Too Fast Fashion

Why should fast fashion brands switch to investing in sustainability?

by vivian tang and divij motwani // art by vivian tang

Awoman converses with the cashier about the clothes she wants to sell in one of Palo Alto’s local thrift stores: Fillmore & Fifth. The seemingly endless racks of second hand clothing as customers of all ages stroll around, looking to buy another piece of clothing.

Brandy Melville, H&M, and Zara are wellknown among the public for constantly producing new clothes. Environmental concerns, however, have made younger generations think twice about buying from companies that use fast fashion.

Fast fashion is a manufacturing technique involving the mass production of clothing, in which a great percentage of those clothes end up in the landfill as waste.

“Due to this, fast fashion has become a popular controversy over the years, which is causing many brands like H&M to redesign their product line and marketing strategies in order to become more involved with sustainability,” project manager at

Thred-up Patricia Tang says. This poses the question: Are younger fashion enthusiasts more likely to buy from these brands with a new investment in sustainability?

“I think people are more likely to buy clothes from sustainable brands because they know they are making some sort of change for the environment and won’t be shamed because they did not buy from a brand with immoral production processes,” Palo Alto High School sophomore Melanie Bonilla said.

There are also hopes that with more of an investment in sustainable fashion, that there will be fewer underpaid workers with better working conditions.

“I’d also hope if these brands did more with sustainability, there would be fewer underpaid workers and better working conditions. Like at places like Shein, they get paid almost nothing for an eight hour shift,” Bonilla said.

If companies known for fast fashion continue to work towards a sustainable future, the interest in their brand would undoubtedly increase, as people are more inclined to buy a product if they know that the environment is not harmed from their purchase.

“Fast fashion is bad for both the environment and the workers, but if they use more sustainable methods then people would buy more, and that could mean higher pay for the workers,” Bonilla said.

Many Paly students are proud of their thrifted items, with online resale companies like Thred-up (an online consignment store that offers resale programs for brands interested in sustainability) being used more and more with their partnerships with stores like J.Crew. For many brands, programs like these are the key to sustainability.

“Brands have been able to stand up their own sustainability initiatives through our product, which mainly focuses on just helping brands out instead of working directly with customers,” Tang said.

For many, thrifting is also the first step to their own version of sustainability. By buying second-hand clothes, a portion of waste is spared from polluting the environment.

“I like that it [thrifting] has the prices and diverse range of thrifting but it’s all online, so it’s more accessible and easy to buy,” sophomore Vit Do said.

Online consignment stores make it easier than ever to do this, as individuals can simply search up the exact style of clothes they are looking for, without having to rummage through sections in a thrift store.

Younger people have traditionally grown up with a large access to the Internet and sustainability initiatives, and Generation Z has traditionally had a large influence on issues like pollution or waste.

“It would make me feel a lot more comfortable buying from them knowing that their product produces less waste, which helps the already dying environment,” sophomore Ellie Kwak said.

According to Tang, if more brands continue to dip their toes in greener manufacturing processes, fast fashion could slowly become part of the past, contributing to a safer, healthier environment.

“I think in today’s day and age, it’s important to be leveraging those resources to be a good steward,” Tang said.