Everybody’s talking about fast fashion vs slow fashion these days, but what do these terms actually mean? And what do they mean for the future of buying clothes?
The climate crisis is still being negatively affected by the impact of fast fashion as the rise in opposition to it keeps gaining traction.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about what fast and slow fashion are and what you should be considering next time you go shopping.
What Is Fast Fashion?
Everyone wants to get their hands on the latest trends as quickly as possible, especially fashion companies. But being able to produce high-quality clothing in the most modern styles is expensive.
Fast fashion is the means by which certain companies are producing on-trend clothing.
Usually made quickly, cheaply, and on a huge scale, fast-fashion products are causing the industry to suffer.
The Dangers of Fast Fashion
Cheap and quick manufacturing comes at a huge cost.
Cheaper materials like polyester are widely used in fast fashion. Synthetic fibers made from crude oil do not degrade for a very long time. Meaning a lot of garments end up in landfill sites as they go out of style.
Even when washed in a washing machine, tiny fibers from fast fashion clothes end up in the ocean. This is contributing to the terrifying amount of microplastics already in our oceans.
Harmful toxic chemicals are also used to dye clothing and apply waterproofing.
Aside from the issues, it continues to boom as consumers come out in droves to get their hands on the latest trends for the cheapest prices.
Price competition has spawned between fast fashion companies. This is making each of them look for quicker and cheaper ways to create the clothes in demand. This race to the bottom line results in cheaper manufacturing, materials, and labor.
The people who actually make most of these garments are exploited workers from poorer countries. They are forced to work up to 16 hours a day and earn a fraction of a living wage.
Many manufacturing countries’ workers’ rights and conditions are under-evaluated and unsafe.
Thousands of workers have died at textile production sites, whether by accident, illness, fires, or injury.
What Is Slow Fashion?
Whether you’re a supplier, vendor, or consumer, slow fashion is about considering where clothing comes from, how it is made, and what impacts it has on the environment and society.
Slow fashion is focused on sustainability. Championing the use of eco-friendly textiles and showing the time and care put into each garment, instead of using mass-production methods.
More time and care put into manufacturing clothing results in higher quality garments perfect for daily use.
Sustainability
Sustainable fashion tends to be a bit more expensive but, considering slow fashion companies are more open about their manufacturing processes, you will know where and how a garment got made and that it was done so sustainably.
Slow fashion also promotes the quality of the product and even encourages buying second-hand clothing as an alternative to buying new all the time.
Using natural textiles like cotton or using recycled materials adds to the quality of the garment and the sustainability of the industry. This means fewer clothes thrown into the trash and contributing to the climate crisis.
Fast Fashion vs Slow Fashion Summarized
Without a doubt, slow fashion is the way forward. A step away from dangerous work conditions and environmental consequences is the right direction.
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