Social media influencers: can we blame them for fuelling fast fashion even further?

Fast fashion isn’t a new concept. We’ve all had cheap polyester garments, priced so low they could make Anna Wintour weep, shoved down our throats for so long the idea seems to have exhausted itself by now. So, why do we need to keep talking about it? 

With so-called ‘influencers’ on social media generating content that only promotes unsustainable trends and cycles, overconsumption is now a bigger issue than ever before.  

Hauls of mass clothing items, sponsored posts, and gifted products fuel an unhealthy culture of consumerism in which people buy new clothes with no concern for how they made or who they were made by. 

TikTok Shop, the platform’s built-in e-commerce feature, immediately springs to mind when discussing the issues around fast fashion. Here, creators earn a commission for each sale made through their link.  

While this can be a legitimate income stream, it allows for influencers to push products regardless of their quality. This makes it increasingly difficult for viewers to tell if a glowing review is genuine or simply a sales pitch.  

Furthermore, this form of consumption reduces the longevity of fashion trends even further. Brands are now overproducing clothing items and dropping more collections to keep up with such high demand, meaning quality suffers in favour of mass production. 

As a result, clothing becomes single use. The average number of times people wear a clothing item is about 7 times before donating it or throwing it away entirely. 

In the end, it is the environment that gets hit the hardest by fast fashion. Synthetic materials like polyester require an estimated 342 million barrels of oil every year. But what can we do, as consumers, to prevent further damage caused by the industry? 

Young people are recorded as the highest consumers of fast fashion, drawn in by on-trend and inexpensive apparel ideal for their lower budgets. While vintage clothing has a reputation for being expensive, shopping second hand doesn’t have to break the bank. 

Charity shops and sites like Vinted and Depop are becoming increasingly popular. You might have to dig to find the true gems but at least you know your money won’t contribute to unethical labour practices.  

Ultimately, fast fashion fades. But a conscious closet? That’s forever.   

Written By Ella Saint