Draft:The Fast Fashion Frenzy: A Dream We Must Wake Up From
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Last edited by Hershey.elyulisa.napoles (talk | contribs) 32 hours ago. (Update) |
The Fast Fashion Frenzy: A Dream We Must Wake Up From
Written: Hershey N.
At least once in your daily online scrolling, I am pretty sure that you have seen one or two shopping hauls or get-ready-with-me videos circulating on various social media platforms. Whether it is on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, these videos somehow increase our desire to buy more clothes even though we don't need new ones.
According to The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news outlet, these videos are “tactics” to convince us to get stuck in mindless overconsumption. These videos show different influencers or content creators wearing new and trendy clothing which are most commonly bought from fast fashion brands. After seeing your favorite influencer wear these pieces, your ultimate impulse is to check the brand’s site and browse for the clothes they offer. You dream of having these stylish pieces in your own closet and being able to wear the same apparel as those online influencers. But what if I told you that these fast fashion brands actually harm our planet? And in buying their products, we also contribute to this?
According to Investopedia, fast fashion is described as “low-priced but stylish clothing that moves quickly from design to retail stores to meet and capitalize on trends.” Cheaper, quicker production and delivery techniques, customer demand for trendy looks, and the rising purchasing power—particularly among young people—all contributed to the rise of fast fashion. It allows consumers to purchase affordable and fresh new outfits, gratifying their thirst to wear elegant and classy attire without having to pay for a higher price. Some examples of fast fashion brands that can be found here in the Philippines are your local mainstays Penshoppe and Bench, as well as the international massive companies H&M and Zara. These brands often release several collections with various styles of clothes consumers could choose from. Every season, a new collection comes out.
This is the sad reality we face today. People often overlook the negative impacts of fast fashion, and keep spending their paycheck on cheap apparel without knowing that these brands actually harm our planet in various ways. The fashion sector uses more water than any other industry and contributes roughly 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which is far more than all international travel and shipping combined, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Earth.org, an environmental news website, also mentioned in their article the different impacts of fast fashion which include the usage of tremendous quantities of energy and water, the release of greenhouse gases, and the exhaustion of natural resources. Additionally, synthetic fibers that take countless years to decompose such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, are also used by fast fashion companies.
A 2017 assessment done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature also found that the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester was responsible for 35% of all microplastics—tiny fragments of non-biodegradable plastic—found in the seawater. Furthermore, the production of cotton, which is used in many fast fashion items, is not environmentally beneficial. Farmers' health is at a risk while using pesticides that are thought to be essential for cotton growth.
Fortunately, there are environment-friendly alternatives to fast fashion that we should take into consideration next time we decide to go shopping for new outfits. According to Green Suggest, these are Slow fashion and Sustainable fashion.
• SLOW FASHION
Slow fashion could potentially help lessen the negative environmental impacts of fast fashion by assuming a non-consumer mindset and changing our purchasing behaviors to ones that are better for our planet and its inhabitants. The slow fashion movement aims to encourage consumers to keep a minimalist wardrobe and invest in clothes that they could keep for a very long time. Moreover, Slow fashion brands offer timeless and high quality looks made with sustainable materials.
• SUSTAINABLE FASHION
No matter how chic and trendy their clothes are, we can’t deny the fact that fast fashion brands cause injury to our planet. We must wake up from this fashionista dream and understand that our planet is more important than some piece of elegant clothing. We have to learn how to resist the temptation.
Instead of mindlessly buying new outfits, why don’t we make use of what we already have? With the available clothes in your wardrobe, you can mix and match and create a new fit without having to contribute to the destruction of the environment. After all, in this day and age sustainability is indeed the new trendy.
References:
Boucher J. & Friot D. (2017). Primary Microplastics in the Oceans: a Global Evaluation of Sources. IUCN. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313900056_Primary_Microplastics_in_the_Oceans_A_Global_Evaluation_of_Sources
Green Suggest. (n.d.). Slow fashion VS Sustainable fashion. https://greensuggest.com/slow-fashion-vs-sustainable-fashion-as-strong-responses-to-fast-fashion/#:~:text=Slow%20fashion%20focuses%20on%20brand,of%20a%20product's%20life%20cycle
Hayes, A. (2024, June 29). Fast Fashion: How It Impacts Retail Manufacturing. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fast-fashion.asp
Maiti, R. (2024, January 5). Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact. https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/
Makkar, M. & Spry, A. (2024, October 1). Gen Z supports sustainability – and fuels ultra-fast fashion. How does that work. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/gen-z-supports-sustainability-and-fuels-ultra-fast-fashion-how-does-that-work-238874#:~:text=Gen%20Z%20consumers%20are%20plugged,trends%20that%20accelerate%20fast%20fashion
UN Climate Change News. (2018, September 6). UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon. https://unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon#:~:text=The%20fashion%20industry%2C%20including%20the,aviation%20and%20shipping%20industry%20combined
UN Environment Programme. (2019, March 14). UN Alliance For Sustainable Fashion addresses damage of fast fashion. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-alliance-sustainable-fashion-addresses-damage-fast-fashion