During the past few decades, fast fashion has grown to embody a multibillion dollar industry sustained by an intricate combination of hyper-consumerism, greed and the exploitation of the vulnerable. It has slowly but surely disrupted the way in which we approach fashion, and in doing so helped create a culture where outfits are bought to feature in aesthetically pleasing Instagram pictures, only to be discarded and eventually end up in landfills in the Global South. Every single aspect of fast fashion, from its production to its global impact, is dangerously unsustainable and rests on exacerbating historical inequities.

The history of the fast fashion industry can be traced back to the industrial revolution and the production of ready made clothing, but it is only recently, since the 1990s, that retailers fundamentally changed their business models to produce cheaper clothes at a much faster pace. Currently, fast fashion refers to the increased production and consumption of cheap, disposable clothing without consideration of its environmental impact and labor conditions. With the help of social media and influencer marketing, the average consumer was easily persuaded to buy into this new concept of fast fashion and this industry now produces 80 billion items per year. As a result, there was a significant cultural shift in consumer patterns, which hinged on the stimulated demand of needing cheaper clothes at a much faster pace, combined with a blatant refusal to see the environmental and humanitarian costs of such unsustainable business models.

The exponential rise of fast fashion and the resultant increased supply fed perfectly into the hyper-consumerist world of today. And more importantly, the wide gap which exists between those who consume, sustain and profit from this industry, and those who suffer its disastrous consequences, makes it, more often than not, easy to be blind to the connection between buying clothes at a Zara sale and rivers polluted with cancer-causing chemicals in China.

However, Covid-19 and its effective crippling of the world as we know it did not spare the fast fashion industry. For example, H&M recently announced the closure of 70% of its stores worldwide due to changes in consumer demand and markets going into lockdown. By essentially dismantling the cyclical production process that sustains the endless churning of fast fashion, the pandemic, unwittingly, helped slow humanity’s determined march towards a world mired in mindless consumerism. And in doing so, it offered us a second chance.

The ethical cost of the fast fashion industry and its global impact is well-documented. One of the main reasons why companies like Zara, Misguided, and H&M are able to generate huge profits by selling cheap clothing is due to the appalling labor conditions under which their employees are forced to work. This competition to produce the cheapest clothing drives the industry practice of exploiting garment workers in its supply chains, whether in Los Angeles or Bangladesh. They toil for a grueling 12-14 hours a day, compensated the bare minimum, and at the end of the day are treated as disposable cogs in a wheel that exists to produce a sundress that is worn twice before being thrown away. Added to the mistreatment of its workers, the fast fashion industry is also a major contributor to environmental destruction. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the fashion industry produces 10 percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions and is estimated to use around 1.5 trillion liters of water annually. It is clear that there is virtually no aspect of fast fashion that is redeemable in its current incarnation.

Unfortunately, none of this is new information. Covid-19 gave us an opportunity to pause and take stock of our way of life. It is crucial that we utilize this moment to reorient the incentives and perspectives surrounding this industry. After all, as Dana Thomas states in her book, Fashionopolis: The Prices of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, fast fashion is learned behavior. No consumer truly needs to participate in an endless cycle of ‘fashion bingeing’ as she terms it, and no company needs to be reaping such profits. Despite how effectively the pervasive nature of fast fashion normalized current levels of indulgent consumption, consumers have begun to demand a shift to a business model that prioritizes its workers and the planet over profit. In Sept. 2019, Extinction Rebellion planned a ‘funeral procession’ during London Fashion Week to symbolize the lives already lost and those that will be lost in the future if fast fashion companies continue to operate as they do today. While admirable, demand for change from consumers is simply not enough to force these powerful companies to shift to less profitable and more sustainable methods.

Companies such as Patagonia have already begun the journey towards more sustainable and ethical manufacturing by focusing on high-quality, long-lasting clothing. In purely practical terms, this can still be a profitable venture, as shown by their revenue which is reportedly one billion dollars a year. There are also new business models being implemented based on the sharing economy, such as Rent the Runway’s service of designer clothing which helps reduce waste and expand the lifespan of clothes. Sadly, these are still exceptions in an industry that has more or less resisted pressure from consumers and activists to shift to a more ethical business model.

Fast fashion companies such as Zara, Fashion Nova, Boohoo and many others are giants in their field, and it took a pandemic to disrupt their operations. The scale and reach of these companies makes them a force to be reckoned with, especially since their strength rests on the current culture of needless overconsumption. Alternative solutions on how to run the fashion industry have been tried and tested: brands and consumers must take care to implement them, especially now.

The world we lived in before was inequitable and unsustainable. The disruption caused by Covid-19 has offered us a chance to forge a different path; one that is more conscious of the long-term effects of mindless consumerism and considerate of those who have been historically disadvantaged. It is crucial that we do not let this opportunity pass us by.