The ever-evolving fashion world is full of surprises that keep you second-guessing your decision of the ootd. You have to keep yourself updated with the latest trends to rock that new fashion before it becomes outdated. Or do you? We try so hard to keep up with the world moving fast that we forget to pause and think about what outfits are the ones worth keeping up with.
You don’t have to buy into each trend that may burn huge holes in your pocket, but instead, buy into classy outfits that will remain an evergreen choice in all seasons. Read on to find out why you must refrain from buying into trends and instead focus on building a wardrobe:
What is fast fashion?
The Clothes that float from the Catwalk to stores: Fast fashion is the cheap, trendy clothing items or samples copied from the Catwalk or your favorite celebrity culture and soon enters the market as a fashion garment.
People buy into these cheap trends to keep up with the fashion speed, but they soon run out of demand and remain as the unwanted item in your wardrobe. These are the items that you will find in the debris of your wardrobe that remains buried in the corner.
They do not fit with any other clothing items; they are too expensive to be thrown out. Fast fashion plays with the idea that you must buy into the newest trend and sport the latest look if you want to stay relevant.
It may seem toxic to the bare eye, but businesses are built solely on this principle: providing the crowd with fresh clothes for the walk. It would be best to avoid these fashion scams and instead focus on buying what will coordinate your wardrobe into an outfit.
Following are some ways to spot a fast fashion trend so you can avoid it:
1. Brand:
We do not have any copyrights or laws that protect the fashion designs, so brands are essentially free to copy and reproduce copies of the clothes and fashion garments that they see fit. Brands like h&m and Zara play with this loophole to produce and sell copied items on a large scale to the audience that wants to buy into trends on each shopping spree. It is why logos, print, brand names have become a critical signature that speaks for the brand originality and the genuine production line. You can read more about the big fashion brands, their logos, that produce quality products and the difference between them to make the suitable buy.
2. Price:
The ever-fluctuating price makes us want to buy an outfit at low prices from the brandsthat allow us to sport a new trend at a low cost. But each item priced low is tied to the person who made it but might not be paid enough for their efforts and hard work.
It turns out all that glitters isn’t gold, and lying behind these shiny fast fashion stores is a line of underpaid workers overworked workers to keep the prices of the items low and production high.
You do not want to be a part of a manufacturing process that does not treat their workers right. It only takes a moment to be mindful of the process: the brands that offer fast fashion outsource the labor to other countries that offer low-cost workers that are ready to invest time day in and day out.
3. Human Rights Violations:
As mentioned before, workers are underpaid and overworked. In addition to that, workers are made to work in hazardous environments. Low-cost production calls for a cut in costs that go into workers’ safety and well-being, high-end brands skip over the minimum working environment requirements, and the laborers are squeezed in a small space to work for hours on end.
In addition to that, clothing brands have over 8000 synthetic chemicals used to treat clothes and in the dyes that workers come in contact with daily, which prove to be carcinogenic and harmful when in touch. Moreover, toxic fumes affect health and have become a health hazard.
4. Resource Usage and Pollution:
Producing fashion takes a heavy toll on the environment that stays for decades to come. The material used comes from cotton that uses heavy irrigation for its growth cycle. The cotton is then treated with chemicals to make it durable and long-lasting; this material cloth is transferred to the industries used to manufacture clothes and fashionable items.
But the brands are now moving towards sustainable sources and organic, recycled material to gain the clothing material, so the environment is saved from the waste. Another factor about fast fashion is the one-time use or the short timeline the cloth piece has.
Fast fashion works on trends, and trends go out of style soon; as soon as the trend is over, the clothes’ timeline is executed, and it becomes the part of the waste that needs to be disposed of without harming the environment.
5. Fabric material:
Cheap fashion is costly; you pay in terms of the environmental impact, human rights violations, the waste produced, and also the fabric you buy. Check the garment tag for the material you are buying: even the pure cotton that you believe is only 50% cotton mixed with other fabrics makes it easier and long-lasting.
Not only are you cheated of the original material that you desire to buy if the garment tag says polyester, but you are also inadvertently harming the environment by buying the material that does not decompose or can be broken down.
They withstand environmental factors, and only a percent of the thrown-away clothes are recycled. Even in the stores, the stock has to be renewed and restocked; it must make space for the new trend even before the clothes move out the shelves.
Constant move-out means constantly working to fill in the stands and the low paychecks that they accept daily. Also, the clothes move out the shelves are to be recycled, which takes an extra toll on the resources and the environment.
Conclusion:
Fast fashion differs from brand to brand; In contrast, many brands claim to be working to better the workers and the environment. It is yet to be reflected in their products and manufacturing process. It is on us, as the consumer, to put an end to fast fashion by buying into a more sustainable manner and making it our job to buy carefully.
