Clothes shopping has lost its charm

Once upon a time, clothes shopping meant digging through racks to find something you’d actually keep. Now, it means impulse buys and outfits that barely survive three washes. Shirts that pill after one wash, seams that loosen or tear, and fabrics that lose their shape in a couple of months all seem to have become the norm. These quick purchases may feel satisfying in the moment, but they often end up shoved to the back of a closet or thrown out entirely. This turns shopping from a thoughtful choice into a cycle of instant gratification and regret. 

The quick, easy, low-quality shopping that we know so well is vastly different from how it used to be. In the 1950s, the average person would buy a dozen or so key pieces a year, like dresses or coats. Today, the average person buys around 53 new pieces of clothing every year. While the clothes were more expensive, it was an investment in high-quality pieces that would last a long time, unlike continually buying cheap pieces that fall apart in months, as we do now. 

Blair’s fashion illustration teacher, Jordan McDougall, describes the radical transformation in people’s shopping habits over the years. “Fashion used to be you’d buy one outfit for school, and you'd wear that, and you have your church outfit, so you'd only have a handful of outfits. There's a reason that vintage clothes are so sought after, one because they look cool, but they're also made a lot better,” McDougall said. “Now we're in this era of hyper-consumption, where there's a new trend at least every month. People are definitely buying more clothes than they ever have in history.” 

History 

Popular fast fashion clothes stores like SHEIN, Uniqlo, and Zara produce inexpensive clothing at a record pace to capitalize on fleeting microtrends. Their goal is to maximize sales, not to sell robust clothes. Zara, the first ever fast fashion company, took off in 1975. Other stores quickly got the memo, which led to the creation of SHEIN, the largest fast fashion chain so far. SHEIN designs take around 10 days to become a real piece of clothing. “Fast fashion clothing items are made by exploited people and people who are not getting paid enough, so the quality of the clothing is the cheapest possible thing [the brands] can make. If you go on websites like SHEIN, they have so many new things every day,” McDougall explains.

Why now?

This shift towards fast fashion was driven by both affordability and rapidly changing styles. As clothing became cheaper to produce, brands realized consumers were more willing to buy frequently rather than invest in a few long-lasting pieces. Lower prices made fashion feel more accessible, but also normalized treating clothes as disposable. According to a survey by Fashion Retail Academy in 2018, 12% of consumers aged 18-35 throw away their clothes instead of recycling them. 

Social media platforms like TikTok have played a major role in accelerating fast fashion’s dominance. Trend cycles that used to last years now disappear within weeks. These platforms encourage viewers to constantly buy new outfits to keep up, reinforcing the idea that repeating clothes is unfashionable. As trends move faster, brands respond by producing clothing at even quicker rates, further worsening quality, labor conditions, and environmental impact. 

Blazer takes

A lot of Blazers, unfortunately, buy into the low-quality fast fashion clothing. Scarlett Eisner is a sophomore at Blair, and she usually goes clothes shopping once or twice a week. However, Eisner realizes that the many clothes she buys aren’t always the nicest quality, and that a higher-quality piece would be a better investment. “If I had two options for an article of clothing that I like, and one of them was a cheap knockoff, and one of them was the real thing, I would buy the real thing,” Eisner said. 

Junior Elizabeth Masland, however, prefers to stay away from the fast fashion industry and utilizes another affordable option. “I normally go to a thrift store… I spend about $15 a month [on clothes]. I probably go once every two months.” Masland said. 

If you’re looking for a way to shop for clothes that doesn’t support fast fashion and that helps the environment, thrift shopping is a great option. It helps reduce waste by keeping clothes out of landfills and lowers demand for new production. Because secondhand items are often better made, they tend to last longer and offer more unique styles than fast fashion. For many shoppers like Masland, it’s an easy way to save money while also being more sustainable. 

While thrifting is one alternative, there are other ways individuals can reduce their contribution to fast fashion. Buying secondhand online, repairing clothes instead of replacing them, and choosing fewer, higher-quality items can help slow consumption. Education around sustainable fashion can also help shift consumer habits over time. 

No matter how many people refrain from contributing to the success of unethical fast fashion stores, the rise of them is inescapable. The best we can do is utilize the more sustainable options for clothes shopping, and try not to purchase as much clothing. So, next time you’re scrolling online or digging through a rack to search for a piece of clothing you saw on TikTok, think to yourself: Will I actually wear this in six months?