Every year, month, and even day the latest fashion trends change. This ongoing change of trends plays a part in fast fashion. Green Matters mentions in their article the meaning of fast fashion being, “…an unsustainable apparel-making method that produces inexpensive clothing rapidly in response to the latest style trends” (Osmanski 2019). If you notice, the definition mentioned doesn’t speak anything about the people behind the inexpensive clothing, but we will get to that. Throughout my research, I watch a documentary, read a book, and found online articles. The most impacting information I found was through the documentary, The True Cost. Although revolving around the unsustainable aspects of fast fashion, it showed visuals of the condition/ circumstances the people of Bangladesh are in.
Fast fashion is an unsustainable way of producing clothing that companies continue using, but many ask themselves, “where did it start?”. It is something that started rising largely and gained popularity in the 2000s. People used to buy two or three pieces of clothing that were high in quality and moderate in price, but now people buy tons of items at once that are lower quality and lower price. There has been an ongoing competition between stores for who will have the “best deals” or sales. This competition has led companies to increase their manufacturing rates and decrease price. This change affects the makers of the clothing, yet benefits consumers. According to a video by Business Insider, “Forever 21 was one of the first and fastest”.
Jin Sook Chang, Forever 21 cofounder, was approving 400 new trends as the current trends sold. The shelf life of clothing in stores is merely seasonal, and sometimes monthly. These rapid rates are only resulting in disaster. For example, Forever 21 may have started this frenzy, but they are the first ones being pushed out. “Chang told The Times that the company’s rapid expansion — opening stores in 47 countries in less than six years — contributed to a lot of ‘complexity’ with Forever 21’s profitability. She added that changes to the retail industry, including the rise of e-commerce, challenged the business” (Perper & Biron 2019). In other words, wanting to increase so rapidly lead Forever 21 into a complex situation.
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Zara and H&M are the top trending in the fast fashion industry since Forever 21 filed bankruptcy. “In 2015, Zara recorded total global sales of $19.7 billion beating the likes of Gap, Primark, and Abercrombie & Fitch as well as surpassing their 2014 sales by 8%” (Edology). As a result, Zara became the paramount fast fashion trendsetter. On the other hand, H&M has learned from other companies’ mistakes and is now trying to become sustainable. They are guilty of causing major amounts of inexpensive clothing waste, yet are now sending recyclable materials to other countries. In my opinion, this could be one step toward the goal of ending fast fashion, but it will never be enough. People’s lives are being inflicted by the buying habits of people who only consume.
In the film, The True Cost, Morgan, the director, and screenwriter, wanted to show how fast fashion is revolved around “greed, fear, poverty, and power,” while at the same time hoping we, as consumers and humans, would change the way we think about the clothes we wear. Morgan introduces the film by saying something that grasps everyone’s attention, “this is something happening all around the world, yet we are connected as one” (Morgan 2015). Some well-known companies contribute to the fast fashion industry by getting their merchandise from supply chains that originate in sweatshops. “80 billion items are being manufactured every year in this industry” (The True Cost of Fast Fashion).
Companies like Forever 21, Zara, and H&M are the powerhouses to the abuse the sweatshop workers are living. In the 1990s, almost all the clothes purchased was made in the United States. Today, barely 2% of our clothing is from the United States. Over time, companies have shifted from manufacturing in the United States to manufacturing in underdeveloped countries. Companies do this so they can get a cheaper price in manufacturing and higher profits. NY Times reported that they believe fast fashion’s popularity is diming down and soon will be replaced by a more ethical alternative.
A company that already closed down all of its stores due to bankruptcy was Payless ShoeSource Inc. “Payless was the shoe equivalent of fast fashion. The brand was not known for the quality or durability of its product but competed largely on price. As a result, customers could buy whatever boot or heel was in season, and expect to throw it away months later” (Segran 2019). They experienced fewer and fewer people coming into their stores, they ended up in a similar situation as Forever 21 and took down 2,100 stores because they were millions of dollars in debt. Payless ShoeSource Inc. was a smaller impact on the industry compared to companies like ToyRUs.
