KOZLOWSKI: Fast fashion fever is sickening our ecosystem
With Halloween just around the corner, the cure for a last-minute costume is a simple click away, thanks to high mass production. Millions of people are racing to clothing stores such as Shein, Forever 21, H&M and many more to purchase their costumes from thousands of selections at a seemingly affordable cost. Each time they add a new product to their bag with the idea that they are saving money, they have no idea what the real cost is.
Child labor, global carbon dioxide emissions and low-quality production are not included on the labels for the products made under fast fashion industries, and with good reason, because marketing and sales would decrease. If people truly knew how their newest sweater or jacket was made, it is unlikely they would continue being loyal customers.
The fashion industry continuously fuels the issue of overconsumption, making clothes one of the most in-demand products. Trends change daily to the point where it becomes almost impossible to keep up.
With this being said, the U.S. takes advantage of sweatshops in other countries to produce their clothing because labor laws are not heavily enforced in other nations. People across the globe are put to work in horrible conditions while suffering in poverty due to low pay wages.
Companies choose not to publicize their exploitation of sweatshop chains because they know it is plainly unethical and inhumane, which does not serve as good marketing. If their store poster advertisements displayed the image of workers inhaling chemicals, eyes sunken and misery painted across their faces, I would imagine people would be less inclined to walk into that store. It comes down to companies taking advantage of their customers' lack of awareness.
The problem with popular fast fashion companies and their ties with sweatshops was addressed in 2022 when notes were reported to be hidden inside customers' packages with pleas for help. This became instantly popular news as it spread throughout social media and people began to express their concern and sympathy toward the sweatshop workers who sent those messages, but nothing was done to stop it.
Despite awareness of sweatshop chain issues being spread across the country, customers remain loyal to these fast fashion companies because they prioritize their convenience over ethics.
Some consumers may be skeptical of boycotting these products since they may not believe that one person's actions can shape the practices of an entire corporation.
I find it interesting that people are quick to defend their reasoning of supporting these companies because they believe there is nothing they can do to prevent the unethical practices. Meanwhile, it is their shopping carts that elevate and hand companies exactly what they need to exist.
If everyone were to stop supporting clothing chains that utilize sweatshops for their products, it would make a great impact. Just like voting, every person counts, and the choice to support these companies is entirely in every consumer's hands. Customers are just as much at fault for putting people to work in those sweatshops and negatively impacting the environment as much as the companies are at fault themselves.
Seeing low prices on trendy clothing the minute you walk into a store is overwhelmingly exciting. Clearance labels, bargains and discount banners are strung across the windows, but it is all a tactful lie to draw you in. Even though you might think you are getting a great deal on an item of clothing, you are getting exactly what you pay for.
With quick and cheap production comes low sustainability. As humans, we need clothes on our backs to survive, yet society has a problem with consuming more than we need. Purchasing large amounts of clothing for affordable prices does the opposite of saving you money because the fabric and quality of what you are buying are easily ruined and disposable. And with disposability comes waste, which ends up in landfills, furthering the cycle.
The cause of climate change is easily assumed to be the blame of power generation, landfills, deforestation and many other factors. So when the silent killer presents itself as a new pair of shoes or shirt, how distorted does that make our perception of the fashion industry?
Production of fast fashion negatively affects workers, society and the environment, as waste rates increase. A major concern today is climate change. Many people are unaware that fast fashion stimulates environmental damage and contributes to climate change.
Vital resources are wasted to produce fast fashion, which contributed more to global emissions than shipping and aviation combined. Fast fashion shows no sensitivity to the environment, furthering the harm we inflict on our planet.
As overconsumption of clothing proves to not go anywhere anytime soon, with trends and convenience motivating clientele, people should begin to think about how their purchases affect other people and the environment around them. What is clothing if we have no habitable world to wear it?
Alexis Kozlowski is a first-year in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in English and minoring in film. Kozlowski’s column, “From a Scarlet Heart,” runs on alternate Thursdays.
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