In the age of technology, convenience is key to most everyone. One of the most prevalent means of convenience in our society is Fast Fashion, a term that was first coined in a 1989 New York Times article to describe the shift from hand-made clothes that were worn long term to mass produced items sold in department stores across the globe.
Today, ‘Fast Fashion’ represents the means of ordering affordable clothing online and having it on your doorstep the next day. Conveniently expanding your wardrobe with the click of a button sounds amazing in theory. Until you learn that mass produced clothes are designed for only 7-10 wears. And that it’s responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, according to CNN Wire.
Living in an already crumbling environment, learning that most of your clothes are contributing to the climate crisis is devastating. Personally, there is so much I want to do to help, and it’s daunting to realize that I’m just one person who can’t stop multi-million dollar companies from mass producing clothes that inevitably meet their doom in landfills.
One of the most obvious ways to fight this is to boycott fast fashion brands like Shein and H&M. It’s arguable that this can be extremely difficult for some, especially when these brands offer affordable options for a variety of body types, so my suggestion is to limit your purchases with the brands. If you absolutely need a new dress, cheap and fast, go for it. If not, try looking into more sustainable brands to scratch the shopping itch.
Thrifting is another sustainable alternative to fast fashion. It offers many of the same features as online shopping; chic items at low prices, without the environmental turmoil! It’s also just a really fun activity to do with friends or alone, because it gives the opportunity to find the cutest or ugliest clothing you’ve ever seen.
As a society, we need to come together and realize our means of shopping (along with many other things) are destroying our environment. We can’t continue to hide behind the excuse that ‘Fast Fashion’ is something we can’t change. With thrift stores on every corner and sustainable brands spawning every day, we can change the fashion industry, and make it better for the future.
