Gann & Shanks 1

Anna Shanks and Callie Gann

Mrs. Floyd

English 8-2

*insert date here*

The Fight with Fast Fashion

Everyday, children risk their lives to give consumers affordable and trendy clothes, easily

accessible at everyone’s fingertips. This phenomenon has earned the nickname “Fast Fashion” in

America. While it provides jobs for many people in third world countries, it also has a strong

impact on climate change. As well as its negative environmental impact, workers, which are

often underaged, are put in unhealthy and dangerous situations. Fast Fashion should be outlawed,

and a more ethical solution should be found.

Fast Fashion has detrimental environmental impacts, and according to Due to increased

demand, clothing manufacturers were forced to double their production between 2000 and

2014(Kozolwski). According to The Wall Street Journal, “As a whole, the world’s citizens

acquire some 80 billion apparel items annually”(Thomas). Because of the enormous production

and consumption rates, waste from the textile and garment industries has skyrocketed. One artist,

Christain Boltanski, decided to make an entire art piece using thirty tons of abandoned clothing;

he calls this piece “no man's land”.

As well as contributing to the ever-present reality of climate change, Fast Fashion also

unlawfully employs underage workers, who are put in risky situations consistently. As stated by

the International Labor Organization, then quoted by a Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online

Collection article, “Over 150 million children are victimized by child labor, with North
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American and European demand for Fast Fashion driving large numbers of them to the textile

and garment manufacturing industries.” As well as children, clothing designers have also been

affected by the Fast Fashion industry. Their designs are constantly being stolen and plagiarized in

order to save time and money, and they do not receive any credit for their work.

Unfortunately, we have also seen unlawful labor and unsafe working conditions in the

past, one of the most prominent and tragic events being the triangle shirtwaist fire. “The fire that

claimed the lives of 146 people, most of them immigrant women and girls, caused an outcry

against unsafe working conditions in factories and sweatshops''(Batten). The fire took place on

the eighth floor of a ten story building. The doors were locked to prevent the employees from

stealing fabric, so they only had a few options, a narrow staircase, a fire escape, one working

elevator, or jump. The elevator and the fire escape broke with the first group of girls. Soon after,

the firefighters showed up but their ladders only reached the 6th floor and one elevator was out

of service, leaving the women on top to jump, go down a small, narrow, staircase or get on the

fire escape. So many women were desperate to leave that the fire escape broke. This is only one

situation that women and children were put into danger because of unsafe working conditions.

Those who support Fast Fashion make valid points. For example, Fast Fashion offers

lowered prices at popular stores. This can happen because production prices are lowered and a

much more massive amount of products can be produced. While it does employ underage people,

it provides jobs for families in need of an income source. Instead of using Fast Fashion, we could

possibly make more eco-friendly factories in these third world countries, to provide jobs.

In conclusion, Fast Fashion is harmful in many ways, from harsh chemicals, to underage

workers. These companies are risking a lot just to have cheap clothes, only for consumers to

wear them a few times. These companies are employing underage workers, and putting their
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lives at risk. These companies are hurting the environment and stealing from designers.

Although this method can make clothes cheap and employ many people, it is putting plenty of

lives at risk. Fast fashion should be outlawed and a more ethical solution should be found. This

phenomenon, which affects everyone, could cost the planet and has negative impacts on many

people's lives.
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Works Cited:

Thomas, Dana. “The High Price of Fast Fashion.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones &

Company, 29 Aug. 2019,

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-high-price-of-fast-fashion-11567096637. Accessed 11 of

Oct. 2021

"Fast Fashion." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/EBHFOF191829387/OVIC?u=morenetcis&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=0

a6f7fd1. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

Horton, Helena. "Renting Clothes Is a Viable Alternative to Fast Fashion." Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/NXZGPO327295429/OVIC?u=morenetcis&sid=bookmark-OVI

C&xid=eb3a49ff.

Accessed 27 Sept. 2021. Originally published as "Renting clothes will replace fast fashion,

entrepreneur says as young people turn backs on throwaway dresses," The Telegraph, 27

Aug. 2019. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021

Kozlowski, Anika. "Fast fashion lies: Will they really change their ways in a climate crisis?"

Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Opposing
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Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/ERYROB176049417/OVIC?u=morenetcis&sid=bookmark-OVI

C&xid=a4338bb3.

Accessed 27 Sept. 2021. Originally published as "Fast fashion lies: Will they really change their

ways in a climate crisis?" The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2019.Acessed 27 Sept. 2021

Neufeld, Abby. "Pivot away from fast fashion: Four ways to dress more sustainably." This

Magazine, vol. 54, no. 2, Sept.-Oct. 2020, p. 9. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A639172815/OVIC?u=morenetcis&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=8

ce4c1df. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.

"Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Donna

Batten, 3rd ed., vol. 10, Gale, 2010, pp. 114-117. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1337704412/OVIC?u=morenetcis&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid

=3bd81fc3. Accessed 27 Sept. 2021.