Can you consume fast fashion sustainably?
If you spend any time in sustainable fashion spaces, you'll notice that fast fashion seems to be public enemy number one. And while fast fashion is highly problematic, this attack on fast fashion doesn't leave much room for recognizing those that may not have others options, those that are new to sustainability and are grappling with what to do with their closet full of fast fashion, and those that simply have questions about consuming fast fashion but are too intimidated to ask them because of the strong messaging in sustainable spaces. Let's explore the nuances of consuming fast fashion in a sustainable context.
First, we need to define consumption for our purposes. Typically, we think of consumption as shopping or buying new. I want to use its broader definition here— to use up a resource; or the purchase and use of goods. Thus, consumption doesn’t have to be buying, it can be about how one utilizes, approaches, and lives with an item. In this context, we will discuss the consumption of fast fashion in how we shop it (new or secondhand), how we wear it, and how we engage with it at large.
Fast fashion is ingrained into our culture. While it has only risen to prominence in the last 20 years, it’s hard for many of us to remember or imagine life before it. The new business model promised high fashion, runway trends at an accessible price point for the everyday person. And, it delivered. Now, those sub $20 trendy pieces are our new normal. However, that came at the cost of normalizing waste, excess, and exploitation. While the fast fashion business model is incredibly harmful, we can’t deny that it made shopping easier for many. This ease has opened the door for overconsumption and mindless shopping, but it has also created opportunities for many to access fashion in a way they hadn’t been able to before.
One example of this is how ultra-fast fashion (the massive online-only stores like SHEIN) has played a key role in catering to larger body types and made sizing more inclusive and accessible. The low prices combined with convenience of online or mall shopping has made fast fashion an affordable option for those with lower household income and those that are time-poor. While thrifting can be a sustainable solution to this, it isn’t accessible to everyone either! Even if you don’t fit into these particular categories, fast fashion has likely been a convenient help for you before. Perhaps you were traveling and forgot to pack an essential clothing item, and you found yourself in a city you aren’t familiar with needing an easy-to-find, low-cost option. I know I’ve been there. I hope it’s becoming clear that to quit fast fashion entirely or to suggest that to everyone is not realistic.
Another vital consideration is how the average person consumes fast fashion. For example, the average American buys 68 items of clothing a year. But let’s get more granular here. Typically, Americans spend 3.5% of their income on clothing, across income levels. The poverty level of income for a household of four is $26,500. Thus, 3.5% of that income is about $928. This means in a low-income household, each person would be spending $232 on clothing for the year. That’s less than $20 per month. For this thought experiment, let’s assume a baseline price of $20 for a garment. This means a low-income individual can buy 12 items a year. If the average American buys 68 items, that average has to be brought up dramatically by high-income earners. The baseline for a high-income earner is around $120,000 which puts 3.5% of their income at $4,200. In a family of three, that’s $1,400 per person per year, equalling 70 items each. This isn’t quite enough to bring the average all the way up to 68 items, but to be honest, $20 an item may have been too high of a price per garment estimate given that items on SHEIN can be as low as $3. Additionally, $120,000 is at the bottom end of the upper income bracket, so there are still those buying more items. Also worth noting is that Gen Z, the target of fast fashion brands, had $1,380 of spending money last year. Thus, it’s clear to see that the excess of fast fashion is a direct result of higher income earners who have the income flexibility to shop elsewhere yet still choose to shop fast fashion.
All of this to say, those that have to shop fast fashion due to income, inclusivity, accessibility, and convenience are not to blame for the overconsumption and massive growth of fast fashion business models. It’s also important to note that there are legitimate barriers to shopping sustainably, such as lack of plus sizing, higher price point, less immediate availability, etc… These are both vital considerations when it comes to how we talk about fast fashion. At the core, they show that we cannot be so loud in our advocacy to quit fast fashion if we are not willing to address the luxury of choice that many don’t have. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be vocal about the problems of fast fashion— absolutely, we should be. Education is at the core of a more sustainable future. Rather, I’m saying that we cannot continue to lace the conversation in shame and in a binary perspective that the solution is for everyone to stop shopping fast fashion because “it’s bad.” That’s simply not realistic, and it harms those that may want to engage in sustainability but feel isolated by the condemning tone many of us carry about the business model that they have no other choice than to shop.
For a more nuanced, graceful, and inclusive conversation, let’s talk about how we can approach fast fashion within a sustainable context. As we defined earlier, consuming fast fashion doesn’t just mean shopping. It can be about how we wear and use the fast fashion we already have and how we interact with it online or in conversation with others! To address the conscious consumption of fast fashion, let’s answer common questions on the topic.
Can I still wear fast fashion I already own now that I am trying to be more sustainable?
