"Fast fashion”: A low-cost fashion?

By: Valeria González Araya.

The concept of "fast fashion" refers to the fashion industry's constant and excessive production of
large volumes of low-cost clothing. The beginnings of fast fashion date back to the 19th century,
where its objective was to bring fashion as quickly as possible to stores and thus create greater
access to garments. Then, during the second half of the 20th century and the arrival of the
technological revolution, the concept of "fast fashion" became much more firmly established, as
retail began to position itself with brands such as Topshop (1964), Zara (1975) and Forever21
(1984), which crowned fast fashion. Subsequently, with globalization and technology, advertising
became widespread, consumption multiplied and, consequently, production and delivery times
became even shorter, leading to a glut of clothes made with very cheap labor.

But is this industrial model really low-cost? To delve into this question, we must first understand
where and under what conditions this industrial model develops. Basically, to generate these large
quantities of clothing, companies resort to the exploitation of the different actors involved in this
production chain, generally brands find their producers abroad. Countries such as China,
Cambodia and Bangladesh, are the main importers of fast fashion and this is due to the level of
poverty that exists in these countries, where offering less than five dollars for more than 16 hours
of work to a person can be politically correct. In addition to the very low wages, working
conditions are appalling; factories in poor condition, minors working in the factories, extreme
working hours and precarious health and sanitary conditions are some of the many realities that
these workers experience, which makes their work not only difficult but dangerous. One of the
most scandalous cases worldwide that evidenced this harsh situation was the one that occurred in
2013 in Bangladesh, known as "the Rana Plaza collapse" where approximately 5,000 workers
(mostly women) died due to the poor structural condition of the textile factory.

And as if the disregard for workers were not enough, we must also take into account the
environmental impact generated by fast fashion, since this industry is one of the most polluting
worldwide. According to the United Nations (UN), it causes 10% of carbon emissions in the world,
20% of wastewater and 62 million tons of clothing are produced annually on the planet, but the
vast majority of these garments are not biodegradable, since more than 60% of the clothes
produced are made from synthetic raw materials that can take centuries to decompose, which
consequently contributes even more to the increase in global warming that afflicts us today and is
a cause for great concern around the world.
Given this, is it really a saving to buy this type of garment? Absolutely not, because if we
contribute to this industrial model we are making invisible all the social, environmental and labor
abuses that lead to the creation of these products and we must take into account that these are
irreversible costs. Therefore, to combat this problem the first thing we must do is to generate
greater awareness and question our own consumption habits, learn to be responsible and
respectful with what we acquire. One way to curb this model is to choose to consume garments
manufactured under a sustainable or circular model, prioritize the purchase of second-hand
clothing or reuse textiles. While these changes help to slow down this situation a little, it would be
essential to form a real commitment on the part of the textile industries, both in environmental
matters and in the working conditions they provide, and to generate greater regulation by
governments on the labor scenarios that are implemented.