Fast fashion? Hate it!
From sweatshops to low quality clothing & negative environmental impact, why are these brands still a thing? But this article isn’t for that discussion. No, there are tons of articles talking about the dangers of these brands and why we shouldn’t indulge. This one is focusing on why people still do. Not acknowledging the reason for its popularity is a big part of the problem and doing this might possibly be the first step to ending it. The obvious answer is the price. Fast fashion is lauded for making high fashion more available to consumers. High fashion designs can take about four to six months to come to life and into the market. Fast fashion might seem cheap but someone somewhere is paying for it, there’s no escaping capitalism. That aside, people get their basic clothing needs from these places. I can’t imagine having to buy biker shorts from Farfetch when I know that I wear them often and my thick thighs will cause it to tear quickly. Normally, I’d rather spend $200 on something that would last for some time than having to spend $10 multiple times but in this case it just makes no sense. There’s nothing special about biker shorts anyway. So what’s the alternative for people who are making that conscious effort to purchase from only sustainable and ethical brands? Thrifting would definitely be your first response to that question but how many people are comfortable with buying these items second-hand? I searched catalogs of some affordable, ethical brands and not once did I see biker shorts or any similar product. Maybe I didn’t check the right brands but having to go to this extent for something so basic is why fast fashion is still so prominent.
Conscious consumerism takes a lot of effort and at the end of the day it seems like your efforts are being wasted. Even if I choose to not indulge in fast fashion, others will. I’m not judging anyone for being a fast fashion consumer, especially when it can’t be helped. Market capitalism makes it incredibly difficult to make truly helpful sustainable choices. If no laws are put in place and brands aren’t held accountable then what difference does one person really make?
