The Fast Fashion Dilemma

By Muhammad Ahmed

 

 

Fast fashion – a term which represents the rapid entering and exiting of new fashion styles, for extremely cheap prices. But is fast fashion just limited to this? Is there a whole other side to fast fashion which the public have never heard of before? Is this term only limited to clothes, and not extending to the lives of young children who tirelessly manufacture these goods, only to be exploited for their skills? This article will delve deep into the industry of fast fashion, those it influences and how we can change this for good.

What are the key drivers of fast fashion?

“It’s mainly consumer demand which can cause fast fashion to expand like it is right now,” says Ammar. We see an increasing number of people wanting to indulge into the latest styles and trends, and often, this causes surplus demand and the cycle restarts again.

However, can there be another factor which influences fast fashion? “We see the clothing industry getting larger year on year, and industrial giants may be trying to expand their catalogues,” Ammar continues to say. Maybe it is not the consumer, but instead the companies themselves as they try stock products which can appeal to all?

The environment.

Having touched on the surface of fast fashion in the first paragraph, it is clear that fast fashion is not restricted to clothes – it extends much further than this. One of the key factors which springs to mind when exploring a topic like this is the environment; whether that be to do with greenhouse gases being coughed into the air or whether that be to destroy trees to make space for extensive factories – fast fashion has an extremely substantial impact on the environment. Ms. Chrisostomou, a teacher at ICHS shares her view “Look, it is really bad. Getting those goods to us in the first place is so harmful to the environment.” In essence, logistics and transportation of the product total up its product miles, which is the total distance a product travels before getting to you. Planes and ships travelling across the seas release an alarming amount of C02 into the air. On average, per container 1.913kg of C02 is emitted from a ship from China to London. 20,000 of these per ship on 90,000 ships annually. That is how much C02 is released from these ships. Now, it is not all clothing products, but approximately 8% of all international trade involves clothing. That is how severe these consequences can get.

The people.

Social impacts. It is not recently that we have found about the child labour situations in China and Bangladesh, both hubs for manufacturing goods. Large industrial giants such as Primark have also been involved in numerous scandals involving these situations.

11.3%. That is the percentage of children who are involved in child labour, almost all of them forced to do it for a better lifestyle. Despite this, they are still underpaid. “It’s absolutely shocking to say the least,” says Munzer.

And by extension, what are industrial giants trying to do to resolve this situation? Pumping more and more clothes day by day from across the ocean to be sold at a cheap price but pay the manufacturers even lower for their toil. “The clothes go on and on and on,” says Ms. Chrisostomou, referring to the situation of garments in Primark. So, this then raises the question – is anyone actively doing anything to resolve the situation?

Challenges faced when trying to combat fast fashion.

Although on paper it may seem easy to restrict supply and pay more to the manufacturer, this is not the case. “The economic loss which companies may suffer by limiting the variety in their catalogues will be incomprehensible,” says Shabib. As supply is restricted and styles are discontinued to combat fast fashion, the consumer appeal rapidly decreases, forcing the customer to go elsewhere. But then this raises the question – are companies prioritising their profits over social and economic concerns? This is one of the many unanswered questions regarding fast fashion.

In addition, now there are so many alternatives which do not combat fast fashion but instead add on to the ongoing crisis. Companies like Shein and Temu have established their online portfolios, in which products can be purchased for an extortionately cheap price, due to the severely underpaid workers who manufacture these goods. “It’s like you close one section and ten others open,” says Ms. Chrisostomou. In recent years, there has been an influx in the amount of online clothing stores, all adding to the fast fashion crisis, which is a challenge in its own to combat.

Moving forward with fast fashion.

Despite fast fashion being at its peak currently, there is still time before irreversible damage is caused. So, what measures can we take to make sure that we can still delve in the latest trends, but sustainably and responsibly?

First and foremost, a balance between acknowledging the conveniences of fast fashion and confronting its social and environmental impacts is essential. More awareness must be raised about the topic so individuals who are looking to purchase new clothing know exactly where this is coming from and if the purchase is ethical at all.

“We can also purchase higher-quality, timeless clothing,” says Ms. Chrisostomou. However, this option may not be accessible for everyone as brands like Ralph Lauren and Dior are typically much more expensive than clothing from much more affordable brands like Primark and H&M.

In conclusion, the future of fashion lies in our own hands. Our ability to have a balance between convenience and consciousness can go a long way. Although the allure of trendy, affordable clothing may seem appealing at first, it is essential that we acknowledge that and address the destructive impacts this may have on society. By fostering transparency amongst us, we can ultimately change the future of fast fashion. For good.