Consumers of fast fashion are people that fall into the trap of trying to follow the fast fashion trend. The main reason people follow fast fashion trends is for social standards. We are living in an era where Instagram influencers and celebrities are the first things people look at before taking a step. New generations are bringing an end to fast fashion with online shopping (e-commerce). Companies like Fashion Nova, Romwe, SHEIn, etc. have been trending the past couple years, yet are surpassing stores that have been around for a longer period. According to a March 2019 survey, millennials make 60% of their purchases online. People are becoming informed of the environmental damages that are occurring.
There is still the other 40% of millennials and other generations that prefer in-store shopping and keeping up with trends. The number of purchases the other generations makes surpass the difference the millennials are making. If an observational experiment was to be conducted to see how many people walk into a specific store per day, then we would truly see the amount of harm being produced. Trends are no longer seasonal but by monthly holidays. Many consumers have chosen to stop supporting fast fashion brands, but for the wrong reasons. Awareness needs to be shown in new ways and people’s attention needs to be drawn to sweatshop workers.
Everyone talks about fashion and its effect on the environment, but how about the damage it is causing the people who make the clothes we wear. The companies we buy our clothes from have sweatshop working conditions for the laborers behind the $20 jeans. Countries like China, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Ecuador, and Indonesia are where these sweatshops are located. Many tragic incidents have happened in each place, but the main one I found was Bangladesh. For example, in the Rana Plaza incident over 1,000 people died in that incident and another 300 in fires.
Another incident, workers complained to their boss about cracks all over the building’s support beams and walls, but the owner forced to continue sewing. A couple of days later, during a busy workday, the building collapse and the workers inside were killed and severally injured. These images aren’t what people imagine when they go to a store a pick out their next “Friday Night Out” outfit. Aside from bad environments, an estimated 250 million children ages, 5 to 14 are forced to work in sweatshops in developing countries. Workers are mostly women and they have no other choice than to work in what is offered to them.
In the film, The True Cost, a woman tells her story about how she is forced to work in the garment industry to feed her two children. She explained how women don’t want to have children because they will not be offered work or can get fired. Pregnant women are a form of slowing down productivity. Workers in Bangladesh are being paid less than $3 for a day’s work, while owners are “cutting corners,” that make disasters like Rana Plaza happen. According to Los Angeles Times report, a worker claimed they must make 700 pieces of clothing in a day, while the stores get $42,000. These testimonials are shocking and eye-opening. Workers must make a living out of the pennies they are paid. A worker, Ulloa told the LA Times, “I worked so many hours for such little money, I worked on shirts that were priced anywhere from $12.99 to $25 in stores.
What do we get? Pure pennies” (Greene). Ulloa mentions that she pays $450 a month for the apartment she shares with her family and bills take up 80% of her income. Some people do not even have homes or shelters. Thousands of people live in the slum of Bangladesh because their income is never enough to pay anything other than one thing to eat. Some families must share just one dish and the mothers are usually left without eating, to feed their children. Malnutrition and poverty have caused disease and death over the years. In my opinion, the only possible benefit sweatshops can bring is work opportunities. On the other hand, with the conditions and worthless pay, workers are risking their lives each time they leave their homes and go to work.
Change. The only way to get people like Ulloa what they deserve and for fairness to existing in this industry. Many companies are contributing to the challenge of shutting of sweatshop work. As consumers become more environmentally friendly, stores are forced to accommodate and give up fast fashion. Solutions that we can take as consumers are buying from companies that do not support sweatshops or go thrifting. According to a report by The Economist, there is a new service that helps reduce the number of pointless clothes we buy. Rent the Runway is a service where you rent out designer clothes and swap it out once your rental ends. Since your swapping, other people get the chance to wear what you are wearing and it’s the same piece of clothing. This approach minimizes waste and purchases. If a rental received it something you notice you need as your wardrobe, the company gives you the option to buy it.
Another company that is working on decreasing waste and increasing durability in clothing is Patagonia. Patagonia’s mission is to offer quality, durability, and longevity of their clothing. They want to make the best product possible, so people don’t find themselves buying more than one per season. They have mending services for clothing that may tear or break. According to The Economist, Patagonia has tripled its profits and has 1 billion dollars in revenue in 2014. The system they set up is good for the reduction of sweatshops and the depletion of fast fashion.
