Fast fashion
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| Clothing and the environment |
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| Environmental impact of fashion |
Fast fashion is the business model of quickly creating and selling clothing and footwear at affordable prices by replicating the latest fashion trends and high fashion designs using cheap and fast mass production techniques. Multinational retailers that employ the fast fashion strategy include Shein, H&M, Zara, C&A, Peacocks, Primark, ASOS, Edikted, Fashion Nova, Halara, Forever 21, Uniqlo, and Temu.
Fast fashion grew during the late 20th century as the clothing industry adopted cheaper manufacturing techniques including more efficient supply chains, new quick response manufacturing methods, and increased usage of low-cost labor from Asia and cheaper petroleum-based synthetic fibers.
Fast fashion brands attempt to get newest style on the market as soon as possible at a lower price than competitors via an optimized supply chain. These retailers produce and sell products in small batches, keep surplus manufacturing capacity on hand, and are able to make substantial and immediate adjustments to manufacturing based on sales.
As of 2026, 36% of clothing purchases worldwide are of the fast fashion category. The total market size of fast fashion clothing sales is estimated at $178 billion in sales per year.
Fast fashion has been controversial since many fast fashion brands contract their manufacturing to companies that use labor that is exploitative in both pay and working conditions, copy designs that may violate intellectual property laws, use non-degradable petroleum-based synthetic fibers, and produce short-lived garments that require frequent replacement, leading to increased carbon emissions. Fast fashion companies have also been accused of greenwashing, hiding their true environmental impact. Fast fashion companies have argued that their efficient manufacturing techniques reduce overproduction, that they are working to reduce carbon emissions and that they purchase carbon offsets and credits, and that they audit supplier factories to ensure fair working conditions that are in compliance with local laws.
In response to the controversial nature of fast fashion, slow fashion, sustainable fashion, zero-waste fashion, and thrifting have increased in popularity.