Before the American Industrial Revolution, clothing was typically created at home. In order to have a new garment, one would first need to find the materials, prepare them, weave their own textiles, and then finally sew together a new piece of clothing. These pieces would be worn for years. If the clothing were ever torn or ripped, people would repair it themselves. Then, in the late 1800s, the sewing machine was invented, along with the steam powered spinning wheel. New machines like these allowed fabrics to be made faster and much cheaper than before. This rapid production of clothing has only continued to grow over the last century. Now, companies are able to make massive profits by using the cheapest materials possible, thus leading to a new term: fast fashion.

            Fast fashion is the overproduction of cheap and poor-quality garments. The term first originated in the 1990s when the brand Zara opened their first store in New York. Their goal was to take only 15 days for a product to go from being designed to being sold in stores (Rauturier). This business model led to more companies speeding up their manufacturing and using cheaper materials to make larger profits. Now, consumers are able to get trendy and inexpensive clothes in only a matter of days. This may seem like an improvement, but this rapid production of cheap clothing has contributed to the widespread pollution of the planet.

            One of the main impacts of fast fashion is its addition to global pollution. The fast fashion industry accounts for 10% of global pollution, making it the second-largest industrial polluter of the planet (Clarke). One reason for this is because of the cheap materials companies use. Many manufacturers use synthetic materials like nylon, polyester, and acrylic. The problem with these materials is they are made of plastic. When these materials are washed, they release little pieces of plastic called microfibers into the ocean that do not breakdown. These

These microfibers eventually end up in rivers and waterways, creating wastewater that cannot be treated to be consumable again. These cheap materials have also created a “throw away” culture. People buy these low-quality garments that fall apart only after a few washes, and then they feel the need to buy again in order to stay on top of trends. This leads to enormous amounts of clothing ending up in landfills. By using cheap materials to make their products, fast fashion manufacturers have contributed to the widespread pollution of the planet.

            The concept of fast fashion has led to a new market for consumers. People now believe they need to buy more clothing in order to stay on trend. What many people do not realize, however, is the continued production of these garments have created irreversible effects to the environment. One movement that was created in response to this overproduction of clothing is slow fashion. Slow fashion is essentially the opposite of fast fashion. It encourages consumers to research where they purchase their clothing from, and to look at more eco-friendly options. It also encourages consumers to stop treating their clothing as if it were disposable, asking people to look at their closet and see if they can upcycle or simply repair a piece of clothing, instead of buying something new. By implementing this new idea of slow fashion, consumers can help to reduce the effects of the fast fashion industry.

Works Cited

Clarke, Rebekah. “Fast Fashion’s Carbon Footprint.” Carbon Literacy, The Carbon Literacy Trust, August 2021, carbonliteracy.com/fast-fashions-carbon-footprint/#:~:text=The%20fashion%20industry%20is%20the,than%20emissions%20from%20air%20travel!. Accessed 1 October 2022.

Rauturier, Solene. “What Is Fast Fashion.” Goodonyou, Good On You, 26 July 2021, goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/. Accessed 1 October 2022.