Fast fashion and overconsumption

With the normalisation of cheap, fast fashion websites and brands like SHEIN, AliExpress, Temu, etc, I've noticed that a lot of people tend to purchase items that they don't need. Especially on TikTok and Instagram, there are thousands of videos/posts of people doing hauls of cheap, poor-quality clothes, useless gadgets and items. 

While I am aware that SHEIN and such companies provide people with lower income the opportunity of buying new clothes every now and then, I want to make it clear that the average SHEIN customer spends around $100 a month on clothing. So, the main issue isn't the customers who have no other option, but the people who voluntarily buy from these brands just for content or even just impulsiveness. 

Companies/media and influencers are continuously coming up with new potential 'trends' (i.e mob-wife aesthetic, the y2k aesthetic that was popular in 2020) and as soon as it becomes mainstream, these companies steal original designs from smaller businesses and sell them for a lower price. Hence, more people can and will splurge on each micro-trend that appears every few weeks. 

Honestly, the pandemic is one of the main reasons why people started to switch to cheaper online shops- people lost their jobs, their disposable income fell and many people decided to start shopping as an escape or out of boredom. In fact, SHEIN's global net sales rose from $2.5 billion in 2019, to over $8 billion in 2020. Their sales have only continued to grow as it surpassed $48 billion in 2024. 

All of this may seem small to some people, but fast fashion companies have no morals or any ethical stance. For instance, they are responsible for at least 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. 

As stated on an article from Earth.org, "It [fast fashion] dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microplastics into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles."

In addition to the growing environmental impact, fast fashion companies have poor ethics, these range from paying below the minimum wages to their workers to child labour and unsafe working conditions. In some SHEIN firms, the workers are paid a base salary of 4000 yuan per month, which is roughly $556 - to make at least 500 garments per day, whereas in some firms, workers do not receive a base salary, but rather 0.27 yuan (barely 4 cents) for each garment they make.

Fast fashion relies on global supply chains that involves low-wage countries with poor labour regulations and a lack of social protection. These businesses cut costs by performing unethically (low wages, longer working hours, poor working environment, lack of health and safety training) so that they can charge the lowest price possible in order to remain competitive. 

There are a few benefits that these businesses provide to their customers, however, the disadvantages have a more clear-cut impact on both the environment and other people. 

So, what are the other alternatives to fast fashion?

Thrifting, upcycling old clothes, learning to sew, purchasing from sustainable brands.

What if you want to buy something from the companies mentioned above?

I know that no one can really stop anyone from buying from a certain brand, I would recommend waiting at least 10 minutes before purchasing an item and to think whether you need it, or if you would still consider wearing/using said item if it went 'out of style'.

Articles:

The Dark side of Fast Fashion

SHEIN's working conditions

Sustainable Clothing Brands By Budget

*Also, English is not my first language so there may be some mistakes. I made this post because such topics are interesting to me and I like to write :-)