Scrolling through H&M, Zara or SHEIN we can spotlight a slew of stylish items that keep up with the newest fashion fads. These are only three companies that can help to stay trendy on a budget. However, staying fashionable comes at a cost.

The term “fast fashion” refers to the quick and cheap way to produce clothing to cater to mass-market retailers. According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water, using roughly 20% of the global supply of wastewater.

While the fast fashion industry is the culprit of many environmental issues, unethical standards are extremely prevalent as well. The 2021 UN Fashion Alliance Mapping Report states that women account for approximately 80% of the garment industry, but are predominantly placed at the “bottom tier” of textile production, which leaves them susceptible to hazardous chemicals and exposure to injury.

“It’s a deeply rooted human rights issue, a feminist issue, and an environmental issue,” said Olivia LaRossa, owner of Junkyard Thrift in Brooklyn, NY. LaRossa views the fast fashion industry’s economic impacts and questionable ethics as “waste colonialism,” a term used to describe how plastic and textile waste is transported to underprivileged nations due to unsustainable solutions for the disposal of garment waste. “Things that get donated to Goodwill a lot of the time end up in landfills and we send so much textile waste to developing countries,” she said.

While the most obvious solution for ending unethical and environmentally destructive ways of consuming clothes is to stop buying from the companies thriving off fast fashion, it is easier said than done. Where buying second-hand is a better practice for sustainability, it is not always accessible to everyone. “I know that there are layers to it, like accessibility and price range,” LaRossa said. “There are also a lot of people who can’t afford- with the time privilege or the money privilege that they have- to look for a more sustainable option.”

Online shops like SHEIN and Zaful have such high success rates because they cater to most demographics, all while being just a computer screen away from consumption. Forever 21, one of the major players in the market of fast fashion, explains in its mission statement that “While driving innovation across e-commerce and digital to expand access and convenience, the brand continues to strengthen its positioning as today’s preferred destination for the fashionable consumer.” Examining the brands in the fast fashion market shows that “convenience” is the term used most often as the driving force for their means of production.

Accessibility and price are justified reasons why many people buy from fast fashion brands. However, just because these brands stay on-trend, does not mean they are the only source of fashionability.

As LaRossa explained her love for second-hand shopping, she lamented that it was rare to find her peers mirroring her sustainable shopping practices when she started ten years ago. “People thought it was weird that I was thrifting, and I got my clothes from Savers or second-hand stores, people just didn’t get it at all,” she said. However, there has since been a significant rise in the popularity of thrifting from social media apps like TikTok, where people share their thrift finds and inspire others to go on the hunt for second-hand treasures.

“I want people to figure out their own personal style, which I feel like you can do from thrifting,” she said. “It is so much easier than going on the new ‘in’ page on Pretty Little Thing or Zara and just buying the same thing that everyone else is wearing.”

While fast fashion can be more accessible than second-hand shopping due to its quick online outlets, there are still many ways for fast fashion consumers to introduce sustainable shopping from the comfort of their computers. Marketplace apps like Depop, eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, and Etsy are examples of the numerous sites that allow peer-to-peer-based shopping. These apps are a place for people to buy and sell second-hand items at inexpensive rates, which recycles items into new hands and keeps them out of landfills.

For more exposure to vintage items, curated shops like LaRossa’s shop, “Junkyard Thrift,” use social media apps, like Instagram, to sell hand-picked items that keep consumers up to date on the latest trends, while also advertising pop-up, in-person sales with other trending curated shops. “We have a ten-dollar rack out today,” she said. “We try to have a really good balance between really special pieces that may be priced a little higher and might be rarer, but we want it to be as accessible as possible so we can still remain a business and bring people the good stuff.”