Fast fashion is a term used to represent cheap, trendy clothing that is made to replicate higher-end fashion trends. In 2019, China was the leading producer of fast fashion clothing. Many sweatshops are located in China; there, workers are underpaid and overworked in unsafe environments. Overall, China produced 65% of the world's clothing in 2021, with a majority of these clothes being labeled as fast fashion. The top 10 competitors in the fast-fashion market made up 29.13% of the whole fashion market in 2020.
Concept Low wages and labor-intensive operations have historically characterized the garment industry. However, since the turn of the twenty-first century, China's globalization has led to the proliferation of the fast fashion industry, appealing to developing nations due to its inexpensive labor and lenient regulations. This has resulted in an industry marked by overconsumption and waste.
In previous years, trendy fashion was a luxury and could only be bought at a high price. But recently, this has changed, as developing countries now race to produce cheap pieces of clothing to satisfy their foreign investors overseas. Its success lies in its broad appeal to various tastes, attracting many consumers. Another key aspect of fast fashion is that it is fast; fast fashion brands produce their garments quickly so that they are sold to the market as soon as possible.
The Industry in China
After recent years of tremendous economic growth in China, fast fashion consumption made its way into the lives of not only Chinese people but of people worldwide as well. Brands such as Shein, Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, and Zaful have dominated the fashion world. Residents in populated cities such as Beijing are starting to favor fast fashion brands over big-name brands in order to keep up with changing trends.
In 2021, the fashion industry generated $31 billion globally. China, in particular, accounted for 32% of total brand clothing sales in 2017 alone. The rapid consumption lifestyle that China has taken on has contributed to the increase of fast fashion. The use of inexpensive materials and labor contributes to China's ability to maintain high production levels while keeping their economic debt minimal. By producing more fast fashion pieces, the economy benefits. However, rapid production of fashion comes at a cost of perpetuating the climate crisis, such as through marine pollution, cotton cultivation, and increased carbon emissions.
Fast fashion exists not only because it helps the economy but also because it fulfills a high-consumption lifestyle popular in Western countries. In addition, how fast fashion is marketed contributes to its fast consumption; fast fashion clothing is meant to be worn for the duration of a short-term trend. Once the trend is over, it may be disposed of, and its affordability encourages a lack of guilt over its waste. However, the amount of clothing that is quickly bought and discarded thus increases the amount of waste produced, exacerbating its environmental impact.
Notable Companies
Shein Shein is an online platform that quickly grew into a major global fast fashion retailer. It uses a digital business model based on e-commerce platforms, data analysis, and fast supply chains to quickly respond to fashion trends and customer demand. The company targets young consumers and has become very popular among Gen Z and younger Millennial shoppers because of the low prices and wide range of styles. Overall, Shein reflects the shift in the fashion industry toward faster and more algorithmic retail systems.
Shein's supply chain relies on a network of small manufacturers, mainly based in China. This allows it to produce and release new items very quickly. The company is reported to launch thousands of new products every day, which explains its strong position in the fast fashion market. However, with this rapid production model comes an environmental impact and poor labor conditions. Despite these issues, Shein continues to grow and remains a leading retailer in the fast fashion industry.
Uniqlo
Uniqlo, a Japanese-owned brand, was founded in 1974 by Tadashi Yanai. It is known for modern, casual apparel and essential, multi-functional garments. Despite China's anti-Japanese sentiment, Uniqlo secured 1.4% of China's $350 billion apparel market in 2021, which was larger than any other brand that year. Uniqlo was not only a hit in China but the rest of the world as well with 43 stores in the U.S. alone.
The difference between Uniqlo and most other fast fashion brands is that Uniqlo's garments are seen as high-quality while still remaining at an affordable price point. Many Chinese people associate Japanese goods with the highest caliber of quality. Uniqlo's success story has to do with their timing too: Yanai created the brand around when the Chinese middle class was increasing.
In terms of how ethical and environmentally friendly Uniqlo is, however, some have pointed out that it has not made sufficient progress. Like most brands, Uniqlo has set a climate change target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In its 2021 sustainability report, Uniqlo outlined steps to reducing water usage in jeans by 99%, reducing single-use plastic, and educating cotton farmers on agricultural chemicals. In 2020, Uniqlo stores in Japan increased their use of LED lights, leading to a 38.7% decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. While these statistics are on the brand's page, these targets are not accepted in the scientific community as sufficient ways to limit global warming.
