimmer in the white track lights that surround the mannequins. Although this can be angelic in the eyes of customers, the truth behind each piece lies in the fabric. Sweatshop labor and undocumented workers of all ages, races, and genders are tied to the mass-market apparel and accessory industries and fast fashion giants. “Fashion employs one out of six people on the globe, making it the most labor-intensive industry out there – more than agriculture, more than defense. Fewer than 2 percent of them earn a living wage” (Thomas). In the book FASHIONOPOLIS, Dana Thomas travels the world to investigate and interview people about the fast fashion industry. In her travels, she met a female worker in Sri Lanka who had a toothache. She had to take out a loan to pay for it because, on her wage, she couldn’t afford a dentist appointment. She couldn’t afford to pay back the loan, so she had to become a sex worker to make the money to pay it off (Cerullo). All while still making clothes that you and I wear for a very well-known supplier. Not only do cheap fast fashion brands such as Zara and Topshop fail to meet workers’ rights, but Armani, Saint Laurent, and Fendi are among the luxury, high-end brands being forced to investigate their supply chains. In Naples, Italy police found dozens of undocumented workers making leather goods for the supply chain Moreno Srl, who supplies to these luxury brands.
A garment worker’s health is constantly being jeopardized through their long hours, lack of resources, exposure to harmful chemicals, and often physical abuse. The people who make fast fashion clothing have been confirmed to be underpaid, underfed, and pushed to their limits because there are often few other options. (Stanton)
But wait. That’s not all. In 2012, 600 garment workers were killed in a Bangladesh factory fire, which supplies major American retail companies, including Walmart and Sears (Manik and Yardley). Today we have the tools, knowledge, and services to maintain safe working environments, yet the American factory suppliers such as the ones in Bangladesh have the cheapest labor in the most deplorable conditions.
Along with the effects fast fashion has on the people who make them it also affects the people who wear them. “While few studies have been conducted to directly link chemicals in clothing to human health issues, the chemicals often found in garments (or used in their production) have been linked to neurotoxicity, liver, kidney and lung disorders, cancer and more” (“How Our Clothing Choices”). Garments may be bleached and are mostly always dyed. The rise of cheap fast fashion introduces all kinds of high-tech variations: UV protective, bug repellant, wrinkle-free, stain-resistant, and so on. A 2015 study, “Human Exposure to Trace Elements Through the Skin by Direct Contact With Clothing: Risk Assessment” found high levels of chromium in polyamide dark clothes, high levels of antimony in polyester clothes, and high levels of copper in some green cotton fabrics (Richardson). Many individuals disregard the name of the fabrics and materials they are covering their bodies with. Not only is the clothing worn by many harmful to the environment, but it’s harmful to their health as well.
As more and more recognize the negative effects of fast fashion, brands, communities, and individuals are generating solutions from consignment to resale. With the rise of ethical and conscious fashion, companies are moving towards mindful manufacturing, fair labor rights, natural materials, and lasting garments. The RealReal, a luxury consignment store, is pushing to reuse items and resell them through their website and pop up stores. Clients recognize the value of investing in luxury and consigning their wardrobes as an alternative to constantly turning over their closets. CBS MoneyWatch reported a clientele survey showing that 57 percent of TRR consignors cited environmental impact and sustainability as key motivators to consign, and 32 percent of customers said they shop TRR as an alternative to “fast fashion (Cerullo). Rent the Runway is another company that is changing the way many individuals purchase clothes, and they are doing so by providing rental garments. “‘Viewing fashion as a service — as something we access instead of own — is going to be a really important part of solving the environmental crisis that is fashion,’ author Cline said. ‘Think about a generation of people expecting to be able to turn their closets over and follow fashion trends. Renting lets people kind of have it both ways’” (qt. in Cerullo). A lot of faith is placed here in which products can be recycled, reborn, and reused. Let’s make this the “new trend”.
In summary, fast fashion is a rapidly growing and fast-paced industry that is negatively impacting the environment, human rights, and physical health. Sustainable, ethical, and healthy options do exist, but it’s the matter in taking action. By thrifting, consigning, or investing in fewer pieces we can create real change, not only by being conscience buyers and recyclers but also by taking the time to educate others about improved practices. Next time you open your closet or dresser, and most importantly, as you are strolling through the mall shopping for clothes, be aware of the what, when, and where factors of the articles you are purchasing.
Work Cited
Cerullo, Megan. “Fashion Industry’s Carbon Impact Bigger than Airline Industry’s.” CBS News, 19 Apr. 2019, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/earth-day-2019-fashion-industrys-carbon-impact-is-bigger-than-airline-industrys/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2019.
“How Our Clothing Choices Impact Our Environment and Physical Health.” Women’s Voices for the Earth, 21 Mar. 2018, http://www.womensvoices.org/2018/03/21/how-our-clothing-choices-impact-our-environment-and-physical-health/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.
Manik, Julfikar Ali, and Jim Yardley. “Bangladesh Finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire.” The New York Times , 17 Dec. 20012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.
Richardson, Jill Richardson. “Is Our Clothing Toxic? It’s More Complicated than We Think.” AlterNet, 13 July 2017, http://www.alternet.org/2017/07/toxic-fabric-our-clothes/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.
Schlossberg, Tatiana. “How Fast Fashion is Destroying the Planet.” The New York Times, 3 Sept. 2019, http://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/books/review/how-fast-fashion-is-destroying-the-planet.html.
Stanton, Audrey. “What is Fast Fashion, Anways?” The Good Trade, 2018, http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-fast-fashion.
Thomas, Dana. Fashionopolis; The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes.
Madison Peet 