Style May 26, 2020
Inside the fast fashion world
Fast fashion is undoubtedly the best and easiest way to shop. It can be defined as, “compressing the amount of time between creating a design and selling the final product in stores.”
There are some great fast fashion stores out there. But, there are also some that you may want to rethink. There has been a large backlash towards fast fashion because of sweatshop labor and low wages.
Fast Fashion is also very popular because of the low prices and bargains. There has also been news about fast fashion problems, that took over everywhere. Here are some stores that have received backlash:
Zara is known for having very “hip” and fashion-forward clothes.
Although very popular, Zara has received a lot of backlash pertaining to their sweatshop conditions and wages. According to the Telegraph, “Authorities said they rescued a team of workers – 14 Bolivians and one Peruvian – from an unlicensed factory.”
This is very mind-blowing.
Telegraph also stated that Zara has been known to underpay their workers:
“Living in dangerous and unhygienic conditions on the factory floor, forced to work 12-hour shifts for between $156 (£95) and $290 (£176) a month.”
People are definitely not ignoring this. Zara employees even took to protesting after this news broke.
It may be no surprise that Forever 21 is a staple in most shopping malls. They have a variety of clothes to fit everyone’s style, be they male or female.
And it also may be no surprise that Forever 21 has been in some trouble over the years.
Forever 21 was accused of not stating how much they pay their workers, who are actually making the garments.
Although Forever 21 has been the go-to store for a lot of people, including myself, they have been under the watch for a while pertaining to their sweatshop allegations.
According to Corpwatch.org, “Forever 21 has been sued by the United States Department of Labor for ignoring a subpoena requesting information on how much the company’s suppliers pay the workers who make its clothes.”
This wasn’t the first time the company has been sued. The Asian Pacific Legal Center who represented Latino workers also sued them for unfair wages.
People love Forever 21 because they have cheap clothing suitable for almost all body types. However, with the rise of online shopping and buyers being more conscious about sustainability, Forever 21 is soon to be wiped off the mall directory map. The company filed for bankruptcy back in September 2019, and stores nationwide are in the process of shutting down.
Sweatshop conditions and price wages shouldn’t be the only reason you may want to leave certain stores alone.
H&M has been known for having affordable clothes and for collaborating with well-known brands and companies like Isabel Marant, Kenzo, Balmain, and many others.
In early Jaunuary of 2018, H&M came under a lot of heat over an ad for a sweater that displayed a young black boy wearing a sweater saying “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”
Social media being so important in today’s society, this ad made its way to Twitter and Instagram and the public was quick to weigh in on it and gave their opinion.
According to The Washington Post, “The scandal drew public accusations of racism all over social media, including from the Weeknd and G-Eazy, who both cut ties with the company.”
Even though H&M did apologize for this, some people still feel angry about the situation.
Fast fashion can definitely be easy, cheap, and not time-consuming. As long as it is done right there shouldn’t be any issues. A lot of people simply don’t know the truth behind fast fashion; they just know that they’re getting their clothes fast and at a reasonable price.
