3 REASONS TO STOP BUYING FAST FASHION
WHAT IS FAST FASHION
The fast fashion industry is having a devastating effect on both the environment and the people involved in making our clothes. Fast fashion is defined as garments produced in high volumes, at low cost (underpaid garment workers) and of low quality, in response to the latest trends. With most of this clothing being produced in the developing world, some of the impacts include human rights violations and toxic production processes. Once we become aware of these issues, we can start to be more mindful of the brands we choose to support, ones whose values align with yours.
Fast fashion has become very popular in recent years as it is based off current high fashion trends but with its’ low prices it is accessible to most of us. However, like with most things in life, if something seems too good to be true, it often is, and fast fashion is no exception to this. So, at KEEPER Denim we have put together a list of reasons to make the switch from fast to slow fashion.
THREE REASONS TO STOP BUYING FAST FASHION
1. THE ENVIRONMENT
Fast fashion is made at low cost and in large quantities and with that, comes large negative impacts to the planet. There are many aspects of the manufacturing process that causes damage to the environment, one of the main ones being the dying of fabric. The wastewater from the factories is often dumped into local waterways, where the local people source their drinking water from. The cost-effective fabric used to make fast fashion is often synthetic rather than natural fibres. These synthetic fibres use a vast number of resources and energy to make them.
2. LOW QUALITY
Fast fashion pieces are typically poor quality because they are only made to last one season. Part of the fast fashion business model is to release new collections often, sometimes up to 54 collections per year, rather than the 4 conventional collections that are typically released at the start of each season. As these pieces are based on short term trends, the clothes are only made to last just a few wears before they become out of fashion. This disposable mindset only has a negative impact on the planet as once we dispose of this clothing, it ends up in landfill.
3. GARMENT WORKERS
When an item of clothing can cost less than a cup of coffee, it raises questions such as how much the item cost to make? When large fast fashion companies are paying such a low cost to have clothing made, a portion of that goes towards the cost of materials and the balance goes to the garment worker who made the product. Fast fashion is often manufactured in developing countries, where garment workers don’t have access to safe working conditions or fair rights and are often paid well below the living wage.
I hope you enjoyed this KEEPER Denim post on the 3 reasons to avoid fast fashion. It is important to consider these when you’re next considering purchasing from a fast fashion label.