Fast fashion is a business model focused on quickly and cheaply mass-producing trendy clothing, but this rapid cycle of production and consumption has severe environmental and social costs. These include massive water usage, toxic chemical pollution, and a huge amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills, alongside poor labor conditions and low wages for garment workers.
Fast fashion brands, such as Zara, H&M, and Shein, focus on rapidly and cheaply producing trendy clothing to replicate high-fashion styles. This business model involves quick design-to-market cycles, constant new arrivals, and low-cost production, which allows consumers to buy current styles affordably. However, this speed comes at a cost, often resulting in low-quality garments and significant negative impacts on the environment and garment workers.
