A few months ago hashtag ‘#GothIsNotKillstar’ started to spread on social media in response to a perceived problem in goth fashion. The popularization of pricey alternative fast-fashion brands such as Killstar and Punk Rave had led newcomers to feel excluded thinking they could not afford to be goth, despite the the reality that the goth fashion is rooted in DIY. Immediate controversy followed this tag due to those who misunderstood the message. Those who stood up for these brands generally took the hashtag as an attack on their taste, when in actuality it is not their taste that is the problem-- fast-fashion is.

REASONS TO AVOID FAST FASHION

Fast-fashion is an intrinsically toxic system and has a detrimental impact on our environment. The intent behind fast-fashion is to produce an abundance of clothes at a cheap rate so the average consumer can buy more for less, and corporations can profit as much as possible. The most obvious issue in this system is the self-destructive “I need more” mindset. The problem, however, is much more complex. First world companies outsource their clothing from third world ones where wages are kept low and poor working conditions are allowed, and to keep up with the demand those corners are cut even further.

The concept of outsourcing labor and fast-fashion began in the 1950s, America used to make ninety-five percent of their clothes-- today they make three (1). This is a recent issue, and we as a society are finally starting to see the consequences of this business model. In the last seventy years, fast-fashion has become the world’s second-largest polluter, and there have been multiple cases of incidents in sweatshops leading to deaths. In 2013 the Dhaka garment factory collapse killed 1,134 workers (2). There were cracks in the building for months prior to the collapse, but they went ignored due to first world greed. If the owners of overseas factories were to say, “We can’t produce that cheaply anymore,” companies would switch to a different factory who could.

This pressure is what causes those corners to be cut. Those who support fast-fashion claim it to be “providing jobs,” but businesses don’t outsource from sweatshops for the greater good, they do it merely for the mass profit. If one truly desires to help the economy of the third world countries, support fair-trade, not sweatshops.