Fast fashion

Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest. The term fast fashion is also used generically to describe the products of this business model, particularly clothing and footwear. Retailers who employ the fast fashion strategy include Fashion Nova, Primark, H&M, Shein, and Zara,^[1] all of which have become large multinationals by driving high turnover of inexpensive seasonal and trendy clothing that appeals to fashion-conscious consumers.

Fast fashion grew during the late 20th century as manufacturing of clothing became less expensive—the result of more efficient supply chains, new quick response manufacturing methods, and greater reliance on low-cost labor from the apparel manufacturing industries of South, Southeast, and East Asia, where women make up 85–90% of the garment workforce.^[2] Labor practices in fast fashion are often exploitative, and due to the gender concentration of the garment industry, women are more vulnerable.^[3] Outsourcing production to low-wage countries perpetuates cycles of dependence and inequality, echoing historical colonial economic exploitation patterns.^[4] The Design Piracy Prohibition Act was established to protect the designs of fashion designers. Numerous designers continue to sue fast fashion companies for copying their designs.^[5]

Fast fashion's environmental impact has also been the subject of controversy. The global fashion industry is responsible for 2% of global carbon emissions per year,^[6] to which fast fashion is a large contributor.^[3] The low cost of production, favoring synthetic materials, chemicals, and minimal pollution abatement measures have led to excess waste.^[7]