10 Minute Explainer: Fast Fashion

"Fast fashion" is affordable, because it relies on cheap labor. But where does all the clothing go when it's out of style?

In light of the U.S. trade war with China, Elizabeth Cline explains how the "fast fashion" industry is fueled by cheap production overseas, and how consumers can build a more ethical closet. Cline is a journalist, clothing resale expert and author of the forthcoming book, The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good (Plume, 2019).

 

 

Fast fashion -- trendy, mass-manufactured, affordable clothes -- relies on the abundance of cheap labor around the world, says @elizabethlcline
- The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)

"There are 40 million people working as garment workers around the world today... Clothing is not an automated process, *people* make our clothes" - @elizabethlcline on "Fast Fashion"
- The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)

"There are good and bad impacts of fast fashion." Affordability has increased access and interest in style. On the other hand, @elizabethlcline says, Fast Fashion designers often rip off ideas from others, and that hurts the industry.
- The Brian Lehrer Show (@brianlehrer)