This garment, manufactured by Shein, was worn just a few times before it was discarded: a classic example of ‘Fast Fashion’. At it’s peak the Fast Fashion industry was a trillion dollar market, and one of the biggest polluters on the planet. Our addiction to cheap, disposable fashion caused over 10% of fossil fuel emissions, yet over 80% of textiles produced ended up in landfill.
Fast Fashion companies, like Shein, ruled the markets by constantly inventing new trends. People would want to keep up with the latest styles and some even went as far as purchasing hundreds of items of clothing and displaying them online as ‘hauls’ for their followers to admire.
By the early 2020s, people were starting to realise the destruction being caused by these so-called Fast Fashion brands, and some began to boycott them. As environmental concerns grew, so too did questions about worker’s rights and the conditions of those involved in making these garments. Gradually the social media ‘influencers’ who had previously promoted these brands were ‘cancelled’ for lying to their fans. Influencing became out of touch and embarrassing, and Fast Fashion soon followed.
The final demise of Fast Fashion came in 2027 when the UK government announced restrictions on the amount of waste that companies could legally produce and fines for companies who sent too many products to landfill. With sales already low, Shein announced its bankruptcy just a few months after other fast-fashion giants Boohoo and Primark had done the same.
The end of Fast Fashion has meant that people now re-wear outfits, repair clothes if they break, and buy second-hand when they really need something new.
Carbon Ruins, Manchester 