CNN by Amaya McDonald and Taylor Nicioli
( CNN)- Fashion connoisseurs and ardent clothing shoppers can quickly switch to the most practical — and cost-conscious – options available in order to keep up with the constantly evolving trends propagated by airport shows, influencers, and hectic social media fads.
That’s frequently “fast style” offerings, from e-tailers with their never-ending feeds of wallet-friendly and current clothing or big box stores selling knee-length trench coats or large flannel at discounted prices.
Although affordable elegant may seem like the way to go, the rapid fashion industry is pushing clothing out on a level that is even too big for the majority of customers to keep up with. Additionally, according to the non-profit economic data platform Earth, the materials used can last for as little as seven to ten wears. nonprofit.
Why is strong clothing therefore well-liked?
According to Dr. Preeti Arya, an associate professor of cotton development and marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, the business type known as “fast style” emphasizes the production of clothing in large quantities and as quickly as possible in response to recent developments. The phrase was first used to describe Zara’s primary retail location in the United States in a 1989 New York Times article. According to the Times, the financial brand wanted to develop its design from concept to consumer in just 15 days.
Quick fashion trends are typically referred to as “dupes” on social media. This term refers to clothing that has been inspired by ( and occasionally illegal copied from ) opulent looks created by celebrities and trendsetters or displayed on planes from New York to Paris. The objective of models and manufacturers is to provide customers with these designs at all-too-affordable prices while the clothing is still at its peak of popularity.
Strong style has increasingly allowed for e-tail single product and sellers to take charge, including Shein, an online store from Singapore, Temu from China, Boohoo, ASOS, PrettyLittleThing from the UK, and Fashion Nova, among others. The biggest brands today include large-scale brick-and-mortar retailers with online presences like Zara and H&M.
Online retailers can squeeze out hundreds ( if not thousands ) of designs in small batches and adjust the output rates according to consumer reply, which Shein has argued enables it to minimize waste and overproduction. According to Vox, online retailers have extremely fast production schedules—as little as three days from design to ready-to-buy for shein.
What effect does fast fashion have on the planet?
According to statistics from a March 2023 report by the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP), the fashion industry is responsible for 10 % of annual global carbon emissions. The document also discovered that since 2000, the amount of clothing produced has doubled, with customers purchasing an estimated 60 % more clothing but just wearing it for half as long.
According to a report from the Changing Markets Foundation, fast fashion items are frequently made with materials like nylon, —a unnatural and inexpensive fiber made from gas, an unrenewable coal fuel—to keep production costs low. According to a 2016 statement by Greenpeace, nylon does degrade over the course of 200 times.
With approximately 75 million factory workers worldwide and only 2 % of those earning a living wage, according to George Washington University, the quick fashion industry strongly relies on cheap labor in addition to cheap materials.
For the production of their goods, clothes companies frequently turn to nations like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. According to Humanium, an international organization committed to defending children’s rights, the cloth manufacturing industries in these nations pay workers lower wages, often in hazardous conditions, and sometimes permit the abuse of children.
In other words, Beth Osnes, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado and an authority on strong fashion’s part in the changing climate, said that while the final products may be inexpensive to customers, both the atmosphere and the staff who make them are paying hefty prices.
According to Osnes, “quick fashion accounts for quick designs, quick manufacturing, quickly marketing, and quickly retailing; it does n’t leave the time to consider these bigger needs, like ethical considerations or rights of workers.” ” Fossil energy actually is the stuff from which these clothing items are being created; it not only powers the machinery that is producing these garments.”
Aja Barber, a writer and artist whose work focuses on conservation and ethics in the fashion industry, said,” It’s turned out so quickly that there is no worry for the person who made it or the culture.” The fashion industry actually contributes to some of the planet’s flames, which is true.
Is” green trend” a workable substitute?
According to Good on You, a top resource for fashion company conservation ranks, the name” green style” refers to clothing that has been created and produced to be more environmentally friendly. According to Preeti Arya of the Fashion Institute of Technology, this includes clothing that uses natural fibers, such as cloth, hemp, linen, yarn, and velvet, which are more resilient and last longer.
The UNEP lists shifting usage patterns, investments in shared system, and improvements in environmental and social practices as priorities the fashion industry can create to make their business models more lasting in its 2023 report. These priorities include, for instance, informing consumers of their climate impact and prioritizing recyclability and locally supplied materials within designs.
There are steps consumers can get to lessen their own carbon footprints and actively choose to purchase less speedy clothing, even though these changes may take some time to get accepted practice.
Consumers can be more environmentally conscious in their purchasing decisions by selecting clothing that uses less than 20 % polyester, and products made from natural fibers may last for up to three generations, according to Arya. She continued,” Shopping at thrift stores is frequently another great way to find natural fibers clothes.
Nobody is requesting that you refrain from shopping. However, shop wisely and try to use your money to purchase one high-quality item rather than an abundance of fast fashion principles, Arya advised.
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