The Costs of Fast Fashion

(1 Credit Hour) · Undergraduate

Taught by a veteran of the global apparel industry, this one-credit practical course explores “fast fashion.” This revolutionary approach to clothing manufacturing is taking the world by storm, based on unimaginably low prices that make clothing, essentially, disposable. We will together focus on the costs of this approach to fashion, starting with fast fashion brands themselves. With prices so low, how is this business model even viable? How does this affect what had previously been associated with the industry of fashion? And, importantly, what is the impact of fast fashion brands’ severe cost-cutting on the people who make our clothes? What other externalities – like pollution, waste, and damage to ecosystems – come into play? And how can we begin to calculate the true cost of this explosive mode of global apparel production? In workshops and class discussions, students will learn the unique way in which costing in fashion’s global supply chains is typically done. They will also engage in hands-on, real-life calculations of how living wage increases for the people making our clothes would impact the prices brands and consumers pay for a t-shirt or pair of jeans. Armed with their new skills and knowledge, students will be well-equipped to envision innovative solutions that can deliver a transformed and more hopeful future for global fashion.