Over the years, fast fashion companies such as Fashion Nova, SHEIN, H&M and many other companies have gained popularity and influenced many. These companies use cheap and highly toxic materials. Fast fashion doesn’t last long, giving people only a few wears out of their clothes. This allows companies to trick customers into continuously buying new clothes. The faster material gets bad, the faster they come back.
Fast fashion companies also have allegations of using child-labor. Children and even adults are being overworked in factories and getting little to no pay. They are in unsafe conditions “I have personally seen for myself on a SHEIN tag written “HELP” on a shirt I bought 3 months ago. It was terrifying to see I didn’t know what to do at the moment.” says 21 year old Lynnise. Who knows what is happening in these factories, some may question where these factories are located?
Fast fashion is also one of the biggest contributors of climate change Fast fashion tends to release bad toxins into the air. Toxins like phosphate, fumarate and many more. People also tend to get allergic reactions to the toxins and clothing in general and it is just relatively bad for you in the long run. “I remember getting a super annoying rash on the left side of my upper chest when I wasn’t wearing clothes from the company “Forever 21 “. It was never a problem when I wasn’t wearing their clothing items.” say 16 year old Nia.
Fast fashion also is known to copy bigger brands, styles and ideas. This allows people to have access to replicas of expensive clothing or items. Not only bigger brands are affected by this but also small brands. This is very devastating, Imagine working on a design that was originally your now being taken without any credit, it’s very cruel.
On the pollution side, H&M was also hit with a lawsuit for false, misleading sustainability marketing. Known as “greenwashing.” This is very unsafe because this shows greed to lure in customers who actually care for the environment. Fast fashion also contains plastic. Plastic takes years to break down and sometimes never breaks down. This leaves landfills full of non-biodegradable materials and harmful chemicals. You might be thinking, What can I do to help get rid of climate pollution? Globally, we can invest into better quality clothes, or organic clothing that can stop the climate pollution. Don’t be afraid to warn others using social media, even protest. We can put an end to this!
