Fast fashion, cheaply and rapidly made clothing, is ruining the environment and the only way to combat its impact is to stop purchasing from brands that are not environmentally friendly. 

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, fast fashion is a growing industry with “the number of new garments made per year nearly doubling over the past 20 years and global consumption of fashion increasing by 400%.” 

Companies like Shein and Temu have become popular over the past few years; these companies are able to sell clothing for only a few dollars because they are making the clothes without any ethical considerations. 

The type of clothing on apps like Shein is made to keep up with trends, which is why it is cheaply and rapidly made; attempting to keep up with clothing micro-trends is harming the environment. 

When these micro-trends are over, what people do with their clothing has become a major concern. There has been an increase in clothing landfills and incinerated clothing. 

According to an article put out by Princeton University, “57% of all discarded clothing ends up in landfill; the landfills start to pile up, then the trash is moved to an area to be incinerated.”

This process poses multiple public health and environmental dangers to the people who live in nearby communities as toxic substances or large amounts of poisonous gases are released as a result of burning landfills. 

Recently, I watched the documentary “Brandy Hellvile and the Cult of Fast Fashion.” This documentary is the perfect example of how micro-trends lead to harming the environment. 

It details how people became so obsessed with Brandy Melville that they bought a bunch of fast-fashion clothing to keep up with the trends. Then, once the hype died down, the clothing had nowhere to go. 

Sure, you can donate the clothing to thrift stores and other organizations. But if the clothing is not bought, it is then sent to third-world countries. For example, the documentary showed how tons of clothing is sent to Ghana — so much so that the shoreline is overflowing with textiles.

The countries that receive this clothing have nowhere to put it because there is so much clothing being produced and quickly discarded. 

This is where micro-trends come into play. Micro-trends are short-lived trends that quickly gain popularity on social media and then fade away just as rapidly.  Examples of this include the “clean girl aesthetic” or putting bows on everything. 

In an article by Vice, Franny Collingham, a fashion sustainability expert and owner of sustainable clothing brand Wild Clouds, said, “Microtrends encourage overconsumption when we should be future-proofing our wardrobes and not buying for the short term.”

When buying clothing, people should prioritize the sustainability and durability of the trendiness of an item. While these clothes may cost more than fast fashion, they also last longer. 

Another great way to combat fast fashion and micro-trends is to support thrift stores.

Buying secondhand clothing gives it another chance at life while also keeping clothing at low costs. 

If you have the means to invest in new, sustainable and environmentally friendly clothing, please do so. However, because time and money are put into these clothes they can be quite expensive.

This is why thrifting is the best alternative to fast fashion. Buyers can still spend a minimal amount of money on clothing while also helping clothing stay out of landfills.