Welcome to the 5th addition of Katie’s Couture! This month, I’ll be covering the topic of fast fashion and how it’s contributing to global warming. My articles are typically lighthearted and focus on actual fashion trends, but fast fashion is a serious issue in the world that should be discussed. 

What is fast fashion?

Fast fashion is the production of trending clothing, usually in large quantities. The companies who make the clothes want to get them out to the public before the trend inevitably dies. Because of this, low quality material is used to speed the production process. 

Fast fashion is tied to influencer culture by this cycle… 

An influencer will post a picture of themselves wearing an outfit. Fans will want to have this outfit to match the influencer. Companies will recreate the outfit as quickly as possible using cheap materials in order to be the first to provide this outfit to the public. This cycle continues when fans discard the old outfit once it “isn’t trending” anymore, and  look for new trends to latch on to. 

How does this impact the Earth?

Fast fashion adds to the negative effects of global warming in many ways. This process creates large amounts of waste. Fashion trends never stop moving forward, so the old trends are being pushed out. This results in large amounts of clothing being discarded. 

What can you do to help?

There are many ways you can fight fast fashion. Here are a few:

-Don’t buy into all the trends. It’s okay to enjoy certain trends, but keep in mind that they go out of style quickly. 

-Buy from sustainable, high-quality clothing brands. Buying from cheap websites such as Shein or Zaful only adds to the issue. 

-Create your own garments. You don’t have to hand-sew all of your clothes, but creating items at home so you can enjoy trends without buying from fast fashion companies is a great way to help.