People are constantly worrying about climate change and the rising ocean levels, but little do they know about an ongoing problem all around the world. Fast fashion. The truth is, we will all be buried in clothes by the time we die.

Fast fashion seems to be the best of both worlds. You get clothes that resemble expensive clothing brands but only pay a small price. The problem that people often overlook is that the mass production of these clothes leads to too much waste. Each year, there are over 100 billion clothes produced annually that will last generations upon generations. 10-40% of these clothes are never even worn, creating a massive amount of waste. With production continuing each year, the supply seems to be infinite. This buildup is polluting our world.

Not only is there too much fast fashion, but also some people have begun to promote their fast fashion as higher-end products. They take simple, affordable clothing brands like Gildan and put their own logo or feature on it, to then sell it for an extremely high price. This leads people to believe they are buying a great quality product because of the price they are paying, but when they go to check the tag inside the clothing, they’re hit with reality. 

Many people have decided to make a change to their shopping habits due to the overproduction and high prices. One of these people is senior, Ivy Slavinski. Her New Year’s goal was to only buy clothes second-hand rather than from common stores. She states, “By doing this, I aim to save money from the department store’s high prices, and also buy clothes that have already been purchased, to stop the ongoing cycle of discarded clothing around the world.” She believes that if other people partake in her goal, it will help reduce the overproduction of clothing.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, many items are overpriced and of low quality in order for people to make money from their business. The economy is constantly growing, and people need money to live comfortably; however, people also need good-quality clothes at low prices, which is why you should think about participating in Ivy’s goal of only shopping at secondhand stores.