Fast Fashion with Fast Impacts

Every few months or so, my friends and I switch from ripped jeans to regular or straight jeans. We usually like to follow the trends that Pinterest and TikTok tell us are cool, so we might also switch from crop tops to baggy shirts because that’s the trend. 

I didn’t realize it was bad until last week when my friend told me she threw out her favorite shirt because it was out of style. She could’ve given it to me, but no. 

But that's not what today is about. Today, we’re talking about fast fashion—how one moment, baggy is in, and crop tops are out. We were consuming a regular amount of water one moment, and the next, we were not. And one moment, energy use is regular; the next, it's not. 

Fast fashion and its consequences are increasingly essential concepts that have recently worsened. Fast fashion results from being recycled constantly because of global changes in fashion. I, for one, have been guilty of this, but so has everyone else. 

The textile industry uses a lot of water through dyes, pollutants, and garment production, which results directly from overwater use. Also, disposing of fast-fashion garments can result in pollution and emissions in the air. This is because garment disposal is heavily polluting.

The industry also relies almost entirely on fossil fuels, which contributes to the depletion of fossil fuels and natural resources. As a result, this can result in the climate change problem we already have to deal with. Another problem that we could face is microplastics in the ocean. Microplastics get into the sea because clothing items are not correctly disposed of, which causes significant harm to ocean wildlife. 

But that’s not the only issue that arises because of fast fashion. Fast fashion can cause poor working conditions because workers must keep up with the trends and create more clothing to accommodate them.

But there are solutions to this problem of fast fashion. For instance, several brands use old clothes and recycle them, so they don’t have to produce more fabric. Some brands are also using new technologies to create more sustainable pieces of clothing. 

So what does this mean to you? Maybe you don’t care. Maybe this means nothing. Or maybe this has taught you something. Whether you realized that keeping up with the trends isn’t cool anymore or that there are sustainable brands, I hope you learned something. Because, like I always say, we are the reason, but we are also the change. 

Works Cited:

Maiti, Rashmila. “Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment.” Earth.Org, 20 Jan. 2025, earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/. 

Langenheim, Johnny. “Five Initiatives Making Fashion More Sustainable.” Environment, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/paid-content-five-initiatives-making-fashion-more-sustainable. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.