With the fast pace in which fashion trends, the usage of fast fashion has increased significantly over recent years. Though, it has not gone on without push back and controversy. Major fast fashion brands, such as Temu and Shein, have amassed a plethora of allegations of unethical labor usage, environmental harm and perpetuating the non-stop trend cycle. can put many consumers in a tough position, as fast fashion is typically the more affordable option. The ethical concerns for many of these companies are incredibly severe, and the quality of the clothes they produce are a disservice to their customers.
“I’ve heard that the production of clothing is unethical, they don’t pay the workers and teh quality is bad,” said sophomore Abigail Lyu.
The growing culture of mass-consumption has led to many fast fashion brands to look for cheaper labor. According to Fast Fashion Getting Faster from George Washington Law, brands tend to avoid having responsibility over factory regulations, handing off to a third-party operation, to alleviate themselves of any legal liabilities. Textile production is incredibly physically taxing and some employees work up to 18 hours a day. They also face unsafe working conditions, as they often are not up to par with factory regulations. Some may argue that this is actually creating jobs for developing countries, as fast fashion companies typically employ impoverished people in nations such as China, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam argued that the fair wages from these jobs aren’t livable. Though these companies provide employment, that is all they really do. Many factories severely underpay their workers while having them work long, grueling hours. People should not be pushed into a position in which the only available employment is one of a major fast fashion factory that strips away their rights as a person. Many other companies utilize factor labor abroad while still having fair wages and hours. According to Ethical Labour Practices in Supply Chains from Sustainability Magazine, the brand Adidas discloses all labor practices, and to many people, it upholds the ethical standard.
“I kind of get why people buy fast fashion, like it’s a lot cheaper. We all know it’s bad but I think people buy it for convenience,” expressed sophomore AJ Chavez.
The main appeal of fast fashion is the price, but this typically comes at an unethical cost.
“Before, [fast fashion] was popularized, clothes came out seasonally, but now they come out every single week! There has been much development with the speed of trends in recent years and it just leads to people feeding into these horrible industries,” Lyu said.
The relationship between microtrends and fast fashion is a symbiotic one. Microtrends refers to the phenomenon of short-lived trends that are incredibly pervasive within certain spheres for only a few months, or even weeks at a time. The increased usage of social media and the growing fashion spaces that exist on the internet have greatly exacerbated the existence of microtrends. This plays into the issue of fast fashion, as cheap, and fast labor is needed in order to constantly mass produce new articles of clothing that are on track with what is on trend. A lot of fashion production isn’t seasonal anymore. Distinctive eras of fashion will be blurred in years to come due to the rapid pace of the trend cycle. Mass producing clothing for a short-lived trend will always prioritize quantity or quality. Even if being on trend within one’s social spheres were of priority, the quality of the clothes won’t serve whoever wears it.
“Fast fashion produces a lot of waste, and I just don’t see the appeal when the quality is so bad,” said sophomore Jenna Ho.
Most fast fashion clothing is made from synthetic fibers, which can irritate the skin and damage it easily. Fast fashion creates a culture of waste due to the mass production and consumption of garments. These clothings often end up in landfill, polluting the environment. The synthetic fibers often used to produce these typically take years to decompose.
Though fast fashion may provide an outlet for those who love fashion to keep up with trends, the ethical concerns outweigh any amountable benefit for the consumer. The quantity over quality business practice leads to poor clothing quality, utilizes unethical labor practices and leads to harm to the environment.