Us youngsters most likely have a wardrobe full of clothes that are probably produced from the inexpensive cycle of fast fashion. Although we may go on spending sprees buying these affordable but trendy clothes, not all of us actually know how they are produced through this cheap process. I, for example, only recently found out about fast fashion.
Fast fashion, in simple words, is a process which selects ideas and trends from celebrity culture and recreates garments and accessories that are similar. These garments can then easily be found in high street stores for as little as £5-£10. Because of this process, we are able to buy and wear clothes as a hobby or leisure activity instead of viewing them as a necessity. We can also discard of these garments when they are no longer useful without having to worry about the loss of money.
This is definitely a relatively recent process. I hear many elders speaking about how clothes and garments were often tailored for them and how they'd only buy clothes a few times a year; not as often as we, the younger generation, do. But, despite how much you cannot resist the urge of buying those cheap jeans and stylish shirt, fast fashion does have a dark side too.
Fast fashion can have a huge environmental impact on the planet, adding to the numerous problems related to global warming that we have already. Impacts include: use of low-priced, but toxic, textile dyes, cheap materials such as polyester, which is taken from fossil fuels and also the increasing amount of clothes being discarded, which raises the amount of landfills.
Not only does it impact the world environmentally, but also affects certain people from developing countries. Workers involved in this process are forced to make these clothes with extremely low wages and with the absence of basic human rights. Farmers who make the materials needed for manufacturing the clothes are often exposed to harmful and toxic chemicals which takes a toll on their health.
A classmate of mine says that "it's difficult" to have a fixated opinion on fast fashion. She continues by saying that it's "really bad for the environment" and the people that produce these garments have "unfair payment". She concludes by saying that at the same time clothes are "more accessible for more people" and its "affordable for most people who might not be able to get less environmentally damaging products".
If the choice was up to you, would you be willing to spare an extra few pounds to help the world as well as helping the poor who make these cheap products? Or, will the temptation to shop from your most favourite and trendiest high street store be too large to resist?
By Jayashree Parimita, Gumley House
