What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that
samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into
garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer
demand. The idea is to get the newest styles on the market as fast as
possible, so shoppers can snap them up while they are still at the
height of their popularity and then, sadly, discard them after a few
wears. It plays into the idea that outfit repeating is a fashion faux
pas and that if you want to stay relevant, you have to sport the latest
looks as they happen. It forms a key part of the toxic system of
overproduction and consumption that has made fashion one of the world’s
largest polluters. Before we can go about changing it, let’s take a look
at the history.
The History Of Fast Fashion
Before the 1800s, fashion was slow. You had to source your own materials
like wool or leather, prepare them, weave them, and then make the
clothes.
In the 1900s the Industrial Revolution introduced new technology—like
the sewing machine. Clothes became easier, quicker, and cheaper to make.
Despite the increasing number of garment factories and sewing
innovations, a great deal of clothing production was still done in the
home or in small workshops throughout the beginning of the 20th century.
The fabric restrictions and more functional styles that were made
necessary by World War II led to an increase in standardized production
for all clothing.
Fast fashion grew excessively during the late 20th century as
manufacturing of clothing became less expensive — the result of more
efficient supply chains and new quick response manufacturing methods,
and greater reliance on low-cost labour. The concept of
fast fashion
was officially coined in the 1990s by the New York Times
The Impact
Fast fashion is harmful to the environment, garment workers, animals,
and, ultimately, consumers' wallets.
Learn more about the global impact of Fast Fashion
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