Fast Fashion

Week 3
Fast Fashion
Magnolia Garcia

Consider me guilty; I won’t pretend like I don’t love stopping at Forever 21 or at an H&M while
at the mall. In actuality, it’s their affordability that draws me in. However, I’m not one to clear out my wardrobe every few months just because items are “out of season”; I’ve naturally always cared for my clothes and attempted to extend their longevity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until recently that I realized what I was supporting by continuously turning to these types of chains. A class on Sustainable Design opened my eyes to the reality of planned obsolescence and the lifecycle of clothing. As mentioned in Fast Fashion Sustainability and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands, “. . . sustainability is not a term young consumers typically associate with fashion, although they are very open to environmentalism.” Because this is the case, a huge portion of my generation is oblivious to the effects of fast fashion and it therefore really doesn’t matter to them.

At surface level, fast fashion almost sounds like a good idea; it’s very affordable, stylish
clothing. One of the negative aspects behind it is that those who can easily afford tons of it don’t
hesitate to buy things all the time, wear them once or twice and forget about them or toss them. I truly
believe, however, that this is a matter greater than fast fashion alone; [in the US] it has a lot to do with America’s consumerist culture and the fact that we are always encouraged to buy and spend. With fast fashion being so prominent now, what does that say about our generation? Will fast fashion be viewed as this era's style?