What is fast fashion? A noxious movement? The decline of the fashion industry?

A Stockton professor has strong opinions on the matter. Fast fashion is the fast-paced production of goods at an unethical level. It is a means to keep up with the latest fashion trends and keep consumers wanting new and popular styles.

Often, this can have a negative impact on the environment. Professor Sedia, Teaching Specialist in Biology, is lecturing a course called “Fashion and Society” this semester. The connection between society and fashion is immense considering the impact that the clothing industry has on the public and the surrounding environment. This contributes to why a professor in Biology would be interested in leading a fashion course. “I feel that fast fashion, in many ways, embodies one of the common things that are happening all over. We have this massive capitalist production system, which is very heavily pushing people towards cheaper, poorly manufactured clothes,” Sedia said.

Oftentimes, the average person does not have the means to afford clothing that is high quality, resorting to fast fashion as the cheaper and more accessible option. “We try to assign individual responsibility to consumers. We have this massive exploitative machine, and then it’s your fault somehow. I am a person who lives in the world, and being only a human, will have a limited amount of time and energy and money to dedicate to things. So it would be very nice to have a society organized to drive us towards better choices,” Sedia said.

With the mass production of clothing to keep up with demand, toxic pollutants have detrimentally impacted the environment. Consumption has risen to 62 million tonnes annually and is projected to reach 102 million tonnes by 2030. Not only is the environmental impact high, the employees working for fashion corporations endure poor conditions and low payment. Sedia
said on the topic, “What are the options? Either die or work this horrible shooting job for 20 hours a day. People should be paid a living wage.”

Shein, an online fast fashion brand, is renowned for its toxic impact on the environment and poor conditions for its employees. It was responsible for about 706 billion kilograms of greenhouse gasses in 2015 from the production of polyester textiles and uses up hundreds of gallons of water per garment. Additionally, workers from Shein are reported to make as little as 4 cents per garment produced, as well as operating on 18-hour workdays.

When asked if she could see the fashion industry making a change for the better, Sedia said, “Despite everything I said, I do think that change is possible. I do not think it’ll come through individual activism, but I see a lot of shifting narratives. Systematic problems require systematic solutions.”

Alternatives to fast fashion include thrift stores, sustainable companies, recycling and up-cycling textiles, online resellers, and clothing swaps. Locally, New Jersey Fiber Shed is a network of fiber farmers raising small flocks of sheep, alpacas, goats, and other fiber animals in order to promote face-to-face relationships between fiber animals, farmers, and fiber artists. Their efforts allow for sustainable farming of materials for clothing, which is much needed for the fashion industry that relies heavily on unethical practices.