The Effects Of Fast Fashion On The World

In this essay written by Lucy Siegle she explains the dangers of fast cheap fashion. She how seasonal fashion that is bought is thrown away and how it is bad for the ecosystem. Then she goes over what the consumer can do to fix the problem using facts and alternatives. Although the thesis is not given it is implied that the more we buy fast fashion the worse the ecosystem will get.

This essay will explore the effects social and political changes had on fashion in the 1980’s. This period was chosen because the new romantic fashions were so different to the punk fashions that had been before, this essay will therefore identify the changes that had taken place to influence this change. Primary evidence used to support findings will include interviews and photographs which will show a firsthand account of the period.

Central idea: Our environment is being destroyed by the fashions business models and several organizations are revolting against this.

It is impossible to beat a cheap price. In today’s world, finding a sought after item at a dirt cheap price is one the main motivation American’s get in the car and battle the craziness in the mall. And as the basic American human beings that we are, it is never possible for us to be complacent with the amount of stuff we currently have. Eventually, we will come across a friend that has the next must have item that will cause us to run to our local mall and purchase a similar item at the lowest price possible. With all that said, it is no wonder why the industry of fast fashion has taken off over the past decade. Felipe Caro and Victor Martínez-de-Albéniz, researchers for UCLA’s school of supply chain coordination, define fast fashion as “a business model that combines four elements: (i) fashionable clothes mostly for consumers under 40; (ii) affordable prices in the mid-to-low range; (iii) quick response; and (iv) frequent assortment changes”. Retailers like H&M, Forever 21, Target, and Wal-Mart have been able to take this business model and make a fortune. But while all these quick trends and cheap prices are great for the consumer, its cost on the foreign worker and the environment does not go uncovered. In the book Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline, she presents many arguments supporting the claim that fast fashion is unethical based on

TenTree has created a product with the positioning to give customers clothing options that are environmentally and socially responsible. They promise to plant ten trees for every item purchased and only use factories that are approved by WRAP. (TenTree, n.d.) They also have a large selection of t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, tanks, hats, and toques, in a variety of different colours and sizes. (TenTree, n.d.) Satisfying the customer wants for a wide variety of socially and environmentally responsible clothing has created functional-instrumental value for their customers.

Fashion is everything to society and the media. The fashion industry has transformed into a necessity in the life of people. Everyone wants to look good, feel fabulous and feel as if we belong with everyone else. The envy and desire to wear certain things and look a certain way all come, from wearing the latest fashion handbags, accessories, dresses, shoes, and the list goes on. But, when is considering fashion into an individual’s life going too far to the extreme? Many do not consider the whereabouts of fashion materials and how the environment is affected by the mere existence of certain garments. Some may believe these objects grow on trees. But that is clearly not the case. Even though it would be nice. The fashion industry as a

I watched the documentary, The True Cost which explores the communities around the fast fashion industry and follow a few workers to share their stories. In the film there is similar pollution in the community because of the factories similar to what you mention happens outside the Zara factory with the river changing colors based on the colors they are using in the factory. I am glad you brought up donating your clothes and how even though you think you are doing something good by donating them they do not always end up going to someone who needs them but sometimes in landfills which harm the environment since they do not decompose. About twice a year I will go through my closet and make a clothing donation, its upsetting to

Factors such as economics, global, politics, socio-cultural, technology, and demographics may affect the performance of the company (Anderson, 2012).According to Patagonia, their love for the environment runs deep. They actively donate at least 1% of their sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups all over the world who work to help reverse the tide (Patagonia, n.d.). Additionally, by being in touch with their core values for over 40 years, they understand that some of their business activities such as lighting the stores to the dying of their products increase pollution. As a result, Patagonia works steadily to reduce those harms, by using recycled polyester and only organic rather than pesticide infected cotton (Patagonia, n.d). Considering this, the connection is created between the company and the external environment factors. These factors trickle down to the consumer who buys the product. The socio-cultural component is expressed throughout Patagonia. The socio-cultural component is concerned with societal and cultural factors such as values, attitudes, trends, traditions, lifestyles, beliefs, tastes, and patterns of behavior (Anderson, n.d). By Patagonia strategically managing all the aspects of creating an excellent corporation, it has always been their social responsibility to not only impact the consumers but corporations around them as well. Their mission will always be to change the relationship between the consumer and the products sold to them by creating clothing items that can withstand wear and tear for

Fast fashion is a business strategy, a trend, and an expectation for American consumers. Fast fashion is a way for designs to move quickly and for retailers to show the latest trends in fashion. It consists of trendy, cheap clothing that can be moved throughout the fashion cycle at an astonishingly fast pace in order to get into stores and outlets for consumers to purchase (Cline, 2012, pg. 101). Not just Americans, but consumers around the world have a mindset of wanting fashionable, good quality, and less expensive products that can be used while “popular”, then thrown away when outdated. Fast fashion is a consumer mindset and a way to move endless amounts of clothing through a retailers’ doors in order to make a lot of money on what consumers

Finding an exact definition for the terms “sustainable fashion”. “Green”, “Eco fashion” to a name a few, is close to impossible. We all have the impression everyone understands it the same way but it is false, it has different meanings for all of us.

The fact that there is so much competition in the clothing industry forces companies to seek the cheapest labor and material. To get products that are the least environmentally harmful will cost the company more money. That can lead future CEO’s to look for less expensive resources that may not meet their current standards. For example, because Patagonia makes synthetic clothing, plastics used to make the clothing release micro-plastics into the water when washed. These micro-plastics cannot be completely filtered by waste water filtering plants. (Martinko, Katherine)

As a fashion and textile designer, I am aware of the current fast fashion culture and it has led me to investigate this trend in more depth. Fast fashion is the term that is used to describe clothing collections that hang in our retail outlets, within a few weeks of it being in design, these clothes are quickly available. I am curious about why were are living in a midst of a disposable lifestyle in relation to material possessions.

As technology continues to progress fashion evolves right alongside. Before the invention of the tv the way to spread different styles and outfits was through sketches and designs. By this means it would take extended amounts of time to spread ideas of fashion from one place to another. The influence of technology on the fashion industry cannot be overlooked. Fashion is being rapidly offered to consumers at an amazingly fast rate. Nowadays anybody can have anything they want within the reach of a button on a phone or computer screen, fashion is instantaneous. It used to be following style patterns included venturing to the far corners of the planet in a group of 10 to create a

In today’s society, fashion rules the teen and young adult generations. Billions of dollars are spent each year on designer brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Off-White. At the same time that these large amounts of money are being spent of materialistic aspects of fashion, people in third world countries are struggling greatly. Instead of money being spent on expensive clothing, it could serve a greater purpose by being donated to countries who are in dire need. Absurd amounts of money in first world countries are spent on designer brands, while third world countries struggle to even get their hands on any clothing.

How has the fashion industry adapted to suit the fast paste culture of materialistic needs as oppose to non-materialistic and to what detriment is it effecting the environment?