Environmental and Economic Impact of Fast Fashion\n- Domestic market value of the fashion industry is approximately 406 billion dollars (Fashion United, n.d.).\n- Fast fashion is the second dirtiest industry globally, trailing only the oil industry (EcoWatch, 2015).\n- The industry accounts for 20% of global wastewater and 10% of global carbon emissions, exceeding emissions from all international flights and maritime shipping combined (UNECE, n.d.).\n- Supply chains shifted to the Far East to achieve lower costs, leading to just-in-time and quick-response market models (Bhardwaj and Fairhurst, 2010).\n- [Capitalism] never solves crises; it moves them around geographically (Harvey, as cited in Roos, 2014).\n\n# Consumer Behavior and Generational Trends\n- Generation Z (18−22) is identified as the most photographed generation, fueling shopping habits through social media feeds and influencer marketing (Hanbury, 2019).\n- Generation Y (born 1980−1994) displays high levels of materialism and brand signaling due to public self-consciousness and peer influence (Giovannini et al., 2015).\n- Three consumer categories identified: Self-consumers (hedonistic), Social-consumers (image-conscious), and Sacrifice-consumers (eco-conscious) (McNeil and Moore, 2015).\n- Trends now cycle faster than the historical 20-year cycle; modern consumerism demands constant new arrivals (Gordon, 2017).\n\n# Pilot Study Survey and Interview Findings\n- A survey of 35 participants revealed a mean education score of 4.6 on a scale of 0 to 10 regarding the environmental harm of fast fashion.\n- Significant social media impact on shopping was reported by 100% of participants in the age range of 18−27.\n- Most frequently purchased fast fashion brands included Urban Outfitters (24 yes), TopShop (20 yes), and H&M (20 yes).\n- Qualitative interviews with four participants (18−23) showed that even those uneducated on environmental impacts preferred thrifting for uniqueness and low prices.\n- Sorority social pressures and events like Coachella contribute to impulse fast fashion consumption within the Instagram generation (Saad, 2018).\n\n# Shift Toward Sustainability and Resale\n- Resale market growth: 64% of women are willing to buy secondhand; 56 million women bought secondhand products in 2018, compared to 44 million in 2017 (ThredUp, 2019).\n- Buying a single used item reduces its carbon footprint by 82% (ThredUp, 2019).\n- Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2019 due to online competition and changing consumer values.\n- Brands like H&M and Zara are introducing sustainable lines, such as the Conscious collection, to appeal to eco-friendly mindsets (Howland, 2020).\n- Education is identified as the primary link between fast fashion consumption and eco-conscious shopping habits.\n\n# Questions & Discussion\n- What is your name and where are you located?\n- How old are you?\n- How often would you say you go shopping in person (per month)?\n- How often would you say you shop online (online store websites, resell apps)?\n- Do you know what the term “fast fashion” means?\n- Do you know about any environmental effects of fast fashion?\n- How would you describe your style, and what influences it?\n- Do you think social media, such as Instagram, plays a role in your style? Or how often you purchase clothing?\n- Do you think there is celebrity influence that might impact your personal shopping?\n- Why do you like purchasing from fast fashion stores such as Forever 21, Zara, Urban Outfitters, etc….?\n- Because you are educated on the impacts of the fast fashion industry, does that have any personal effect on the amount you purchase?\n- OR: Because you are unaware of the impacts of the fast fashion industry, would you be interested in learning about them? Do you think with this new knowledge of the environmental harm the industry produces might change your outlook on where you purchase clothing from?", "title": "The Fast Fashion Epidemic"}