In a world where people are environmentally conscious and advocate for human rights, fast fashion is a huge problem involving the entire globe. Fast fashion has been a problem for longer than people might think. It has gotten worse over the past few decades with well known brands like Shein, Zara, as well as H&M that cause major problems economically and environmentally.
It all started in the late 2010s, when people started promoting anti-fast fashion campaigns through social media, documentaries, and news articles everywhere. This made people think about where their clothes are from, who was making them, and what impact it had on our environment. This leads more and more people to study and question fashion norms, and the results of these studies are jaw dropping to say the least. An average American disposes 100 pounds of clothing, according to Boston University, and more than 87% of clothing is eventually incinerated or disposed of. Another common point mentioned by a social media advocate, Aja Barber, is the fact that the majority of fast fashion is produced in sweatshops, which are factories that force workers to work long hours and on low wages. It’s sad enough to say that most of our clothing is wasted, but the fact that people get severely mistreated in order to produce it is devastating on a global level.
But lately, it seems as though fashion has taken a sharp turn towards more ethical and sustainable practices like buying more sustainable clothing or thrift shopping. “When you go to the thrift store you can get higher quality clothes for cheaper prices. And I see more and more people my age at the thrift store,” remarks Lula Hobbs, a freshman at Palisade. It’s becoming way more popular to thrift and think about your clothing choices, and it’s beneficial towards your budget and the earth.
Fast fashion has made a huge impact globally, but with people becoming more aware of the impacts of buying from fast fashion brands, thrifting and buying from reselling stores has come back making a positive change economically and environmentally.
