Fast fashion is a term that appears everywhere but is worth defining precisely. It refers to a production model built on high volume, low cost, and rapid trend cycles — where the commercial goal is to move consumers through as many purchases as possible in the shortest amount of time. Garments are designed with a short lifespan in mind, produced in conditions that externalize environmental and labor costs, and priced to encourage replacement rather than care.

The model works by compressing the traditional fashion calendar. Where the industry once operated on two seasons a year, fast fashion retailers now introduce new styles weekly or even daily. The result is a consumer culture built around novelty rather than quality — and a production system that generates waste at a scale the planet cannot absorb.

Understanding what fast fashion is, how it operates, and why it produces the outcomes it does is useful grounding for anyone making more intentional purchasing decisions. It is also useful context for understanding what Colecta is not — we work exclusively with established and independent fashion labels whose model is not built on volume and disposability.

Good On You's explainer covers this clearly, without the moralizing that often accompanies this topic. It is worth reading in full.

Read the full piece at goodonyou.eco