Fast Fashion: The shocking truth woven in our clothes.
Fast Fashion: The shocking truth woven in our clothes.
Fashion is damaging our planet. Many don’t think twice when buying cheaper clothing or throwing out their old worn outfits. Yet, a lot of clothing purchased nowadays is supporting an industry that abuses the planet and its people.
Fast fashion is the term for an industry that prioritizes cheap, fast and poor-quality clothing. Many top brands produce clothing in this industry. Some of the most known include Nike and Addidas, but the main contributors are the more affordable brands.
H&M, Shein, Fashion Nova, Ali Express, Temu, GAP, and other similar brands are some of the main culprits.
These companies pump out dozens of different collections that are popular at the time but go out of style within months at times. This creates a huge amount of excess clothing.
The Fresno State Climate Action Corps supervisor, Rob Cordova, said that around 50% of all clothing in America was made in the country during the 1990s. In 2023, only 2% of clothing in America is made here.
One of the reasons for this increase in clothes could be due to the rise of the internet and social media.
With the rise of online shopping, companies have had more incentive to produce clothing at faster rates since there are more customers. According to Martina Igni, an editor for Earth.org, 66% of all internet traffic went towards online fashion in 2018.
As two-thirds of online users browse for clothing, the rise of social media trends has pushed this habit. Instagram had a built-in clothing store that allowed anyone with an account to buy clothes. TikTok currently has a shop that recently launched in September of this year.
Cordova said this trend in media is deceptive. “These brands exploit influencer to market clothing.” He goes on to discuss the lack of transparency with these advertisements which creates a false sense of trustworthiness.
People look up to these social media influencers for style choices and they make it seem as if they chose their clothing on their own.
The reason the Fast Fashion industry is harming the planet and people is due to the unethical practices and effects behind it. A reporter for Humanium.org named Chaira Baruta pointed out that child labor has decreased as a whole, but in the fast fashion industry it has increased.
This means that this industry is still heading in the wrong direction. They are still using children to make their clothes and are abusing their situations. Sarah Delgado, a fifth-year student at Fresno State who majors in digital journalism and minors in fashion merchandising, said that the use of children in this industry was “sad but not surprising.” This is because the fashion industry is notorious for their targeting of children.
There is also the environmental factor to fast fashion.
Cheap clothing leads to inferior quality clothing. When people buy poor quality clothing, it tends to wear out and be of no use. When this happens, a consumer will go on to buy cheaper clothing and repeat this cycle. Meanwhile, the old worn-out clothes are thrown away into landfills or destroyed.
The constant destruction or trashing of old worn clothing is having a huge effect on our planet. In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature did a study on the clothing industry. They found that around 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from the textile industry.
So fast fashion is a major contributor to the poisoning of our oceans along with child labor.
This industry is still at large, but there is still a plethora of ways that people can combat it.
Delgado is very well versed in sustainable shopping. She frequently buys her clothing from sustainable shops. This was her suggestion for clothes shopping. “Alternatives to fast fashion is shopping sustainably. So that is thrift shops, that’s Depop, that is also shopping locally too. So, supporting local businesses and secondhand vendors.”
There are a few other popular places to get secondhand clothes. Facebook Marketplace, Goodwill, eBay and sometimes Etsy are just to name a few.
However, there are some difficulties in shopping sustainably for some. Many just like to be in style and up to date with the latest trends. Breaking out of this cycle of fads is hard, but not impossible. If you want to help save the planet and live green, this is a step in the right direction.
Another reason some refrain from shopping sustainably is pricing. While fast fashion is affordable for anyone, there are still options on the secondhand market that can match in price. Although more effort may be needed to find the right clothing for you.
An additional way to combat the industry is to just keep wearing your clothes. Avoid buying clothes frequently too. If people wear the clothes they have and instead of throwing them out, then it could reduce the amount of clothes they buy. There's also tailors and clothing repair stores that restore clothing for less than buying new clothes.
Cardona is a huge advocate for these clothing repair places. He recommended Sew-n-So, which is a tailor that has multiple locations in Fresno. There are 2 locations within a 10-minute drive from Fresno State. The cost of repair is around $10.
Feng Teter is the sustainability analyst for the division of academic affairs, and she recommended clothing swaps. This is when you get a few friends who have clothes of the same size as you and then you bring old clothes that you do not wear anymore. All parties involved pick articles of clothing to add to their wardrobe.
Teter also discussed her mindset when it came to clothing. “I don’t care really about what I’m wearing.” She went on to discuss how clothing is not all we are. “I learned to love myself. My clothes and physical possessions don’t define who I am, don’t determine the friendships I have, or make people like me more.”
This realization was made by Rivjot Gill, a sophomore exercise science major. Gill spent a lot of time and money on what he wore in his teen years. He frequently consumed social media and would obsess over it. As he grew older, he had an epiphany. “I would buy a new sweater or pair of pants every week or two. It was like an addiction. One day I decided to see what would happen if I didn’t and I never felt better.” Gill continued about his exposure to the horrors of the industries plaguing America. Fast fashion was one of these issues to him. He now shops sustainably and or wears his clothing as long as he can before donating. “It's not hard to stop. All it takes is a bit of self-control and to just do you.”
Gills story goes to show that anyone can make a change in their life. All it takes is a few small adjustments.
Teter believes students and our community to be more sustainable.
“I see that people care. Most of the time you come across people that just don’t know how to help. It really will require all of our collective efforts to come together and demand a more sustainable fashion industry. I would say I have hope.”