Absolutely! Please do. The most sustainable item is the one already in your closet, even if it’s fast fashion. Study after study has revealed that the best sustainable practice we can adopt is using our things for longer. So wear that fast fashion! There’s absolutely no shame is wearing fast fashion and trying to pursue sustainability at the same time. If someone tells you otherwise, they may only have surface level perspective of what sustainable living actually is. Our goal is to make the most of what already exists in order to reduce waste and the need for new production. 70% of the impact of the fashion industry comes at the production level. Thus, it’s better to wear your clothes longer than to replace them by shopping new, even if that new product is sustainable. The reality is that any new production (with the existing tech), sustainable or not, is going to have some negative impact. So, if the choice is wear the fast fashion you already have or make a new sustainable purchase, I’d have to say wear what you have wins out! If you’re new to sustainable fashion, it can feel like you need to start over with your wardrobe. That is definitely not the case. Rather, start with caring and wearing for what you have. Then, when you actually need to add something to your wardrobe, do so thoughtfully.
Can I shop fast fashion sustainably?
Can fast fashion ever be a sustainable business model? No, but we will cover that in a bit. Can you shop it in a sustainable manner? Yes! For any shopping to be sustainable, it must focus on intention and longevity. While the fast fashion product may not be made for longevity, we still want to be thinking in a long-term mindset and do our best to care for the clothes so they last. Sustainable shopping looks like taking the time to think through each purchase, avoiding impulse shopping, and developing self-awareness. Knowing your personal style, your tendencies and motivations to shop, and what your actual needs are will help you be more selective and discerning in your purchases. Using filtering questions can be incredibly helpful. The average fast fashion item is worn only 7 times, so the goal should be to get as many wears as possible out of it. Think beyond just the passing trends and judge whether the piece fits in with your style and current wardrobe. Another pillar of sustainable shopping is shopping less. Only buy what you truly need. Also, consider the material of the garment. Unfortunately, much of fast fashion is made from plastic-based fabrics, so try to avoid hard-to-recycle blends or non-biodegradable fabrics like nylon and polyester.
Another way to shop fast fashion sustainably is to shop it secondhand. If you like the look of a brand or you like to experiment with trends, secondhand can be a great way to take advantage of fast fashion without directly putting money in the pockets of these exploitative brands. If you like the item when you come across it in the thrift store and you’re shopping with intention, buying it secondhand can be a great way to divert it from landfill. Because of the excess caused by fast fashion, there is also an abundance of inventory in secondhand stores. Only 10-20% of a thrift store’s inventory gets sold. Thus, thrifting that fast fashion piece you like can actually save it from landfill or being sent overseas to burden another economy.
How do I be sustainable in my approach to fast fashion?
First, don’t let the price point cloud how much you value the clothing. Just because it is cheap doesn’t mean it holds less value. Whether the item is $5 or $500, it still started out as a raw material that had to travel the globe to be spun into textile to be sewn by hand into a garment. Many hands, miles, and stories touch clothing items before they even get to you. Fast fashion companies want us to view their low-cost clothing as disposable so that we justify buying more, but clothing is not disposable. In fact, it can take over 200 years for some materials in clothing to decompose. We cannot afford to view clothing as disposable. Valuing clothing is an important part of sustainability. This entails caring for clothes, repairing them when necessary, and creating a second life for them when we are done and disposing of them responsibly.
If shopping and wearing secondhand is a part of your wardrobe, another consideration is how you navigate conversations and social media use around it. It’s important to recognize how much of the fast fashion business model relies on creating a false sense of urgency, FOMO, and using influencers to push products. With new clothing drops daily, these brands are driving trends and making them obsolete in a matter of weeks with the constant “newness.” They also use marketing tricks like flash sales, discounting, and gifting influencers a better product than the one they actually sell. The trend and discount cycles make customers feel like they will miss out if they don’t buy right then. They have also monopolized free social social media marketing, making it cool for customers (not just paid influencers) to constantly tag them in all of their outfit posts, flood brand hashtags, and create haul videos. This era of social media has perpetuated the idea that you can’t be seen (or be posted) twice wearing the same outfit. Thus, to engage with fast fashion online in a sustainable manner is to go against these social media norms. When you wear fast fashion, don’t tag the brands in your social posts to contribute to that free marketing. In the same way, don’t follow these brands, their newsletter, or influencers that are constantly pushing the products. Fast fashion brands can use these follow and engagement metrics to justify consumer demand and continue their current way of business.
If you are worried that by wearing fast fashion, you are signaling support for those brands, know that making use of those already existing items is more important. To counteract your concern, be open about why you are wearing the fast fashion you do. When asked where you got something or what brand something is, it can be a great opportunity to share about the need for sustainable fashion. For example, you can say “It’s Zara, but I got it secondhand because that saved over 1,000 gallons of water” or “I got it from SHEIN while I bide my time for sustainable brands to become more inclusive” or “I got it from ASOS which isn’t my favorite brand because of how they treat workers, but it’s what I can afford right now.” While you certainly don’t owe anyone an explanation or have to shoulder any guilt or burden that these brands should be shouldering, being honest and informative in our conversations around fast fashion can motivate others to shop more sustainably. Collective behavior change becomes more attainable when we see others near us and similar to us making better choices.
