If you’re not familiar with the term fast fashion, then here’s a hint: it’s about rapidly capturing and manufacturing catwalk clothing trends in order to get them in stores as quickly as possible. It’s about mass-producing cheap, fleeting styles to satisfy consumers’ perceived “need” for the tweed cape of the season or the moody floral of the month.
But at what cost? Fast fashion is notorious for more than just converting runway-to-retail trends to the tune of 80 billion garments each year—it’s also to blame for the 16 million tons of textile waste that end up in United States landfills. It’s a dangerous business that wreaks havoc on the environment, exploits field laborers, and endangers factory workers.
When fast-fashion retailers spit out trendy must-haves at lightning speed, the result is inexpensive, poorly made clothing that contributes to its seemingly disposable nature and perpetuates a churn-and-burn mentality. The fact that these clothes won’t last doesn’t seem to matter. Fast fashion wearers just need it to last until the next trend comes along.
Join me in saying sayonara to cheap designer replicas and toxic trends—here are three ways to quit fast fashion for good:
Fast fashion has had its moment. It’s time for ethical fashion to interject. After all, wouldn’t you rather be timeless than trendy?
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