The average American purchases about 70 pieces of clothing per year.
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Fast fashion describes cheap, stylish, mass-produced clothes that have a huge impact on the environment. These garments appeal to shoppers because they are affordable and trendy. But because they aren't built to last and quickly go out of style, and because the owner didn't spend much money on them to begin with, these clothes are quickly discarded, piling up in landfills.
In addition to environmental issues, fast fashion garments spark a lot of ethical concerns. They are often made in sweatshops where underpaid workers are employed for long hours in unsafe conditions and are exposed to harmful chemicals used in textile production.
The Definition of Fast Fashion
In 1960, the average American adult bought fewer than 25 items of clothing each year. The average American household spent more than 10% of its income on clothing and shoes. And about 95% of clothes sold in the U.S. were made there, too.
But things began to change in the ‘70s. Massive factories and textile mills opened in China and other countries throughout Asia and Latin America. With the promise of cheap labor and material, they could mass-produce inexpensive garments quickly. By the ‘80s, a few big American retail stores began outsourcing production.
“Any company making clothing in the United States couldn’t compete,” writes Elizabeth Cline in “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Fast Fashion.” “They either had to shut down or move on to importing.”
With clothing being so cheap, consumers are able to buy more. An entire industry surrounding seasonal trends has grown up, replacing a previous focus on quality and durability. Today, the average American purchases about 70 pieces of clothing each year, but spends less than 3.5% of its budget on clothes. Now only about 2% of clothes sold in the U.S. are made in the U.S.
With such hunger from consumers for new items, fashion companies have moved from releasing clothes seasonally (four times a year) to a model of frequent releases, sometimes refreshing their stock on a weekly basis.
Common fast fashion brands include Zara, H&M, Shein, UNIQLO, Gap, Primark, Victoria's Secret, Urban Outfitters, Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, Missguided, Mango, and TopShop, among many others.
The Problems With Fast Fashion
Although consumers might enjoy having inexpensive and stylish clothes, fast fashion has been criticized for its environmental and ethical impact.
Textile Waste
We’re more likely to throw away cheap, trendy clothes than more expensive, timeless pieces. This shouldn't be surprising because when we don't spend much money on something, we tend to value it less. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 17 million tons of textile waste were generated in 2018, of which only 2.5 million tons were recycled.1 Clothing has far lower recycling rates than other materials like paper, glass, or even plastic. This has to do with the short-fiber fabrics that are used; these are cheaper and thinner and cannot be rewoven into new fabrics.
Another problem is the blended fabrics that are now so common. Chetna Prajapati, a researcher from Loughborough University in the U.K., explained to the BBC: "For example, a 100% cotton t-shirt contains many other components such as labels and sewing threads which are usually made from another material like polyester. Similarly, a typical pair of jeans are made from cotton yarn which is generally blended with elastane, and other components such as zips and buttons and polyester sewing thread and dyed using a range of dyes."2
It's next to impossible to separate all those components for proper recycling—and even if it were doable, the hours of skilled labor required would be significant and expensive.
