By: Matthew Fiedler  

They don’t make it like they used to. Fashion used to be a commodity that took time and care into making. Owning a high-quality outfit was something to cherish, something to show off, and something that would last for a while. Now, like fast food, quality isn’t what is put at the forefront. Instead, the current trend is pioneered by companies like Shein, Temu, and Amazon, where new clothes can be bought for a fraction of the price and be shipped in a matter of days. With this newfound convenience, comes a hidden cost.  
 
The ’fast’ part of fast fashion has two meanings. First: how clothes are being made. Most of the cheap clothes that are easily available are being produced in less-than-ideal conditions. Even brands like Nike, brands that have the appearance of being more upscale, profit off labor from sweatshop workers. The conditions in factories from powerhouses like Vietnam have better conditions, but countries like China don’t have the same labor laws that protect workers rights in some respects. 

The average American household throws away 82 pounds of clothes every year. According to the EPA, over 10 million tons of clothing are thrown away or wasted annually in America, with less than a quarter of that actively being reused or recycled.  

Global emissions from the fast fashion industry are expected to increase by 50% in the next 5 years. In the same spirit, the average life span of a purchased garment is only seven to ten times, 40 percent less than just 15 years ago. The processes for making clothes are very water intensive as well, resulting in around 20 percent of global water waste 

Thrift shops are on the rise, partially because consumers are becoming aware of how much retail stores overcharge, but partially because they are aware of the ecological damage. Connor Fuhrman, an owner of a thrift shop in Orange Park, said that he hopes people his customers can appreciate the contributions he is doing by providing high quality clothing at affordable prices.