Along with the development of technology and the increasing needs of human life, the need for clothing is now not only functioned as a cover for the body. A society's identity can be identified through the way they dress and the style of their appearance. Young and old are now thinking about how to mix and match clothes so that they look suitable and match the mood. Having lots of clothes does look fun because we don't need to feel confused when we want to mix and match clothes, but this consumerism behavior causes the demand for clothes to continue to increase over time. The garment industry is required to fulfill this market, so that clothing production continues to be carried out by making certain trend models for a short period of time. In some countries that have 4 seasons, the development of clothing collections will follow the seasons. This is called fast fashion where clothes are mass produced for a short period of time.
Such behavior has a negative impact not only on the environment but also on society. What are the impacts of this fast fashion? The following guide summarizes the impact of fast fashion which affects several aspects.
1. Creating an unfair work environment
The targets are so high every day that workers are treated unfairly and unethically. The lack of regulation makes them continue to work under pressure with meager wages. The facilities available are not adequate. Do you know the tragedy of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh that happened several years ago? Rana Plaza is an eight-story building that houses several shops, offices, and a garment factory that collapsed suddenly and caused thousands of deaths and injuries. One of the reasons is the addition of an unauthorized floor used as a garment factory.
2. Environmental pollution
The fashion industry is one of the 5 biggest polluters in the world. Most of the clothes are made of synthetic materials such as polyester which can take up to 200 years to decompose. The process of making synthetic yarn is full of chemicals and uses a lot of water. Plus the fabric dye is also toxic, and unfortunately it all ends up in the drains. In addition, farmers who grow cotton for the manufacture of textile yarn use pesticides to keep it growing, but unfortunately pesticides have a bad impact on the ecosystem and the health of the farmers. Then when you wash clothes with detergents that contain chemicals. Basically, the whole process of fast fashion clothing does not pay attention to the natural and human environment.
3. Makes us consumptive and wasteful
Who doesn't love affordable clothes? Everyone will be tempted to buy clothes at a lower price. Whether clothing is useful or not, we are often carried away by desires that are higher than our actual needs. For example, we see clothes that are trending among our age and see wearing those clothes will look cool. Because our desire to look fashionable and cool is what drives us to buy these clothes. In fact, it is not uncommon for some people to buy in large quantities so that they can change models. But are you aware of the meager quality with high environmental damage and unfair labor behind the clothes? Know what you need before buying it. Be grateful if you have realized this and reduce the consumptive and impulsive nature in shopping.
4. Cultural exploitation, racism and stolen designs
Many international brands compete with each other to make fashion trends as quickly as possible. Not infrequently they also steal designs from the biggest fashion houses in order to produce them at low prices. The aim is none other than to attract middle and lower class consumers. Some also stole it from a small designer. What often happens on the fashion show stage is cultural exploitation where a culture is manifested in clothes that are less appropriate.
Fast fashion or fast fashion is not good for the environment or social. But what is happening today is that there is still a lot of demand for fast fashion so that this industry is still running today, it is still the largest contributor to pollution in the world. Big changes don't just happen, we can start from ourselves. What are some tips so we don't get too caught up in this fast fashion cycle? In the next article, Wewadahan will discuss how we can stop this fast mode. Stay tuned, yes!
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