Are fast fashion is bad for you?

I hope you are aware that fast fashion is bad for you… right?

Brands like H&M and Zara are filled to the brim. Zudio will add 325 more stores by FY26 and reach a revenue of ₹10,000 Cr in the next 3 years.

That means we still buy from them… but why?

Let’s break it down:

There are 2 prices for clothes we buy online – what we pay and the actual cost. 

The actual cost is made up of 3 components:

→ Cost of Labour
→ Cost of Material 
→ Cost to the Environment

These prices are deliberately hidden from us.

Recent estimates claim that:

→ 92M tons of clothing reach landfills every year

→ 45% of major fashion brands choose not to disclose their suppliers

→ Only 1% of brands disclose the number of workers that are paid a living wage

When you get something priced at less than ₹500, doesn’t that raise the question – how is this so cheap?

Someone isn’t getting what they deserve (usually the labour)

So we are buying clothes that last less, are of poor quality, and someone is being ripped off. Everyone loses!

What can you do to not be part of the cause?

1/ Be Humble

You don’t need 1000 clothes in your closet.

Set budgets, buy premium, buy less.

2/ Be Aware

These companies are not being transparent. Know that you are being manipulated.

Fast fashion brands tend to profit not because you know what you want but because you don’t.

Figure out your style and stick with it.