In recent years, speaking out against fast fashion has grown in popularity on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. At the same time, however, fast fashion has come to dominate the fashion industry, pointing to a fundamental lack of understanding of brands that allegedly use unethical labor practices and exacerbate pollution and environmental harm. 

Fast fashion refers to brands that produce high volumes of clothing at a rate that allows consumers to renew their wardrobes multiple times a year at an affordable price. Thanks to companies that promote new clothing trends every week to sell more product, the world now consumes 400% more clothing than it did just twenty years ago. Pieces made by fast fashion brands are not made to last multiple wears and are sold at ultra-cheap prices that tempt buyers into purchasing items they do not need. As a result, sweatshops and child labor have become increasingly widespread in order to meet retailer demands. Those who work in such sweatshops are usually paid well under the living wage of their countries and are exposed to hazardous working conditions, such as dangerous, heavy equipment and toxic dyes containing lead. 

Human trafficking and fast fashion are closely intertwined, with fashion supply chains accounting for more cases of modern slavery than any other industry besides technology. According to the Global Slavery Index’s 2018 report, $127.7 billion worth of garments that utilize modern day slavery in their production process were imported annually by G20 countries. These imports reveal how little is being done on a global scale to diminish the millions of workers trapped in modern slavery. Because labor in overseas countries is cheaper and because labor laws overseas are less strict than in the United States, the United States outsources much of its textile products from countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India. By 2015, the US was manufacturing only 3% of its own clothing.

According to the International Labor Organization, forced labor is work performed involuntarily and with the threat of penalty. Children and adults who work in fast fashion are often coerced, forced, or tricked into working conditions that barely supply them with enough money to survive and place them in dangerous working environments that pose a threat to their safety. Therefore, the forced labor seen in sweatshops and factories falls under the umbrella term human trafficking. In Bangladesh, over 4 million people are forced to work in these sweatshops, most of them earning about only $2 each day. Over 85% of these workers are women who have no health benefits or any form of financial security. 

While more and more people are becoming educated about where our clothing comes from, there is a significant amount that is indifferent to the consequences of fast fashion. Websites such as Yesstyle and Shein have become increasingly popular due to the trendy pieces they advertise at extremely low prices and their sales have continued to increase during this past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation. In order to keep their stores open, many brands have lowered their workers’ wages and forced them to continue production while forgoing COVID precautions. 

For many, it is difficult to stop supporting such companies, given the large number of companies that utilize unethical labor and exacerbate pollution. Often, fast fashion brands are the most affordable and accessible option available to us. Shein, H&M, Forever 21, Zara, Fashion Nova, Brandy Melville, and Uniqlo are just a few examples of major clothing companies that have come under fire for allegedly engaging in these harmful practices. With apps like Instagram and TikTok holding so much influence over our lives, it is easy to get swept away by the latest fashion trends that are promoted by social media celebrities and brands alike. But now more than ever, it is crucial that we pay attention to the items we buy and question how they were produced. You can help counteract fast fashion by shopping at thrift stores and repurposing clothes rather than throwing them away. Seek out brands that use sustainable and ethical means of production, like those certified by Fair Trade or B Corporation. Finally, always invest in clothing that you know will last multiple times. Remember: you have the power to stop modern day slavery!