Fast fashion, defined as goods that are cheaply made and produced with just the purpose to sell in a quick manner, is a term coined during the early 90s. Zara, a billion dollar retail company, is said to be the first brand to introduce fast fashion. In the 1990s, The New York Times published an article using the term “fast fashion” to describe Zara’s new line that included the feature of being able to get out new clothing styles within two weeks from conception to stores. After this article was published, the term became a staple word in the fashion industry.

Other companies and brands started using Zara’s business model. Gap, Mossimo, and other early 90’s brands started coming out with lines and new product designs every two to three weeks. Before a two-week production timeline was introduced, brands would come out with two lines per season and 6-12 months from design to market. Now, a newer company, Shein, which is a major Chinese fast fashion company, can have pieces ready from scratch in ten days.

Today, fast fashion is the second most water-intensive industry following the agricultural industry and uses 10% of global carbon emissions. The main goal of fast fashion is to make the pieces as cheap as possible, and in the process, sustainability and quality are compromised.

To be able to create cheap fashion pieces, these companies are using the cheapest materials that harm the environment. “Brands use synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic, which take hundreds of years to biodegrade,” the nonprofit Earth.org wrote in an article on fast fashion. These pieces are more likely to be thrown away into garbage dumps, emitting synthetic fibers. Around 85% of pieces created by these brands get thrown out each year. Fast fashion pieces are so cheaply made that “even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles,” Earth.org wrote.

Other than the physical textile materials of the industry, they also emit a lot of greenhouse gases, which is an umbrella term to describe gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The industry is responsible for around 10% of the global carbon emissions, and is expected to increase its carbon emissions by 60% by 2030.

The social impact of fast fashion affects all of the workers and buyers. Now, 80% of apparel is made by young women between the ages of 18 and 24, and most of the workers are located in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam. In these countries, the US Department of Labor report found evidence of child labor and forced labor.

Many popular clothing brands today are fast fashion and have lines coming out quickly. Gap, Urban Outfitters, Princess Polly, Edickted, Hollister, Aeropostal, American Eagle, and other trendy stores that market to teens use the fast fashion business model.

Connie Fashu-Kanu, junior, tries not to resort to fast fashion when shopping for clothes.

“I try not to [shop fast fashion], but places like Hollister, I do fall victim, unfortunately. I feel like it targets a lot of vulnerable people, especially parents,” Fashu-Kanu said. “When they see Temu and all the discounts, they immediately start buying, and then they’re contributing to the waste.”

Fast fashion is now commonly found at shopping malls. Clackamas Town Center has many fast fashion stores like Hollister, Urban planet, Macys, H&M and more.

“If you go to the mall, it’s every store, Macy’s, Forever 21 was a big one. You go in there, it’s all polyester,” Fashu-Kanu said.

Avoiding fast fashion is hard, but there are ways to do so. A lot of people are starting to thrift their clothes. Thrift store foot traffic increased 39.5% between 2019 and 2025. Reusing and not throwing away a piece will help reduce the climate impact. Instead of a piece of clothing ending up in the landfill, it will be reused by another person, and that helps people not buy fashion items.

For the consumer, thrifting is very cost-effective, American thrift shoppers save an average of $1,452 per year because second-hand clothing is typically sold at a very low price compared to the market price. You can find clothing, houseware, literature, and music at thrift stores for prices much less than you would a new item.

1.4 billion secondhand apparel items were purchased in the U.S. in 2022, up 40% from 2021. This is the new growth in the population of thrift shopping; now, many thrifters are drawn to not only the price but also the knowledge of their positive and negative impact on the environment and social problems.