Appalling or Advantageous? Exploring the Impacts of Fast Fashion From Environmental, Social, and Economic Perspectives

Abstract

Fast fashion is a controversial topic in both academia and among the general population due to its perceived benefits for consumers in developed countries and consequences for the workers in developing countries. This paper explores the effects of fast fashion from environmental, social, and economic perspectives to determine whether fast fashion and its processes generate a net positive or net negative impact on society. This is accomplished by collecting and analyzing current research on the topics of fast fashion and sweatshops and synthesizing this data into a cohesive paper than provides a holistic outlook on the effects of fast fashion. The conclusion of this paper, based on the findings, is that fast fashion offers a net positive impact.