Fast Fashion ~ The approach of most modern high street fashion retailers. It describes the speed of transferring trends as quickly as possible from the catwalks to the high street stores. The speed of changing trends creates the need to produce lots of garments quickly and cheaply. It inevitable leads to the mass-production of garments and a wasteful attitude of fashion consumption as items are neglected as soon as new ones come into the store. The quality of garments is reduced as the retailers compete with lower prices to appeal to the mainstream consumers.
The world of fashion is one of the quickest moving industries in regard to changing trends. In order to keep up, many labels have optimized their supply chains to speed up design and manufacturing processes as well as cut costs. Large retailers such as Zara, Forever 21, and H&M are all at the forefront of this movement within the industry. Don’t let the big names fool you; the impacts of mass manufacturing apparel may shock you.
Fast Fashion was the driving force to my clothing addiction as well as the inspiration which has led me to minimalism. I was a frequent shopper at all the retailers listed and they fueled my habit. I could buy so much at an amazing price that I always walked out with bags full of clothes and I was giddy, until I read the stats on fast fashion.
- 713 gallons of water to make 1 tee-shirt; That is what you would normally drink in a 3 year span.
- Synthetic fibers like polyester, spandex, and nylon are NON-BIODEGRADABLE. They takes 20-30 years to decompose.
- The average american discards 82 lbs of textiles, each year.
- Fashion is the #2 polluting industry in the world.
- Jeans require 900 gallons of water to make one pair.
“Fast fashion is like fast food, empty calories that make us feel full. Factories full of mistreated workers. Rivers full of toxic chemicals. Closets full of disposable wears. Landfills full of yesterdays garments. Process matters. Quality matters.”
~Zady
I really didn’t understand the main offenders were retailers that I frequented, who targeted me with their dirt cheap prices. The business models they use are making them rich by pushing their cheap clothing. They are quick to copy the runways with breakneck speed producing mass amounts of disposable clothing.
What we don’t see is what this is doing to our water, people, resources and landfills. Something to think about before your next purchase.
Making of a Minimalist 