A $106 billion industry employing 75 million people in factories. Paying only 2% of all employees a living wage. Releasing millions of microplastics into waterways around the earth. This is the reality of the fast fashion industry in 2022. With this industry having taken the world and social media by storm—according to Statista, the #Shein has around 4.8 billion views on Tiktok— its ubiquity might actually be the cause of our downfall as conscious consumers and as a species. What has gone wrong with our purchasing habits and how can we recognize the faults to build a better future?
credit: UCLA Sustainability
In 2025, it’s hard to get through an outfit check online without the mention of some form of fast-fashion. According to Oxfam, a non-governmental organization focused on fighting injustice and poverty, “fast fashion relies on cheap, disposable clothing that is produced quickly and sold at low prices, encouraging consumers to buy and discard clothing at an alarming rate.” Its main marketing strategy is to attract the general consumer to the low prices, trendy products, and partnerships with influencers and social media. Shein, one of the biggest perpetrators of mass clothing production, invested $1.5 billion into advertising in 2023 alone (Admetrics). The newest phenomenon of the digital world is the concept of “dupes.” Finding cheap, affordable replicates of expensive products promotes accessibility for all but ultimately leads to dangerous levels of exploitation by brands like Shein, H&M, and Zara. It’s evident that the “dupes” are made with much lower quality, much cheaper labor, and are garnering much more sales due to their appealing price.
But with partnerships and discounts constantly amplified by influencers, the workers behind the trends suffer. According to the Guardian, sexual, physical, and human rights abuse within fast fashion factories is persistent, including infringement on union rights, verbal and physical harassment, and absence of human resource enforcement causes for the mistreatment of thousands of laborers. The average income of an employee at a fast fashion factory is as little as $1.58 per hour, an inhumane price of labor. One of the worst incidents and proof of worker neglect in the fast fashion industry was the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh on April 24th, 2013, where an eight story building collapsed, resulting in the killing of 1,134 people and injuring thousands. Before the disaster, structural cracks were discovered in the building, causing the immediate closing of the stores on the lower floors. Even with the warnings, the garment factory owners on the higher floors forced workers to return the next day to work and meet the harshly enforced quotas. This negligence is not uncommon for major fast fashion corporations. The abuse at the hands of an unfair and unjust system of labor results in the exploitation of workers and their safety for the mass production of products. Additionally, it can be seen that brands like Shein and Temu make and export goods through the exploitation of Uyghur slave labor. According to The Centersquare, Senator Rubio of Florida stated on April 16, 2024, “Given the blatant exploitation of trade loopholes that Shein and Temu regularly demonstrate, and the high probability these companies have facilitated the importation of goods made with forced labor, I urge you to investigate these companies and add them to the exporter list…should they be in violation of federal law.”
The Rana Plaza tragedy brought to light the behind the scenes horrors of these textile corporations, resulting in the creation of trade unions and NGOs, as well as the International Labour Organization to improve building and fire safety codes of textile factories in Bangladesh. To tackle the issue of fast fashion corporations exploiting the Uyghur in China, in 2021, Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which requires administration to take new action to prevent goods produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China from entering the U.S.
While a handful of administrative and legal action has been taken against fast fashion companies’ mistreatment and exploitation of workers, younger generations have taken it upon themselves to avoid and boycott products that come from major fast fashion chains. Through my direct environment and circle at school, the awareness of the ethics of fast fashion has become more apparent to larger masses of people and is leading to more conscious consumption. Many kids now opt for thrifting and second hand shopping if they are trying to find cheap and trendy alternatives for personal or mainstream fashion. Not only does thrifting lend a hand in sustainability, effectively countering the pollution caused by fast fashion and its material, but it offers an alternative to such a harmful practice. Although fast fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry, personal boycotts, social media awareness, and the promotion of more sustainable and safe options make all the more difference.
Here are some tips for reducing personal contribution to the world of fast fashion and pollution. 1) In order to counter unnecessary, ultra-consumerist habits, buy or consume less clothing online in general and, instead, invest in valuable, high quality, ethical products. Not only will you avoid fast fashion marketing and business, but you will elevate your own wardrobe by owning durable, reliable pieces. Buying clothes that are meant to last reduces the cycle of personal waste and consumption, proving to be helpful for the environment. Additionally, buying secondhand clothing reduces waste and pollution, while also offering a more affordable way to cater to personal style, rather than opting for fast fashion.
2) Supporting local businesses promotes ethical, quality consumption while also stimulating small companies, which are brands that struggle in the face of the competition produced by the fast fashion industry. By purchasing from small businesses, you are choosing sustainable fashion. This is a great opportunity to see more of the talent in the fashion industry that is often overshadowed by the marketing of mass produced clothing.
Hopefully these tips and information will help in limiting the use and reliance on fast fashion. It is important to reduce the lasting harms of the massive industry and keep the question in our minds when shopping: what’s more important, fashion or the future?
Avni Krishna is a 16 year old who enjoys watching movies, listening to music, and visiting museums.
