A swift click on the submit order button does not take much energy, but on the receiving end, it could be environmentally damaging and inhumane. Hundreds of retail stores are guilty of demonstrating the unethical business model known as fast fashion.
Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced in high volume to satisfy consumer demand; a model designed for destroying the planet.
On a college campus where students have interest in trendy clothing at a lower price, students often wear clothing from fast fashion brands such as SHEIN, ROMWE, H&M and Forever 21.
SHEIN, as one of the most downloaded apps on the market, causes the most controversy. Although the clothing is up to pace with modern styles, the fast fashion retailer has received allegations of stealing work from popular designers and selling copies made of synthetic materials.
Minnesota State student Halle McCabe admits to being one of SHEIN’S millions of consumers.
“I shop at SHEIN all the time,” McCabe said. “The stuff is either hit or miss; It’s either really good quality, or really bad quality.”
Although shoppers are able to purchase items for cheap, it comes at a greater cost for the environment. According to Princeton University the fashion industry is responsible for more annual carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. The industry is producing in excess, taking resources such as water in excess, and releasing toxins into the atmosphere in return.
Paired with the environmental damage, fast fashion illustrates unethical labor practices as well. According to George Washington University the fast fashion industry employs approximately 75 million factory workers worldwide, including children, yet less than 2% make a living wage. Workers are often exposed to synthetic chemicals, leading to sickness, cancer and death.
MSU student Meghan Nguyen has also shopped fast fashion brands in the past, but recently became aware about the industry’s destructive global impact.
“It makes me feel frustrated and sad that people are working in these conditions, especially knowing that SHEIN is a very popular website that people use,” Nguyen said. “Ever since I found out about the working conditions, I don’t shop on SHEIN as much. It would be my last resort.”
McCabe discovered the truth behind fast fashion retailers through social media.
“There was a thing on TikTok not too long ago where everyone was boycotting SHEIN,” McCabe said. “It is really sad; it makes me want to stop shopping there.”
In an effort to turn away from fast fashion brands, sustainable fashion and shopping second hand are on the rise. Sustainable fashion retailers ensure to use eco-friendly materials and fair wages, while shopping second hand helps prevent clothing from piling up in landfills.
Nguyen had experience during high school working at Plato’s Closet, a second hand chain retailer, for two years.
“I thought it was fun to go through clothes for a cheap price,” Nguyen said.
The Mankato area houses plenty of options for shopping sustainably. Boutiques such as Sticks & Stones, Sonny + Dot, Bonita, and second hand stores like Goodwill, Again, and Vagabond Village name just a few places to stop by instead of going the fast fashion route.
Write to Mercedes Kauphusman at [email protected]
Header photo: Goodwill is one thrift store of many that helps aid in fast fashion’s damaging impact. (Mercedes Kauphusman/The Reporter)
