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What is Fast Fashion?
As we think about cavemen all the way to medieval days, people generally possessed very few material belongings — sometimes just the clothes on their backs. In fact, the rich were considered sinful by the religious for being vain.
Philosophers and religious figures alike preached about the woes of owning too many things, and valued simple living. However, there came a turn in thought when the rich started to buy more useless, extravagant things. People figured out that they could fund more apprenticeships, businesses, and hospitals through the money made by selling to the rich.
The philosophical and religious figures soon began to also advocate for this dynamic since it was a way to fund the community-enriching things religion advocated for in the first place.
Even today, we see rhetoric and theology based on the idea of being blessed if you are wealthy. Money, it seems, has become the stand-in for helping people.
In the early 20th century, most clothes were made at home or in workshops. Replacing clothing was viewed as much more expensive than to repair it at a sewing repair shop. Sweatshops may have existed, but they did not have the “fast” element of fast fashion as we have today.
