Fast fashion good or bad ?

When it comes to clothes shopping, more consumers these days are looking to wear pieces that make them look good and feel good about their purchase. If you're someone who is interested in becoming a better-informed and more sustainable shopper, you’ll need to learn about the dangers of fast fashion and what to look for when shopping for sustainable clothing. To help you make more informed shopping choices, the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab's fiber scientists and sustainability experts have done the research to help educate consumers about fast fashion — here's everything you need to know about the facts and key issues, according to our pros.

Fast fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it includes the design, manufacturing and marketing methods that lead to massive landfills filled with gently used clothing items that are fully functional, just no longer “in fashion.” It's estimated that nearly $183 million worth of clothing ends up in landfills each year.

Why does fast fashion exist?

With the insurgence of social media and online shopping, the demand for clothes inspired by straight-off-the-runway trends without the runway price tags has grown. And with advancements in textile technology, synthetic fabrics are easier and cheaper to mass produce than less environmentally costly fabrics. Plus, more consumers are now avoiding wearing pieces multiple times as they want their social media accounts to show different outfits, just like their favorite celebrities. It’s hard to resist the ease of purchasing anything you want in just a few clicks and having it conveniently delivered right to your door — no matter the environmental cost.