We love a good deal, and that trendy top for ₹299 or that dress that looks like it’s straight off the runway feels like one small victory. Fast fashion has made styles more affordable and accessible, giving endless choices at unbelievable prices. But behind all those bright shop windows and online discounts lies a story seldom told.Fast Fashion describes super cheap clothes that are made at a really fast rate, stylistically emulating current trends and hitting the marketplace at warp speed. Some brands are producing new collections every couple of weeks, actually encouraging us to buy more and wear less. What seemed initially harmless created serious consequences for the environment, the workers, and even our own relationship with fashion.
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Environmental Damage – Fashion’s Dirty Little Secret
Fashion is one of the world’s largest polluters: immense volumes of water, chemicals, and energy are required to produce clothes. In order to make a simple cotton T-shirt, a few thousand liters of water are needed, while toxic chemicals are spilled into rivers and seas as a result of dyeing and treatment of fabrics.
Most fast fashion is made from synthetic fibers, which are basically different types of plastic, such as polyester. When washed, these clothes emit minute microplastics into bodies of water, which eventually harm marine life and find their way into our food chain. Clothes which have been worn only a few times frequently end up in landfills, where they can take years to decompose.
Human Cost: Invisible Hands Behind Our Clothes
The fast fashion industry is based on low-wage labor, and clearly, the lower the wages, the lower the prices. Most garment workers work long hours under hazardous conditions in developing countries for very meager wages. Tragic incidents of factory fires and building collapses put a grim light on this so-called glamorous world of fashion.
Most of these workers are women who find it hard to support their families while workplaces are unsafe, verbal abuses are common, and basic rights are lacking. Every “cheap” garment represents an unseen price of human suffering.
Emotional and Social Impact: More Than Just Clothes
Fast fashion also shifted our minds about shopping. We no longer think of clothes as an investment for life, but more so as disposable things. Social media trends make us feel obliged to update our wardrobe nonstop, just to fit in or look perfect.
This leads to a vicious circle of comparison, overconsumption, and waste. We start to feel like our self-worth is a function of what we’re wearing, not our personhood.
Moving to Slow and Sustainable Fashion
Fortunately, things can change. “Slow fashion” is all about quality, ethics, and sustainability: buying fewer but higher quality clothes, choosing ethical brands, reusing and repairing garments, and thrift-store shopping—these are all small steps that make a difference.
Basically, we don’t have to say no to fashion; we just need to develop a healthier relationship with consumption.
Conclusion: Fashion with a Conscience
Fast fashion may be cheap for our wallets, but it comes at a truly high cost to both the planet and people. Next time we reach for that trendy, low-cost outfit, maybe we should ask ourselves: Who made this? At what cost? And how long will I really treasure it?
After all, where it really counts, real style has nothing to do with how much we buy, but how thoughtfully we choose.
Blog by –
Ms. Kanishka Joshi
Assistant Professor of English Literature
Biyani Girl College