You may be asking yourself, what is fast fashion? Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. This apparel is often cheaply made and intended to be used for a short amount of time.  

Purchasing clothing from these industries allows consumers to get cheap and easily accessible materials. In order to keep up with demand, these brands often over stock stores allowing buyers to purchase merchandise at any time they want. This also allows the consumer to keep up with the latest  trends. “Fast fashion is now everywhere. People love fast fashion because it provides instant gratification. Fast fashion brands and designers offer new stylish pieces of clothing inspired by runway shows at an affordable price very quickly.” (The Advantages of Fast Fashion for Consumers). 

The industry’s biggest selling point is the prices of their products. Due to the process by which the materials are made the final product is able to be extremely low-cost. Gianna Yacobucci, a sophomore from Hubbard High School Says, “Shein is very cheap, stylish and trendy, I’m always able to buy a ton of clothes for a low cost.” 

Though the cost is so low, there is a price to pay for these circumstances. This has to do with the process in which these materials are made. “Garment workers today work extreme hours for poverty wages, often in dangerous conditions. In 2013, the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh collapsed due to shoddy construction, killing 1,100 people and injuring another 2,500. This was hardly an isolated incident, as hundreds of Bangladeshi workers have died in factory fires over the past decade.” (Fast Fashion 101- everything you need to know). In order to keep up with the latest trends, factory workers have to produce these products quickly and relentlessly. The working conditions of the factories play a considerable role in the quality of the clothing, oftentimes the cheaper the product the less durable.  Alyssa Gregory says, “anytime I’ve purchased clothing from a fast fashion company the material was either very thin or easily damaged.” 

Today’s society is surrounded by fast fashion associations, and it is not going away anytime soon. It’s a means to obtain lower cost products that are easily accessible. When walking into a store, think about where the products are coming from and how they are being made.

• https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/advantages-fast-fashion
• https://www.ecowatch.com/fast-fashion-guide-2655084121.html