As a single mother with a growing child, I constantly find myself tossing out clothes that no longer fit — sometimes every month. And I know I’m not alone. Many parents, students, and low-income families turn to fast fashion giants like Shein and Temu for quick, cheap style fixes. These clothes are trendy and affordable — but they often don’t survive beyond a season due to poor quality or shifting trends.

For a while, I used to invest in high-quality, longer-lasting clothing. But as my son keeps growing faster than I can keep up, buying expensive pieces just doesn’t make sense anymore. I stopped buying higher-end garments not because I don’t value them — but because I can’t justify the waste or the cost. And so, like millions of others, I find myself caught in the fast fashion loop.

But have we stopped to ask: What is the true cost of this throwaway culture?

The reality is, the fashion industry — especially fast fashion — is one of the most polluting industries on Earth. It generates up to 10% of global carbon emissions, consumes obscene amounts of water, and fills landfills with cheap synthetic materials that can take centuries to degrade. One pair of jeans alone uses over 7,000 liters of water to produce — equivalent to what one person drinks in seven years.

“Every stage in the garment life cycle — from fiber production to dyeing, sewing, shipping, and finally disposal — contributes significantly to environmental degradation.”

— Miguel Ángel Gardetti & Ana Laura Torres, Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles

The fashion system isn’t just failing the planet — it’s also failing the people who make our clothes. The Clean Clothes Campaign reports that less than 2% of garment workers worldwide earn a living wage. This is the true price of a £4 dress.

AI and the Future of Sustainable Fashion

Amid the chaos, Artificial Intelligence is quietly revolutionizing the fashion industry — from how clothes are designed to how they’re sold and discarded. AI tools are being used to predict demand, reduce waste, optimize production, personalize fit, and even create virtual try-ons that cut down on returns — which are a massive contributor to fashion’s carbon footprint.

“Emerging technologies have the potential to reframe the fashion value chain — but only if sustainability is prioritized over speed and volume.”

— Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles

So where does that leave us, as conscious but cash-strapped consumers?