Can the fast fashion business model ever be sustainable?
In short, no. The backbone of the business model relies on churning out a high volume of clothing at a fast pace and a low price. This is unnatural. The only way to accomplish this is to exploit, both people and our environmental resources. The core of this business model is even in the name. Fashion was never meant to be so fast. Because of the nature of how clothes are made and how labor- and resource-intensive it is, clothing never should have been made at the speed and scale that it has been. For clothing production to be sustainable, it needs to use more natural materials, eliminate waste and pollution in the production process, and produce in smaller, attainable batches that allow workers to perform at a reasonable pace in healthy conditions. None of that is possible if brands want to maintain the speed and price point of the fast fashion business model. The industry is literally called a “race to the bottom.” This means fashion brands deliberately seek out the countries and factories with the least amount of regulation and those stricken with impoverished economies that don’t have any power to refuse their business. This means that when a fast fashion brand claims to be sustainable or to carry an eco-friendly collection, they are lying. This isn’t possible. Rather, these brands are just manipulating customers in their marketing, capitalizing on the trending desire for sustainable options.
Tips for engaging with fast fashion sustainably
Here is the TL/DR version. As discussed, there are many reasons people will shop fast fashion outside of the social media, overconsumption rhetoric that we typically associate with fast fashion. These reasons may include (but aren’t limited to) lower income, need of convenience (time-poverty), need of extended sizing at a certain price point, lack of other options, lack of available sustainable options (traveling, emergency purchase), and so on. Because that is reality, I’d much rather create tips and resources for people to engage with fast fashion in a sustainable way than for people to feel shame for wearing fast fashion because nobody discusses that fast fashion is a part of all our lives!
If you have fast fashion pieces in your closet, wear them! The best thing we can do is make use of what we have, no matter what kind of product it is.
If you need to shop a fast fashion brand, only buy what you need. Don’t consume in excess.
If you like a fast fashion piece, look for it secondhand.
If you see a fast fashion piece that you like when thrifting, it’s totally okay to buy it! As with any shopping, just make sure you are shopping with a long-term outlook, buying things you’ll love and wear for years to come. Plus, buying fast fashion secondhand helps divert it from a landfill given than unsold secondhand inventory often ends up there.
Unlearn a disposable fashion mindset. Just because something is cheap, doesn’t mean its disposable. If you wear fast fashion, take care of it, repair it if needed, and look for a way to give it a second life when you are done with it.
Know your personal style and check if you are trend-chasing. Fast fashion can make us feel like we are missing out or out of style really quickly, so check in with yourself and what you actually like.
Don’t tag fast fashion brands in your social media posts. If you wear fast fashion (no matter how you got it), don’t promote it online. Fast fashion consumption is largely perpetuated by social media, so don’t give them free marketing by tagging them. Definitely feel free to talk about wearing fast fashion and be honest if someone asks— there’s no reason to hide it or feel shame. But, we also don’t want to contribute to the direct promotion of fast fashion.
Don’t follow fast fashion brands on social media or subscribe to their newsletters. It’s okay if you shop these brands out of necessity or lack of options, but you don’t have to be another metric that they can use to justify demand and new production of their product. Plus, these brands use their platforms to promote excess, and it never hurts to avoid the temptation.
Talk about your relationship with fast fashion, whatever it is! It’s important that we do discuss it so that it isn’t something we shame others for.
All in all, fast fashion has been a part of everyone’s life at this point. We shouldn’t feel shame for how we've engaged in it when we didn’t know better, didn’t have other options, or when we were just playing into the narrative that these brands forced on us. The reality is that fast fashion has a really strong hold on modern consumption habits. There’s a lot to unlearn. And there’s no need to force guilt or a certain pathway in the pursuit of sustainability. So next time you pull that fast fashion piece out of your closet, know that wearing it and valuing it is an important part of creating a better future in fashion.
Disclaimer: This article is not promoting fast fashion in any way. It is not meant to dismiss the harm that fashion causes, its role in the climate crisis, or the exploitation of people in its supply chains. And it’s not meant to create reasons or excuses to shop fast fashion. This piece is simply meant to shed light on how fast fashion is a normal (and at times, necessary) part of people’s lives and how we can approach it sustainably and with grace and nuance! Instead of perpetuating the shaming that can occur in sustainable fashion spaces, this piece is meant to open up the conversation and answer questions people may have about their relationship with fast fashion in a sustainable context.
September 2021