Fast fashion is everywhere. A few steps into the mall or down a busy shopping street, and you’re sure to encounter dozens of brands that fall into this category. And that’s not including the abundance of online-only businesses. No matter where they are sold or how long they’ve been around, one thing all fast fashion companies have in common is their ability to churn out the latest trends at some of the lowest prices. 

The convenience of fast fashion is what draws many consumers to shop (and shop, and shop). It’s easy to get caught up in the affordability factor, which allows buyers to purchase various on-trend garments every season without breaking the bank. However, this quick and cheap business model can have hidden high costs — particularly when it comes to polluting the environment and fostering unethical working conditions. And although many fast fashion brands have made efforts to evolve and improve their practices, it’s important to know the true impact of such a common shopping habit.

So, if you’re curious about the evolution of fast fashion, what it offers, and where it falls short, here’s everything you need to know about the business model. 

What Is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion is “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers,” according to Merriam-Webster. In other words, fast fashion refers to brands that mass-produce garments regularly to keep up with the latest styles, utilizing low-quality synthetic materials to aid their expedited manufacturing process. Unlike higher quality investment pieces, these more cheaply made items tend to deteriorate after a few wears and washes, which causes many consumers to discard them quickly. 

Fast fashion is intended to keep up with today’s fast-paced trend cycle. While smaller businesses and luxury brands may take months to produce a collection, fast fashion companies can generate items in a matter of weeks, or even sooner. “Fast-fashion companies used to brag about getting a new style up for sale in as little as two weeks. Boohoo can do it in a matter of days.” wrote The Atlantic in 2021.

When Did Fast Fashion Start?

The origins of fast fashion can be traced all the way back to the 1800s. The introduction of the sewing machine in 1846, and later the outsourcing of garment production to factories, prompted a decrease in clothing prices and an increase in the amount of clothes being made, according to Fashionista. 

By the 1960s and ‘70s, textile mills had opened around the world to meet the demands of consumers who desired affordable and stylish clothing. In 1966, paper dresses gained popularity when the Scott Paper Company created a disposable shift dress made of cellulose that could be thrown out after one use, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was made to promote the brand's throwaway tableware collection but surprisingly became a phenomenon, with many other businesses creating their own versions. 

Although H&M was founded in Sweden in 1947 and Zara opened in Spain in 1975, most fast fashion brands didn’t reach the U.S. until decades later. When Zara opened a store in New York City in 1989, the New York Times coined the term “fast fashion” to explain the brand’s process of changing its stock every three weeks. 

The 2000s accelerated the rise of fast fashion with the introduction of social media and influencer culture. And as Instagram #OOTDs became a thing, having a new look daily fueled the need to shop. 

“Because of fast fashion and the low price of fashion, I think that the definition of style has changed a lot in recent years,” Elizabeth L. Cline, author of Overdressed and The Conscious Closet, told InStyle in 2020. “We all see style as this thing that's about newness and consumption and what's next, but it can mean something else. [When] clothes were more expensive, style was also about good fit, good quality — it was about looking really put together and not necessarily about looking new or fresh.”

The Impact of Fast Fashion 

Consumers often turn to fast fashion because of how affordable it can be, but it’s hard to ignore the long-lasting impact it has on the environment. From 2000 to 2014, clothing production doubled, and the number of garments purchased increased by 60 percent, according to a McKinsey and Company study. This process of overproduction and rapid consumption is part of the reason the fashion industry has quickly become a leading cause of pollution. 

The fashion industry accounts for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, produces 20 percent of wastewater, and is responsible for up to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. The synthetic fibers used to make fast fashion garments also create pollution during laundering; synthetic textiles account for 35 percent of the microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans, according to The New York Times. Garment disposal is also a major factor. Eighty-five percent of garments end up in landfills or are burned instead of recycled, according to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. 

In addition to the environmental impact, many fast fashion brands have been investigated for unsafe working conditions and wages below the legal minimum for garment workers. In 2022, The New York Times reported on a United States Department of Labor investigation that discovered Fashion Nova was paying sewers in Los Angeles factories as low as $2.77 an hour. This is only one of many examples that show how cheap fashion can come at a high cost to laborers.

Some fast fashion companies are making efforts to change some of their practices. H&M aims to be fully circular by 2040, and to have 100 percent recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030. In July, Zara’s owner announced that it will be exploring new recycling practices and sustainable fibers in order to reduce its environmental impact by, according to Reuters. 

How to Identify Fast Fashion Brands

Brands including Boohoo, ASOS, Fashion Nova, H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and Shein are dominant in the fast fashion world. As a consumer, whether you’re shopping online or in-store, you can identify fast fashion retailers by paying attention to the product details. Synthetic materials (think: polyester or acrylic), offshore manufacturing locations (where labor is often cheaper), and consistent drops of new styles that reflect the latest trends are hallmarks of fast fashion. 

Alternatives to Fast Fashion

“Slow fashion” is gaining momentum and focuses on the quality of clothes rather than the quantity, encouraging brands to use more durable materials and fair labor practices. In turn, consumers are changing their shopping habits, which means buying less, embracing secondhand shopping, renting clothes for special occasions, upcycling clothes, and building a capsule wardrobe. 

“I think from where we stand now, the idea of clothing being more expensive or fashion slowing down sounds sort of scary to us,” Cline told InStyle in 2020. “But really, in the not-so-distant past, clothes were more expensive and fashion was slower, and we were fine."

Cline recommends taking a step back, and thinking about long-term investments over of-the-moment trends. "I think it leaves more space for all of these other things that clothing can be about, whether it's cultivating a relationship with a tailor or dressmaker in your community, or even having a sewing circle or a mending circle.”