Fast fashion is just what it sounds like: An industry of quickly produced clothes — widely considered to be poorly made — that don't last long before they need to be replaced. But while the consumer price tag on these clothes is cheap, the true cost is staggering.
Vinita Baravkar is the founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton (@bhumi_organic_cotton), a carbon-neutral, ethically sourced clothing and textiles company. Baravkar posted a video on Instagram detailing the devastating impact that fast fashion has on its workers.
"You should never glamorize fast-fashion hauls," Baravkar says, speaking over footage of an influencer unboxing an enormous shipment of plastic-wrapped clothing items. "Always understand, the only way to pay next to nothing for clothing is by exploiting people along the supply chain."
Continuing, Baravkar shares: "A lot of fast-fashion giants are accused of underpaying workers as little as 4 cents per garment, even exploiting children in the manufacturing factories. … Always look for certifications like Fair Trade to ensure that everyone involved in creating your piece of shirt is treated properly, with fair wages."
Commenters were horrified by the information. "This is so so important," one person wrote.
Not only have fast-fashion companies been documented exploiting workers, but they also reportedly do an incredible amount of damage to the environment. "They even refuse to disclose information about their carbon footprint or use of hazardous chemicals that might be harming consumers' health and the environment," Baravkar adds.Â
According to the World Bank, the fast-fashion industry uses enough water each year to meet the needs of 5 million people. Because clothing is so labor- and resource-intensive to make, it's all the more discouraging that "many clothing items are worn merely seven to ten times before being discarded," per State of Matter Apparel.Â
And these problems aren't limited to cheap fast-fashion companies like Shein, Temu, and Zara. For example, athleisure brand Lululemon recently came under fire for not only failing to meet its pollution-reduction goals, but actually increasing its pollution since setting those goals.
The more consumers learn about these dirty practices, the more they are looking to migrate away from fast fashion.
According to secondhand clothing resale platform ThredUp, the U.S. secondhand market grew 11% in 2023, which was seven times faster than the broader U.S. clothing market.
"Fast fashion is a no for me," one commenter emphasized.
"I avoid them at all costs now," another agreed.
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