Fast fashion has transformed the way we consume clothing by offering cheap, trendy items that cater to evolving tastes. However, the immediate convenience this offers us comes at a significant ethical and environmental cost. Behind the glamour of being constantly ‘on trend’ lies a reality of exploited labour, excessive carbon emissions, and unsustainable resource use.

Influencers only fuel these consumer habits bombarding us with an endless parade of ‘must-have’ items. These microtrends land in the fashion landscape like a flash in the pan – irrelevant before you know it. This phenomenon leaves clothing companies scrambling to keep up as they cut corners to churn out new items as fast as possible.

So, how can we stop this? After all, it’s easy to feel powerless, drowning in the idea that individual actions can’t spark meaningful environmental change. But as consumers, we wield far more power than we think. Every purchase is a choice, and every choice has impact. We have the power to make meaningful purchases and scrutinize the lifespan of the flashy items being thrown our way. By making informed decisions about what we buy and where we buy it from, we each have the ability to do our part in stopping this cycle of unethical overconsumption.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are breeding grounds for micro-trends—fleeting styles that peak and fade within months. For example, the viral “strawberry dress” had its 15 minutes of fame in 2020, with users online desperate to get their hands on the glittery ball gown. Now, it is nowhere to be seen, aside from the landfill and second-hand shops. These trends go viral, generating a quick burst of fanatic interest before fading into obscurity once again, destined to be deemed “so last year” if one even dares to re-wear them.

The “strawberry dress”, designed by Lirika Matoshi, is a particularly interesting example as it fell victim to an influx of knockoffs and “dupes” from retailers such as AliExpress, Shein, and Amazon. These sites offered the dress at a heavily discounted price, incentivising buyers to flock to their sites rather than supporting the original designer’s work. This is an example of the unethical nature of fast fashion – it relies heavily on imitation. By hijacking Matoshi’s vision, these retailers turned her success into their payday, all while preying on budget-conscious shoppers desperate to appear trendy.

Fast fashion brands are masters of weaponizing FOMO. They push a relentless ‘buy now, wear once’ mentality, churning out new styles at lightning speed to keep shoppers hooked. The goal? To keep you endlessly scrolling, clicking, and buying.

This constant cycle of overconsumption is perpetuated by both clothing brands and consumers. By engaging in short-lived trends, we as buyers are essentially handing companies a permission slip to trample over ethics and the environment in the name of profit. When they meet the demand that we create, these companies cash in on a trend that will inevitably fall out of fashion in mere weeks, while leaving a detrimental impact on our planet for years to come.

Influencers also play a role in creating this demand. Clothing companies will partner with popular influencers in order to promote their brand. By engaging in this modern form of celebrity endorsement as part of their marketing strategy, these companies profit off of the influencers’ pre-existing relationship with their audience.

By aligning themselves with clothing brands and pushing their latest items, online influencers are complicit in promoting overconsumption. According to Louise Déglise-Favre, a senior analyst at Global Data, the brand Shein’s success “coincided with a boom in TikTok usage in Europe and the US,” which shows the impact online influencers are having on the fast fashion market.

With social media perpetuating fashion microtrends at an astonishing speed, fast fashion companies scramble to keep up. This leads to clothing companies turning to unethical means of production in order to continue churning out new items as fast as possible. Fast fashion companies employ a ‘race to the bottom’ business model, pushing for lower costs from suppliers to maximise profit. This pressure leads to the exploitation of factory workers and the labourers involved in clothes production. Fashion brands ABLE and NISOLO found that only two per cent of clothes production workers worldwide make a living wage.

While fast fashion companies claim to offer sustainable or ethical options, such brands often represent a tiny fraction of their overall production. A recent screening by Sustainable Brand Platform suggested that: “39% of sustainability claims in the textile, garment and shoe sector could be false or deceptive.” This is referred to as greenwashing, wherein brands falsely market themselves as environmentally friendly as a PR tactic, without making a notable change in their environmental impact. At a time where more and more of the public is becoming climate conscious, clothing brands engage in greenwashing as a means of preying on the climate conscious, allowing them to generate profit from this otherwise lost demographic.

As shown, brands such as Zara have “recycled polyester” lines which generate a notable profit. However, this is a prime example of greenwashing, as, inarguably, this line of clothing cannot be considered environmentally friendly when we take into account the carbon emissions produced during manufacturing.

To truly understand fast fashion’s impact, let’s follow the journey of a hypothetical T-shirt:

Addressing the harm caused by fast fashion is not an easy process – but it is possible to make a difference. Shifting our style guides to more timeless looks, as opposed to current trends, is an investment in our planet. Exploring alternative options such as second-hand clothing reduces demand for new items.

These seemingly small actions—when stitched together—can drive significant change.

Understanding the impact of fast fashion allows consumers to make informed decisions that align with their values. By rethinking our shopping habits and demanding accountability from brands guilty of greenwashing, we can help reduce the industry’s devastating impact on the environment. 

Kulsum Shabbir

Creative Editor