Millennials and "Clean Fashion": A Sustainable Approach to the Responsible Consumption of Fashion

Abstract

“Clean” fashion is the term researchers use to describe fair trade fashion or fashion that is sustainable and pays producers fair wages. In contrast, “fast fashion” is used to describe the fast pace that categorizes clothes moving from the catwalk to major retail stores. The “fast fashion” industry robs producers of fair wages and gives consumers no reason to shop for “clean fashion” when prices are extensively marked down. This research paper intently focuses on millennials, who are the major consumers of the “fast fashion” industry. It investigates the reasons why millennials are willing to embrace change but are not involved in the fair trade fashion conversation. It seeks to find ways fair trade fashion can be appealing to millennials and become a sustainable fashion alternative. This paper offers a significant number of voices that speak to the destructive nature of the fast fashion industry on the environment and on international labor standards. It gives the reader solutions to responsibly consume fashion.