When clothing stores produce clothing as rapidly as possible, this quickly puts money in their pockets. But what it does to the consumer is ensures you’re buying the cheapest products possible. When you purchase at low prices, you’re not really getting a deal. You’re buying something that will wear quickly and be thrown away in a few months. This is what fast fashion is and this trend is one of the reasons why we experience so much textile waste in our country. Now, a Massachusetts woman is telling the truth about fast fashion and why it’s a trend that needs to stop.
Soph (@sophs_space) shared a TikTok video talking about fast fashion, featuring her 20-year-old jacket as an example of fashion done right. As Soph explains, there is a “unfathomable level of hostility and contempt toward consumers.” She thinks that large clothing companies like to take advantage of consumers so that they can quickly get through to your money. Soph shows her 20-year-old Gap jacket as an example of how companies used to “produce quality clothing.”
Her jacket, which still holds up, is 100% cotton-corduroy and has decently-constructed lining that you won’t find in most jackets. It’s lined well, which you don’t tend to see anymore. She said it also has real buttons and button holes. Most jackets are tie fronts because it’s easier and cheaper to make modern day jackets this way. Soph said that jackets and other clothing made from the Gap are not produced this well anymore, as in 2006. She said that now, a lot of their clothing is cheap nylon-blend, recycled polyester, and you won’t find lining in their outerwear. As she says about modern day clothing companies (and is perfectly correct in saying so), “They think you deserve to wear tattered rags.”
Commenters agreed that it’s difficult to find quality clothing anymore. One thrifter shared, “I’m a near daily thrifter and the quality drop is INSANE! Older Charlotte Russe/forever21 is 100% silk and then there is the PLASTIC everyone sells now.” Another person pointed out, “They used to even give us a SPARE button in case one got lost. I can’t stand shopping for new clothes anymore, it’s all designed to fall apart.” But it’s still every bit as expensive as it used to be, or even more so in some cases. And this is where the problem lies. We need to stop giving these companies our money, because fast fashion is cheap fashion.
