The evolution of “fast fashion” and its impacts.
Written by Kirsten Kimbler
Social media and the internet play a pivotal role in society today. Not only have they forever changed the way we communicate, but they have completely altered the way we shop for and develop our personal fashion styles. Using social media, our generation has access to dozens of “microtrends” each year and the ability to buy any piece of clothing for any occasion at an unbeatable price.
What are microtrends and fast fashion?
As defined by Ocean Generation, fast fashion is “low-cost, trendy clothing rapidly produced by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” This definition is the direct result of microtrends, which are mass-marketed trends that are significantly shorter and filtered down versions of macrotrends (trends that typically last an entire season and can be universally worn and styled). Fast fashion is a result of microtrends because companies have now realized they can exponentially grow their profits by producing pieces of clothing to suit all the popular microtrends. Fast fashion brands are all around and are nearly unavoidable in everyday life. Brands such as H&M, Zara and Forever 21 are notorious for their production levels, with hundreds of new items on their websites each week. These two concepts have a mutual relationship that allows them to thrive. Without the exceptionally fast production of clothing, trends cannot have an exceptionally fast life span.
The rise of fast fashion
Fast fashion has been around longer than many people realize. The term was first coined in 1989 by the New York Times in an article about a fashion retailer’s mission to produce a piece of clothing from start to finish in only 15 days. Since then, fast fashion has only been growing and evolving to even quicker production, with new garments being produced every day and put on shelves every week. The biggest contributor to the development of fast fashion is online shopping. By the mid to late 90s, online shopping had catapulted into the spotlight as the popular way of shopping.
The rise of popular apps such as Shein and TikTok Shop have fueled online clothing shopping. Both apps are based out of China, where much of the labor takes place. This is how they can afford to produce pieces at such an alarming rate. The growth of these apps is mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to shop in-person. Shein’s popularity grew tremendously in 2020 as TikTok users posted their “Shein hauls” and showed just how much you can get at such a low price. Then, three years later, the success of Shein pushed TikTok to create its very own version of the shopping site. In September 2023, TikTik Shop launched in the United States and United Kingdom. Producing nearly identical items, these two sites have been major influences on the microtrend phenomena and capitalize on the short-lived trends of the fashion industry.
How can you avoid it?
It is likely that fast fashion will never be completely unavoidable, but there are ways you can evade directly supporting it.
Shop secondhand: The best thing I do to stop myself from purchasing fast fashion items is by buying my clothes secondhand. Secondhand can mean any thrift store or garage sale, or even stores like Plato’s Closet, where fashionable clothes are resold.
Buy clothes less often: As hard as it may seem, buying clothes less often will help make sure the clothes you do buy are pieces you truly want and will wear. There will be more time and consideration before purchasing an outfit, which may stop you from buying something that falls into a short-lived microtrend.
Buy long-term: This means investing in articles of clothing that are higher quality and will last you long-term. This can also mean buying “staple” clothing items that can be reworn in several ways and seasons.
Be an outfit repeater: Repeating outfits ensures you are getting the most wear out of all the clothes you currently own instead of buying a new outfit for every occasion.
Create a personal style: By embracing your own personal style, you will find specific pieces of clothing that suit you and will be worn again and again. Many people just wear what is trending, whether they like it or not, leading them to ditch the clothing as soon as the trend has passed. So by finding a style you truly enjoy, you will be less likely to fall into microtrends and fast fashion.