A thrift store is another amazing alternative to recycle clothing. Thrifting gives used garments a new life and keeps them out of our already filled landfills. It also helps reduce support to sweatshop manufacturers. New generations, like the millennials, are becoming interesting “Do It Yourself” (DIY) projects, where they can express their creativity. Many people also share ideas on how to make one piece of clothing versatile. Clothing swap, vintage stores, small boutiques, and locally handcrafted clothing are becoming more popular than the latest fashion trends. Elizabeth Cline stated that people were wanting to have a story and meaning behind their clothing. People knowing that their shirt from Zara was made by someone who has no other choice to work for penny wages isn’t the story people want.
Going back in time is the simplest solution there is. Cline mentions there being almost all clothing being made in the United States in 1990. Why not go back to that year? Start relying on custom or small business clothing companies. Also, cutting down on the number of clothes in your closet. For example, having 5 dress shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, 14 pairs of underwear, 14 pairs of socks, and 2 pairs of shoes is a decent closet for someone who does office work. No one needs 50 t-shirts and 20 blouses regularly. Shopping has become an addiction to society and trying to reverse it will bring some people into symptoms of withdrawals. I believe that whatever needs to happen, must happen, but people cannot keep suffering at the cost of other people’s way of spending/living.
Time is leading people to be educated on all topics in the world. Education is prospering in today’s communities. One topic that isn’t spoken about as often as it should is labor law and labor studies. Learning about conditions people live in and the way they are treated because they have no alternative and they are taken advantage of is a topic beyond compare. I believe that if more people knew all the circumstances and hardships, then they wouldn’t be so willing to cooperate with the companies causing the damage. Companies purposely make it nearly impossible to not use products or clothing done by unfair labor or abuse. Yet, there is always a way to make the change needed.
In conclusion, several companies are involved in fast fashion, like Zara, H&M, Forever 21, Payless, and more. They all have one thing in common, sweatshops that abuse labor laws and render workers powerless. There is movement on the move right now that encourages ethical clothing. Going to the thrift store and being a part of Rent the Runway are small steps that if everyone takes them, then we can leave a huge mark.
Works Cited
- Attitudeorganic, by: “Fast Fashion Brands to Avoid.” Attitude Organic, 13 Sept. 2019, https://attitudeorganic.com/fast-fashion-brands-to-avoid/.
- Gerdau, Axel, and Channon Hodge. “The Price of Fast Fashion.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 May 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/video/business/100000002214634/the-price-of-fast-fashion-.html?auth=login-smartlock.
- Greene, Sean. “Behind a $13 Shirt, a $6-an-Hour Worker.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8AD, https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-fi-forever-21-factory-workers/.
- Hodal, Kate. “Abuse Is Daily Reality for Female Garment Workers for Gap and H&M, Says Report.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 5 June 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jun/05/female-garment-workers-gap-hm-south-asia.
- Osmanski, Stephanie. “What Is Fast Fashion? (Plus, Alternatives That Are Sustainable and Affordable).” Green Matters, Green Matters, 21 May 2019, https://www.greenmatters.com/p/what-is-fast-fashion.
- Perper, Rosie, and Bethany Biron. “Forever 21, Once among America’s Fastest-Growing Fast-Fashion Retailers, Files for Bankruptcy.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 29 Sept. 2019, https://www.businessinsider.com/forever-21-will-file-for-bankruptcy-close-hundreds-of-stores-2019-9.
- Segran, Elizabeth. “Payless Is Closing All 2,100 Stores in Yet Another Sign of the Death of Fast Fashion.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 15 Feb. 2019, https://www.fastcompany.com/90308648/what-2100-payless-store-closures-say-about-the-death-of-fast-fashion.
- “The Rise of Fast Fashion.” Edology, https://www.edology.com/blog/fashion-media/rise-of-fast-fashion/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019.
- Morgan, Andrew, director. The True Cost. 2015.
- “The True Cost of Fast Fashion.” YouTube, The Economist, 29 Nov. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLfNUD0-8ts.
