"Clothes have never been cheaper. These days a t-shirt is often cheaper that a decent cup of tea in a cafe. The wonders of capitalism. At least that is how it is often described. And when you point at the underpaid, gruesome labor that people in poorer regions of the planet have to do to make this possible the answer tends to be: "Well, they are having jobs and can provide for their families now, so it's reducing poverty.""
"Now of course the situation is a bit more complex, has more angles. Because fast fashion causes about 10% of the world's carbon emissions (about one EU), that is more than all international flights and all maritime shipping combined. And because the clothing is cheap and what experts call shit it ends up in a landfill or burned. Because those shirts and pants don't survive contact with the real world for long."
Clothing prices have dropped dramatically, making basic garments cheaper than common goods, enabled by low-cost labor in poorer regions. Defenders cite job creation and income for families as poverty reduction. Fast fashion produces roughly 10% of global carbon emissions—more than international flights and maritime shipping combined—and creates low-quality garments that are quickly discarded or burned. The model emphasizes novelty and rapid turnover rather than durability, amplified by social-media-driven consumption and haul culture. Similar dynamics are emerging in software as AI-driven "vibe coding" uses LLMs to produce cheap, often disposable code, promising accessibility but risking poor quality and negative externalities.
Read at Smashing Frames
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