Fast fashion refers to the rapid production and distribution of cheap clothing, often released in short cycles. Companies that produce fast fashion frequently use very inexpensive materials and manufacturing facilities in developing countries where labor costs are low.

An example of the impact of fast fashion is sweatshops. Sweatshops are not small sewing rooms for clothing; they are factories where workers labor under poor conditions and for low wages. These factories are often located in developing countries and produce fashion for companies in developed countries. Many companies that produce fast fashion use sweatshops to reduce costs and quickly bring new products to market.

In sweatshops, labor rights are often disregarded. Employees frequently work long hours and lack access to adequate healthcare or safe workplaces.

The Beginnings: In the 1950s and 1960s, companies began offering quickly produced and affordable fashion. This development was mainly driven by the increasing demand for cheap fashion and was propelled by growing prosperity and the spread of mass media.

The Growth Phase: In the 1970s and 1980s, the fast fashion industry experienced strong growth. This was primarily due to access to cheaper production methods and global supply chains. Companies started producing fashion faster and in larger quantities to meet demand.

The Digitalization Phase: With the spread of the internet and social media in the 2000s, companies began selling their products online and leveraging faster trends to market their products. This led to an even wider spread of fast fashion and an even faster production rate.

Fast fashion has drastically changed the way we consume and view fashion over the past decades. With the availability of cheap and quickly produced clothing, more and more people have access to garments that were once considered luxury items. But this supposed luxury comes at a cost.
Fast fashion has led people to value their clothes much less and discard them more quickly. The impact on nature is immense, as the production of raw materials involves a lot of chemicals, and textile manufacturing requires a great deal of water and energy.

In summary, fast fashion can be seen as a supposed luxury that comes at the expense of nature and the many people employed in the long production chains.

We are committed to ensuring that clothing is valued again and want to create an understanding of how sustainable fashion is made and how much craftsmanship goes into each piece. Appreciation, alongside the use of sustainable materials and fair production, is a key aspect of moving toward green clothing. After all, we haven’t won if we consume and discard sustainable clothing just as quickly as fast fashion.