06/24/2020

What is Fast Fashion and What's Wrong with It?

I’ve never been a trend-setter when it comes to fashion; in fact, I once took a fashion quiz that labeled me as an Audrey Hepburn wannabe. It’s true; I love black, A-line cuts, and timeless pieces, so I’ve never been one to purchase ‘fast fashion’ clothing. We all know what fast fashion is – inexpensive clothing that moves swiftly from the runway to stores so that buyers can be on trend. Wearers often wear the item only a couple times before heading back to the stores to purchase newer trends; in fact, many fast fashion retailers bring in new product several times a week.

What’s Wrong with Fast Fashion?

1. Low Quality – For a garment to end up on a store rack in its fashion season, the item is rushed through production often times made with inferior fabrics, poor stitching, and the wrong number of buttons. The pieces aren’t made to last, which leads to problem number two.
2. Waste – Because buyers don’t pay much for these pieces and because they are constructed so poorly, most folks don’t mind wearing a garment a few times before tossing it out. After all, they’ve likely already purchased several new pieces to wear instead. Each year, the U. S. throws away roughly 11 million tons of clothes.
3. Environmental Impact – Many fast fashion brands use chemicals on their fabrics and synthetic fibers, and pollutants from those two items can seep into ground water when you do your wash.
4. Workforce Violations – We’ve all heard about sweat shops that push their laborers to the brink insisting they work long hours for unfair wages. How else can they get their product out so quickly?

How Do We Combat Fast Fashion?

In upcoming blog posts, we’ll discuss things like natural fabrics, recycling clothes, and purchasing fewer but higher quality garments that won’t go out of style. We’ve learned about another movement out there called “Slow Fashion” where manufacturers focus on using natural fabrics to create quality garments by workers that are paid fair wages.

At A Cleaner World, we want you to be an informed shopper – one who understands what to look for when it comes to quality, fit, and practicality. And when those perfect garments need care, you can count on us to provide the best care for everything you wear. Just stop by one of our convenient locations.