Fast fashion: The True Cost of Cheap Clothes

Report on the current Trend of Fast Fashion by Federico Re. Why Consumers need to keep a watchful eye around cheap clothing.

‘Fast Fashion’ dates back to the 1970’s when retailers around the world started searching for economical ways to manufacturer their products by lowering labour costs and outsourcing production to Asia. This global phenomenon created a major shift in demand around new fashion trends, offering consumers trendy and fashionable clothing at affordable prices.

Zara, H&M, and Forever 21 were some of the first international brands that pioneered fast fashion. In Australia, this shopping trend gained popularity in 2011, when Zara opened its first store in Sydney, followed by H&M in Melbourne in 2015. These key shopping events attracted thousands of bargain hunting shoppers generating long queues when initially opened. Zara’s revenue was up 32 % the following year; H&M sales tripled !

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So, exactly what is ‘fast fashion’ ? According to Edward Chan (online shopping expert and founder of Fashion Lane) this can be defined as – “trendy cloths that can be purchased at a cheap price and is not designed to last. Often quality is so low they only last a few washes. They are soon replaced with a new item, making it a perfect business model for manufacturers and suppliers, as a result of consumers going back and buying new cloths.”

Edward Chan

For the majority of consumers, high quality authentic clothing, originating from an authentic brand is out of reach. It is for this reason that fast fashion offers budget conscious shoppers the opportunity to save significant money and present stylish fashion at a much lower price. For instance, the Ralph Lauren Floral Ruffle Trim Georgette Dress retails for $479. Its rival and an equivalent option is the Zara dress which sells for only $189. Edward states that – “most fast fashion companies target young consumers aged between18-35 who are more receptive to latest trends and a tight budget”.

Environment and Social Impact

The significantly higher turnover rate of clothing means a higher disposal rate and more landfill from rotting textile waste. Unlike traditional fashion brands where new styles are launched every few months or seasons, fast fashion companies have new styles that are released as often as every 2 weeks. Whilst this rapid production cycle enables cheap fashion companies a lucrative commercial opportunity, it creates a significant negative impact, especially on the environment.

The fashion industry produces more than 8% of greenhouse gases and 20% of global wastewater annually [6]. In 2024, Australians consumed more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing which sadly ended up in landfill. This surpassed the US which is considered the world’s biggest consumer of textiles per capita. [1]. The inability to recycle clothing, as with aluminium cans, plastic bottles, etc, has further exacerbated the negative environmental impact. This is due to the fact that clothing is often manufactured using mixed materials, and also with embellishments such as tags, zips, buttons, etc, which cannot be easily separated. Recycling fast fashion clothing is even more difficult due to the use of synthetic materials like polyester and nylon.

According to digital marketing expert Isabella Harris from ‘Carla Zampatti’, the impact Fast Fashion is having around the globe is a complex issue. “Fast fashion has seen rapid growth over the past decade and recent developments have shifted the landscape,” Isabella says. “The introduction of U.S. tariffs targeting goods manufactured in China, has placed significant cost pressure on many fast fashion brands with overall costs increasing dramatically. Brands are therefore relying on low-cost overseas manufacturing. This shift is opening new opportunities for brands focused on ethical production and local manufacturing—particularly in regions like Australia—where sustainability and transparency are becoming more important to consumers.”

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Despite the fact that Zara and H&M have a clothing recycling program, less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothing [2]. Most garments are ‘repurposed’ as construction insulation, furniture paddings or cleaning rags. In some countries (eg. Syria), old clothing is often used as cooking or heating fuel, which is detrimental to the environment and to the health of people. [5, 8] On the other hand, “Carla Zampatti has always been conscious of its environmental footprint”, says Isabella. “Since the brand’s inception over 60 years ago, this iconic brand has “proudly manufactured over 80% of our garments in Australia. This commitment not only supports local industry but significantly reduces our carbon footprint.”

“Carla Zampatti remains committed to its values of “quality, longevity, and responsibility in fashion”, Isabella adds.

A further social issue is exploitation of child labour in underdeveloped countries within the fast fashion industry, with its epicentre in Asia. It is estimated that over seventy-five million factory workers are employed, with less than 2% making an adequate wage. Sixteen hours per day of labour, unsafe working conditions, and other health risks are faced by factory workers every day. Many social experts claim these working conditions as ‘slave labour’. [7]

Sustainable Fashion Future

Despite all the marketing campaigns focused on addressing the environmental and social impact of fast fashion, this industry trend continues to still be on the rise. It is projected this sector will continue to inflate by 4-5% annually and reach a value of $3.3 trillion by 2030. The strong appetite for trendy clothing at affordable prices is the underlying root problem and driving force of the fast fashion sector.

To seriously curb the issues stemming from fast fashion, is the adoption of the ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’ philosophy on an every-day basis. It is ultimately up to the individual consumer to make a conscious and ethical decision when purchasing clothing from a retailer. More education and awareness of how and where clothing is made is also needed amongst the community and instigated by political leaders and policy makers.