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Asking a friend which brand their top is from and hearing something like Reformation or Revolve, which typically price items between $70 to $300, always shocks me. I originally thought this must mean my friend’s outfit is fancy and luxurious.
Unfortunately, the only “luxurious” thing about this outfit is the amount of money they are willing to spend on something that can easily be duplicated on a cheaper site, such as Shein or Forever 21. In today’s economy, budgeting the amount we spend on our clothing is essential. Yet it's challenging to balance that when all you hear is how bad it is to buy from cheap sites.
Fast fashion is defined by the University of Pennsylvania Enviornmental Innovations Initiative as a business model which allows companies to base their profit off rapid production styles. Less expensive companies that are known for fast fashion production often get a bad reputation, especially due to how cheap their prices are, compared to other, more expensive companies, which also rely on fast fashion.
If fast fashion was truly stigmatized due to unethical practices, the companies with higher price points would be “cancelled” the same way the cheaper ones are. While sites such as Shein, Zaful and Fashion Nova seem as if their products are disposable, we also need to investigate the truths behind the production sectors of higher-end brands. We cannot discredit purchasing from Shein, but feel comfortable shopping at Urban Outfitters, without making ourselves aware of the whole picture.
The real reason why many people take advantage of fast fashion has to do with the concept of microtrends, which gives rise to overproduction of clothing. When looking for something you know you will wear once for a special occasion such as Halloween, why would you buy something costing more dollars than the number of hours wearing it? When faced with an $8 dupe of an $80 original product, I sometimes jump at the offer. Yet, I would not be as eager to purchase it if it wasn’t for the fast-paced flow of trends.
With constantly changing trends, fashion production must keep up. However, once an “on-trend” product appears on the clothing racks, the trend is already past its peak. Fast fashion companies aim to achieve this rapid production, which can come in handy in a pinch. However, along with the attempt to keep up with trends comes overproduction and detrimental environmental effects.
This leads me to the question: is it worth it to have an affordable trendy $4 handbag, just for methane filled landfills to filtrate the earth?
The detrimental effects, however, should not be attributed to the girl you see in a Shein T-shirt. If anything, we should be equally shaming those in outfits from higher-end fast fashion companies. The attention of fast fashion is almost always pointing to the cheaper companies, while more expensive companies participate in the same practices.
Reformation, for example, publishes its mission statement as to “bring sustainable fashion to everyone.” The company says it wants to be “Climate Positive” by 2025 and be part of the “circular fashion system by 2030.” While claiming to be making sustainable changes to the Earth, Reformation reported in 2023 it generated an equivalent of 45,867 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
This also occurs within the lower end of fast fashion retail. For example, Shein’s mission statement is to “make the beauty of fashion accessible to all.” The company says it has a model that is demand driven and offers affordable prices. Yet, this production driven company leads to extreme levels of waste. For example, Shein’s 2023 business models generated 16.68 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Shein states that it minimizes waste by only creating about 100-200 versions of a product, at a time, yet it adds about 300,000 new items to its shop per year.
Another notable mention about fast fashion businesses are the employees they need to quickly produce products. The working conditions of these companies have been notoriously bad, yet to what extent do the labor rights of these workers make one turn away from economically supporting them? Serval Shein workers have spoken out about the unethical practices that appear in the behind-the-scenes creations of clothing. Some report constant surveilled working spaces, limited safety precautions, and an extreme number of hours in a work week. The cheap prices of clothing have also been reflected in the low pay rate workers receive.
However, Reformation on the other hand, has a better reputation for its working conditions. The company emphasizes ethical working environments and fair pay grades. The company has had limited employee complaints and constantly emphasizes the need for ethical work standards. The difference in working conditions can simply emphasize the true price one may pay when investing in unethical companies to enhance one’s closet.
Without a doubt, companies will do what is best for their economic gain. To look good while getting the most bang for your buck, research is required. For example, there are a few sites that specifically watch company trends and monitor their unethical practices. Some examples include Fashion Revolution, Clean Clothes Campaign and Remake Looking into the specific brands you continuously invest in should be a standard to make sure you are ethically fashionable.
Brooke Meere (she/her) is a freshman studying journalism.
