Is fast fashion dying?
Instead of the use and throw concept, they now rely on recycled fabrics and sustainable practices. The focus on sustainable production and eco-friendly technologies has led to the slow death of fast fashion. The past couple of decades have seen the maximum fall in production of Fast Fashion.
Fast fashion is on the decline
With concerns about climate change growing with the turn of each season, consumers are becoming more conscious about the impact their purchases have on the planet's well-being.
While the EU's proposals are certainly a move in the right direction, it's clear they don't go far enough to bring an end to fast fashion for good. Ideally consumers will need to distance themselves from the industry and make more sensible choices, but the current economic situation remains a real challenge for many.
Although the EU proposals are a start, it's clear that they don't go far enough to actually halt the rise of fast – and ultra-fast – fashion. “Without addressing overproduction, there is no end to fast fashion,” Skinner concludes.
“At the end of the day, it's also consumer choice.” Yet, while shoppers, and particularly the younger generation, say they're concerned about sustainability, a recent study found that nine out of 10 Gen Z-ers are still buying fast fashion – suggesting that consumer behaviour won't change at the speed that's needed.
About 54% of Gen Z (ages 18-24) and 57% of millennials (ages 25-39) said sustainability is important to them. Yet, those generations are the leading consumers of fast fashion. In ThredUp's 2022 Gen Z Fast Fashion Report, 72% of college students reported having shopped fast fashion in the past year.
Affordability is a major factor that drives consumers to choose fast fashion over sustainable options. While some brands offer more affordable sustainably-made items, fast fashion brands can produce garments at a much lower cost than sustainable fashion brands, allowing them to sell their products at a lower price.
At their core, H&M's business model still relies on low quality clothes that follow short lived trends. This is why H&M is still a fast fashion retailer.
There are many alternative options to buying fast fashion including shopping at second-hand stores, organizing a clothing swap, renting clothes, and adopting new habits to help you resist the urge to buy fast fashion items.
In order to mass produce so many inexpensive garments so quickly, items often aren't ethically made. Factories are often sweatshops where laborers work in unsafe conditions for low wages and long hours. In many cases, children are employed and basic human rights are violated, reports EcoWatch.
Why does Gen Z love fast fashion?
It's a model built to drive consumers toward impulse purchases and an endless cycle of disposable outfits, said Tahirah Hairston, fashion and beauty director at Teen Vogue. […] Sustainable Fashion for All? There is another reason many Gen-Zers prefer fast fashion over more eco-friendly alternatives: it's cheap.
Brands like Zara and H&M established this model, but newer companies like Shein have sped up the cycle - and consequently, the volume. Fast fashion found its ideal consumer in Gen-Z buyers as they are most plugged into all the new trend that seemingly come with every TikTok swipe - and, they desire inexpensive options.
Y2K fashion, eco-friendly design, vintage fashion, gender-neutral fashion, oversized apparel, statement accessories, and personalized fashion are a few of the most well-liked Gen Z fashion trends for 2023.
85% of discarded clothing ends up in landfills
Also, remember that most of our clothes are synthetic – plastic, fossil fuel-based, non-biodegradable –, and if they end up in a landfill they'll spend the next 200+ years breaking down into microfibers (microplastics) that are released into the air, soil, and water.
If the demand for fast fashion continues at its current rate, the total global carbon emissions of our clothing could reach 26% by 2050.
This massive, fast-paced production of clothing causes air, water and soil pollution, and contributes to climate change and deforestation. It creates poorly-made products that will quickly add to the global waste problem. There are also regular human and labor rights violations, and workers are rarely paid a fair wage.
Gen Z are a tech-savvy generation but they like shopping in physical stores just as much as online. A new survey found that Gen Z like being able to see, touch and try a product before buying it. Social media is also a big factor in Gen Z's purchasing decisions, especially TikTok and Instagram.
According to Forbes, one in three Gen Zers feel as if they're addicted to fast fashion. Social media perpetuates the circulation of trends — and subsequently, fast fashion brands — and encourages buyers to prioritize cheapness and convenience over quality.
Nike, Forever 21, Sephora, Urban Outfitters and Lululemon were among the retailers that Gen Zers preferred shopping in-store the most, according to the survey.
PacSun provides very little information about where or how they produce their clothing. PacSun is fast fashion.
What is the root cause of fast fashion?
Fast fashion became common because of cheaper, speedier manufacturing and shipping methods, an increase in consumers' appetite for up-to-the-minute styles, and the increase in consumer purchasing power—especially among young people—to indulge these instant gratification desires.
However, it's worth noting that while Lululemon isn't a fast fashion brand, no brand is immune from concerns about sustainability and ethical production. It's always beneficial for consumers to research and understand the practices of brands they support.
Its parent company, Walmart, is also a fast fashion brand.
In 2013, Walmart was one of the retailers associated with the Rana Plaza factory collapse. They later refused to sign an agreement to provide compensation to the families of the 1,134 garment workers who lost their lives, and the 2,500 people who were injured.
Forever 21 is one of the largest fast fashion retailers in the U.S., and it churns through millions of articles of clothing every season.
In 2021 and 2022 Nike received a 51-60% score in the Fashion Transparency Index (in the same scoring range as the previous year), suggested it started going in the right direction again for transparency. But in May 2023, Nike was hit with a class action lawsuit over “greenwashed” sustainability claims.
