Fast Fashion: The New Apocalypse?

Imagine walking into one of the many shopping malls along Orchard Road. The shops in Orchard Road are almost standard: there is a Cotton On, a Forever 21, a H&M, a Zara, and so on. It’s so easy to simply stroll into one of these shops mindlessly to buy some newly-released outfit, or to hit up the latest sale (“Up to 40% off storewide? Count me in!”).

It is time to open your eyes to the truth. These shops, so convenient and so well-loved, are actually killing the planet. These popular clothing brands are part of a phenomena called fast fashion. In recent years, the fast fashion industry has become a target for public scrutiny. Exposés such as The True Cost have revealed the shadier side of the fashion industry, which is rife with environmental and social exploitation. In fact, the fashion industry has made a bad name for itself, being branded the second most polluting industry after the oil industry. Through this blog, I hope to shed some light on the basic workings of the fast fashion industry and outline how this industry is toxic to the planet.

The video below gives a quick introduction to the problems surrounding fast fashion. Go ahead, have a look!