Inditex
The most notable success story is Inditex, which owns companies such as Zara and Bershka. Inditex is a large brand with a net worth of $17.2 billion. Since its opening in 2007, it has opened over 330 stores in China by 2019. In particular, Zara is growing twice as fast as H&M due to its focus on value rather than price. Fast fashion, the term, was specifically coined by The New York Times in the nineties due to Zara's ability to produce a garment from start to finish in less than 20 days.
Inditex has targets to source fabrics more sustainably by 2025 and to have nothing sent to landfills by 2023. It is not uncommon that brands have recycling program policies implemented, but some question whether there's actually any follow-through.
H&M Xinjiang, a province in Northwest China, is strategically important for China; not only is it the largest region there, but it's also a central hub for trading. While it's one of their poorest communities, it has high economic development. Additionally, it has an abundance of natural resources, as well as the Silk Road Economic Belt Project.
Xinjiang also sources nearly 90% of China's cotton, outputting over 5.2 million tonnes. However, China also engages in detrimental human rights violations against the Muslim minority in Xinjiang. United States has imposed sanction on companies that are sourced from Xinjiang. Companies that have cut ties from China include H&M, Nike, and Zara.
In particular, H&M faced a huge boycott from China. The actor Huang Xuan, a brand ambassador for H&M in 2020, told CNN that they would never work with the company again. Beijing sent out a statement that these allegations are false and that the West is spreading lies. Nonetheless, many H&M shops in China have been forced to close.
COVID-19 As with many other industries in their peak, COVID put a pause on the textile industry, and China, in particular, implemented a Zero-COVID policy in August 2021. This reduced the amount of goods that could be shipped into China during a period of time. The policy negatively impacted fashion brands because it slowed down their production and reduced their shipments. Consumers also stopped buying as much and clothing sales in the US fell by 79%. However, COVID-19 didn't stop fast fashion altogether.
Zara's sales in 2020 made less than half of Shein's sales, threatening Zara's continued popularity. Meanwhile, Shein doubled its sales during 2020, with 35% of those sales accounting for Western clients. The reason for Shein's success, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, was due to their incredibly inexpensive clothing that remained affordable even amid crisis. In addition to affordable clothing, people turned to comfort as a priority and a trend toward leisurewear commenced. Consumers began buying more pajamas, sweat seats, and athleisure and traded out their tight jeans for baggy ones.
The pandemic also brought about a reassessment of the fashion industry and a call to change. Although there was a short hiatus in the industry's work towards the sustainable development goals, it picked its focus back up quickly. For example, H&M launched a summer dress collection as part of its Conscious range, as it continued on its journey to use only recycled and sustainably-sourced materials by 2030. In addition to retailers' focus on sustainability, consumers cared more about how their clothes were made than before the pandemic. 56% of consumer's agreed that sustainability is very or somewhat important when buying clothes. Consumer's also began to shop at and purchase second-hand more often and embrace pre-owned goods. The second-hand market in the US grew from $28B in 2019 to $49B in 2024, and is projected to hit $74B by 2029 as the stigma around used clothing diminishes.
Environmental Impact
Despite the economic boost that the textile industry has provided, it also contributes negatively to the growing climate crisis. In recent years, fast fashion has majorly contributed to more plastic entering the ocean, overconsumption of goods, and increasing carbon emissions; in 2020, it was reported that the fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. In 2018, more than 10 different UN organizations pledged to establish a UN Alliance on Sustainable Fashion.
Water Usage Since the fast fashion industry relies heavily on water throughout its supply chain, it is one of the most water-intensive industries in manufacturing. Around 90 billion cubic meters of water are used every year for the fashion industry as part of the production and processing of textiles. A significant portion of this water use comes from cotton cultivation, which requires large amounts of irrigation and is often done in regions already facing water scarcity.
Water is also heavily used for dyeing and bleaching. During these stages, large volumes of freshwater are used and contaminated wastewater is often produced. These processes contribute to water pollution since it releases chemicals and untreated effluent into rivers and other water systems. Because of this, the fashion industry is responsible for a large share of global industrial wastewater and has a negative impact on environmental sustainability.
Marine Pollution On average, between the years 2000 to 2014, people worldwide have bought 60% more clothes than before, and much of this growth was driven by China's desire to keep up with cheap new trends. Additionally, polyester, a common material used in clothing manufacturing, sheds thousands of microfibers with every wash, leading to a total of 500,000 tons of microfibers, equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles, dumped into the ocean each year. It is estimated that one load of laundry produces up to 700,000 microfibers and other microscopic forms of plastic. A large portion of these plastics ends up on the ocean floor and does not decompose. Instead, they are consumed by fish and other marine species, allowing them to enter into the food chain. This not only causes harm to marine life but also poisons the food that people rely on as well.
Cotton Cultivation