The same often happens, unfortunately, to all those discarded clothes thrown into old-clothes containers by the roadside. So what happens to those pieces of clothing when they become yesterday’s news? Some end up in Eastern Europe – in Bulgaria, for example, where impoverished locals use the textiles to heat their homes when they can’t afford to buy firewood. The big chains such as H&M and Zara can never sell anything close to all the pieces in a collection, of course, and unsold goods then have to be cleared from the shelves to make space for the latest new thing. LOW-QUALITY GOODSįast fashion causes a vast range of problems. It’s not just about this insatiable thirst for trends created by the fashion industry, of course it’s also important to remember that the exponentially-rising global population means more and more clothing is being produced, then disposed of almost immediately. That means – especially at a time when every penny of monthly income counts – there’s no need to feel guilty about buying several pieces, because they cost next to nothing anyway. One of the reasons why people are buying so many more clothes than they need, of course, is the bargain-basement price. Worldwide, something like 120 billion new pieces of clothing are produced every year according to Greenpeace, one in fiveof these items is essentially never worn. For them to be able to do this and still turn a profit, the firms have to outsource production to low-income countries. Today, however, the fashion giants are working round the clock to bring out up to 52 mini collections, which can then be sold through their stores or online. Once upon a time, there were essentially four new collections a year – one for each new season. But what actually is fast fashion? The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “fast fashion” as clothing which is produced and sold so cheaply that consumers can afford to buy new clothing more often. Influencers on Instagram, TikTok and other social media channels present new trends every day, linking the outfits to a webshop where they can be ordered a couple of clicks later. Fast fashion is currently shaping the world of fashion, and with it, the wardrobes of Austria’s women and men.
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