As the holiday season draws near and people have begun shopping for their loved ones, I’ve seen much more buzz on the sustainability of this particularly consumeristic holiday. One of the leading polluters today comes in the form of fashion. Every day we consume more and more clothing, and fast fashion is causing trends to cycle at abnormally high rates.
Today I would like to discuss the complications that come with fast fashion. It’s very easy to think of the negatives that are behind brands like Shein. Shein is notorious for producing clothing in mass quantities and having questionable labor practices. These are obviously negative things and they are often justified by the low prices that these companies can offer.
These are negatives and I am personally an advocate for sustainable fashion, but I also think it’s important to understand why the cycle of fast fashion is able to keep moving. For starters, the presence of social media has caused a very unattainable sense of style. Influencers are constantly gifted new trends and by the time everyone else is able to buy into this trend they only get one or two wears out of the item before they are expected to hop onto the next trend.
Another aspect of fast fashion is the cost. These clothing items are being sold at a price point that is very affordable which is especially true on sites like Shein. It’s important to factor in that these prices might be the only ones that some people can afford before going into harsh judgment. Clothing can be very expensive when you are trying to purchase sustainably or difficult to find when thrifting.
The people buying off of Shein because they cannot afford higher prices should not be getting the brunt of the criticism. Companies like Shein and other fast fashion brands should be the ones facing criticism for not instilling better practices just so that they can continue to add to this harmful cycle. This doesn’t mean that people should still be buying $500 Shein hauls, but I still don’t believe the consumer should receive the majority of the criticism.
Some alternatives to fast fashion include thrifting at stores such as Goodwill and Texas Thrift. For more modern fashion I would recommend places like Buffalo Exchange, Plato’s closet, or mobile apps such as Depop. There are options out there to try and combat the carbon footprint fashion is leaving on our planet.