Fast fashion
Fast fashion describes clothing created with low-quality materials by underpaid / unpaid garment workers in largely unsafe working conditions that are often sold at cheap prices; the vicious cycle of overproduction, waste, overconsumption in the fashion industry; an approach to designing, creating, and mass producing fashion items based on microtrends. -Remake Our World , adapted by Michelle Xie [1]
Before the 1800s, clothing production relied on local artisans and craftsmen. Sourcing materials was expensive, and production relied on knowledge and time not many people had. The Industrial Revolution introduced sewing machines, computer drawings, and artificial textiles, making the production of clothes easier, quicker and less expensive. Fast fashion brands mass-reproduce clothes quickly and at a low-cost, following the trends of high-fashion luxury brands.
Examples of Fast Fashion
Environmental Damage [2]
Fast fashion uses cheap and toxic textile dyes. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter of clean water globally. Cheap fabrics like polyester are derived from fossil fuels. Moreover, conventional cotton growers from developing countries use enormous quantities of water and pesticides. Deforestation to make room for more cotton fields and farming for leather and leather processing plants is a further problem, and hundreds of chemicals are required to process animal hides.
Animals are also impacted by fast fashion as toxic waste is released in waterways and ingested by land and marine life. Animal products such as leather, fur, and wool can result in animal exploitation and abuse.
Exploited Labour
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