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CaraNina Parker

Professor Trishia Briones

ENGL 1302-227

04 April 2022

Green is the New Pink

Introduction

For years, fashion has been seen as an art form and many people hope to one day own at

least one thing from a designer brand. They are seen as luxurious, the epitome of taste and are a

sign to many that they’ve finally made it. Luxury brands are luxury because they use great

quality fabrics, are unique, often handmade, are status symbols, and timeless. Many people also

watch television. Some will see something they like and try to look for replicas or something

similar that has the same look. A big trend on Instagram for a while was a “get the look” post

where they showed a character’s outfit from a show and then showed you different articles of

clothing that can be used to recreate the outfit. With today’s technologies, trends move much

faster. This is because of fast fashion companies. These companies are ones that put out

garments that have short product life cycles and can replicate trends very quickly. Usually, fast

fashion wins people over due to their low prices. Their products are cheaply made because they

don’t need to last. With trends running as fast as they do, clothes are going through a viscous

cycle of being worn a couple times before they break, or the trend ends, and people move on.

Thrift stores have seen an influx of clothes being donated that are from the same handful of

companies over and over again since they are on the forefront of fast fashion. Fast fashion

allowing trends to cycle through as fast as they are is creating a pollution problem where money

is honored above integrity and the welfare of others.

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Laws

Up until very recently, most laws surrounding fashion were a subset of intellectual

property laws. By referring to fashion laws as just intellectual laws, Mark Brewer says, is

comparable to “calling a Manolo [Blahnik] just another shoe.” (741). It fails to take into

consideration the art forms used and working conditions that often get overlooked. Nowadays,

fashion laws seem to cover every topic needed. However, there are always loopholes. Designers

who design for fashion shows often see their work poorly imitated by fast fashion companies

who are able to mass-produce similar or even direct copies of the work. They are usually able to

do this since intellectual property laws require the work to have a logo or an identifiable

signature that is trademarked or well known. A good example of this are the red soles on

Louboutin shoes. Brewer goes on to say that “fast fashion companies have focused their

infrastructure on rapid communications networks and efficient supply chains rather than actually

shaping new styles” (761). This means that it is actually impossible for it to be coincidence that they copy

others work when they put all their work into other parts of their business and can steadily keep up with rapid

trends.

Environment

Fast fashion has resulted in a rise in waste and an increase in consumption. Because each

stage of the garment life cycle risks the environment and workers, fast fashion leaves a pollution

footprint. Traditional manufacturing techniques devastate the environment and society; thus,

sustainable or ethical fashion is a response. Fast fashion, which includes inexpensive and quickly

accessible of-the-moment clothing, has changed the way people buy and discard clothing. While

fast fashion helps consumers buy more clothes for less money, those who work in or live near

textile manufacturing plants are exposed to disproportionately high health hazards. Millions of
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tons of waste have been generated because of increased consumer habits. (Bick et.al). Lately,

brands have been more scrutinized in terms of their sustainability and ethicality. Low-cost

manufacturing, frequent consumption, and short-term garment use are hallmarks of fast fashion.

Approximately 92 million tons of waste are produced each year, and 79 trillion liters of water are

consumed according to Kirsi Niinimaki (Niinimaki et. al).

The Culprits

Add stuff in here about shein and manipulation tactics

How Sustainability is Achieved

The book Sustainable Fashion Responsible Consumption, Design, Fabrics, and Materials

is a very good source on how brands can be ethical and sustainable. It provides a comprehensive

review of current projects by renowned designers and firms and how they are merging

fundamental sustainable principles with environmentally friendly and repurposed materials.

Fabric types, alternative production processes, and garment maintenance suggestions are

covered. ADD MORE

Conclusion

Significant changes in the fashion ecological model, such as manufacturing slowdown

and the adoption of sustainable supply chain strategies, are needed. Without them, there will be

no changes made to the already less than acceptable policies that are adding significant levels of

pollution to landfills all the sake of fast and easy trends. Luckily, changes are already being

made and it is fairly simple to be more ethical and sustainable in fashion practices.
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Works Cited

Bick, Rachel, et al. “The Global Environmental Injustice of Fast Fashion.” Environmental Health, vol.

17, no. 1, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7. 

Brewer, Mark K. “Fashion Law: More than Wigs, Gowns, and Intellectual Property.” San Diego Law

Review, vol. 54, no. 4, 2017, pp. 739–783. Fall. 

Karaosman, Hakan, et al. “From a Systematic Literature Review to a Classification Framework:

Sustainability Integration In Fashion Operations.” Sustainability, vol. 9, no. 1, 2016, p. 30.,

https://doi.org/10.3390/su9010030.  

Kozlowski, Anika, et al. “Environmental Impacts in the Fashion Industry: A Life-Cycle and Stakeholder

Framework.” The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, vol. 45, no. Spring, 2012, pp. 17–36. 

Li, Guo, et al. “Stakeholders, Green Manufacturing, and Practice Performance: Empirical Evidence from

Chinese Fashion Businesses.” Annals of Operations Research, vol. 290, no. 1-2, 2019, pp. 961–

982., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-019-03157-7. 

Mukherjee, Sudeshna. “Environmental and  Social  Impact  of  Fashion:  Towards  an  Eco-Friendly, 

Ethical  Fashion.” International Journal  of  Interdisciplinary  and  Multidisciplinary  Studies 

(IJIMS), vol. 2, no. 3, 2015, pp. 22–35. 

Niinimäki, Kirsi, et al. “The Environmental Price of Fast Fashion.” Nature Reviews Earth &

Environment, vol. 1, no. 4, 2020, pp. 189–200., https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9.

Pelikánová, Radka MacGregor, et al. “CSR Statements in International and Czech Luxury Fashion

Industry at the Onset and during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Slowing down the Fast Fashion

Business?” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 7, 2021, p. 3715., https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073715.