Fast fashion. You know what it is, even if you don’t know the term for it. According to the Investopedia article “Fast Fashion: How It Impacts Retail Manufacturing,” fast fashion is a genre of “low-priced but stylish clothing that moves quickly from design to retail to meet trends.” For example, brands considered fast fashion include Shein, Forever 21, and Zara.

Now, fast fashion can be a good thing. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s fashionable. However, there have been multiple proven claims of workplace abuse and the use of child labor. In the Student Brief article, “Fast Fashion Getting Faster: A Look At The Unethical Labor Practices Sustaining A Growing Industry,” author Emma Ross states, “The fast fashion industry employs approximately 75 million factory workers worldwide. Of those workers, it is estimated that less than 2% of them make a living wage…Many garment workers are working up to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. The textile industry also uses child labor particularly because it is often low skilled so that children can be exploited at a younger age.” Is fast fashion worth it? Or is there an alternative to your fashion needs?

Thrifting is a good substitute for fast fashion. There can be a lot of good finds at your local Goodwill or CommunityAid. Most of the clothes at thrift shops are produced in a different way than fast fashion is, and they are made to last longer as well as ethically made.

Not only do thrift store clothes have better quality, but they are cheaper as well. Fast fashion websites can sell clothes at a cheap price, but some items can still go up to over 100 dollars USD. That just doesn’t happen in thrift stores. 

Ultimately, while it’s up to you whether or not you use fast fashion, it is important to recognize that it utilizes a lot of unethical practices. Thrifting is a better alternative, but some people prefer to avoid old or used clothes. It’s also hard to find exactly what you want. Either way, it’s something to think about next time you go onto a fashion website.