By J1 Reporter Ella Thibodeau

Fast fashion has slowly taken over the fashion industry, recently, the question has been: is fast fashion useful, or is it harmful? People continue to debate the pros and cons.

Fast fashion is a term that is used to describe the business model behind many brands. There are many different ideas behind this term. One side of fast fashion is the way it brings clothing in and out of style quickly. Another side of the topic is the materials used and the way the clothing is produced.

Amy Carson, the owner of a local clothing store, Grae, understands fast fashion first hand. Fast fashion brands offer their products at lower prices, making it more affordable, especially for teenagers. While trends are coming in and out, teenagers want to keep up with style. Fast fashion is an easy and inexpensive way to do so. These days, items of clothing can go out of style quickly, when you buy fast fashion “you are representing what’s in style, but not investing in it,” Carson said. 

Junior Alaina Kroll agrees there are positives to fast fashion. Since fast fashion is a cheaper option of clothing, it is an easier way for people to find clothes that they like. For example, she has recently bought a top at Hollister for $20. If she were to buy a top from another brand, although the quality would be nicer, it would also be more expensive.

“People could use a thrift store. They are as cheap or even cheaper than fast fashion brands,” Kroll said. Thrift stores offer an alternative to fast fashion. In Kroll’s experience, the only downside to thrifting is that you do not always know what you will find. When she is looking for a specific item, Kroll tends to gravitate more towards fast fashion because there is more of a guarantee.

However, the affordability of fast fashion can come at a separate cost. Though fast fashion is cheap, this can also reflect the way it is produced, what it is made of, and how that impacts the environment.

Carson’s store Grae would not be considered fast fashion. She talks about when people buy mass amounts of clothing for cheap prices, if the clothes don’t fit, they tend to just throw the clothing away as opposed to returning it, or even donating it. The quality of the clothing, to many people, isn’t even worth the money they spent on it. 

Kroll has extensive knowledge on fast fashion, and how it is produced. There have been numerous fast fashion brands that have used child labor to create low quality pieces of clothing. They use polyester, which is a man- made synthetic fabric. Since the rise of polyester, “Clothes are now much poorer quality, than even 15 years ago” Kroll said.

Fast fashion can always be argued in different ways. It is always important to take into account both the good and bad. If you are looking for an alternative to fast fashion, Kroll says, “I recommend thrifting because the clothes have character and they are not mass produced.”