Feature Article Draft

 This post is going to be a bit short, since majority of my efforts are going into building my feature article in its entirety. There's not much to consider since I already figured out my basic layout yesterday, and all I had to do was write down what Addisyn answered to my questions.

How Fast Fashion Has Ruined Fashion: The Industry’s Self-Destruction

Interview with Model and Fashion Expert, Addisyn Kostzer

Q: How has fast fashion changed the industry compared to past decades?

Addisyn Kostzer: Well I would say the most important and noticeable change would be the originality. Fashion used to be about craftsmanship and individuality: I mean, that's what first drew me into the industry right? Designers would put so much hard work into their collections, creating them with creativity, and creating clothing that would actually last. Now? It's not about being unique and innovative anymore, it's more about following trends. Fast Fashion companies like Shein and Zara drop new micro-collections every month or so, making trends disposable and pushing people into like an endless cycle of consumption. It's no longer about style for brands; it's about speed. The faster they push out article of clothing, the more money they make. It's also much easier to access these brands, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean everyone should have access to cute clothing, right? But it becomes a problem when this level of accessibility changes consumers' expectations. Now people expect low prices at the cost of quality and ethics.

Q: What impact has this had on clothing quality?

Addisyn Kostzer: The quality has plummeted. Since fast fashion prioritizes quantity over quality, brands create pieces that don't last. They use cheap material to meet the demand of low prices. This causes garments to fall apart faster, leading people to throw them away after only a couple wears. People don't invest in classic pieces that are timeless additions to their wardrobe. It's more of a wear and throw kind of thing, where people will by garments for short term, and then get rid of them as soon as the trend is over. This cycle ultimately leads to more spending over time, as people constantly need to replace their wardrobes.

Q: Do you think fast fashion has stifled originality?

Addisyn Kostzer: Oh yeah, a hundred percent. I mean designers used to work for years to create unique pieces, only to see people make "dupes" of them. Could you imagine watching your hard work be replicated and mass produced? And social media influencers these days all wear the same fast fashion outfits, making personal style almost non-existent. People end up dressing the same due to social media trends, leading to a lack of expression and individuality. Instead of the art form that it used to be, fashion has become a repetitive cycle of recycled trends.

Q: What are the environmental consequences of fast fashion?

Addisyn Kostzer: It actually shocks me how little people knows about the damage on the environment caused by fast fashion. The fashion industry has become one of the largest polluters, consuming massive amounts of water, emitting carbon emissions, and producing waste that fills landfills. The synthetic and cheap fabric also releases microplastics into our ocean, harming the biodiversity. The dyeing and chemical treatments that are used to create cheap clothing produce toxic waste water that gets dumped into local bodies of water, which negatively affects the ecosystem and causes pollution.

Q. What of the ethical side of fast fashion?

Addisyn Kostzer: The ethical side of fast fashion? There is no ethical side of fast fashion. Most, if not all fast fashion brands rely on unethical practices such as underpaying workers, forcing them into dangerous conditions, and even exploiting child labor just to save money. Consumers don't hear much about this side of the story, but I think if they did, they would reconsider buying from these brands. There have been too many reports of workers earning poverty wages and working in dangerous environments, such as factories with little to no ventilation or fire safety measures. This exploitation is the darkest side of the fashion industry, and it's something that needs more attention from people globally.

Q: How can consumers make more ethical fashion choices?

Addisyn Kostzer: Honestly, the most important thing that consumers need to do is shop consciously. I believe the first step to solving a problem is being aware of it. As soon as people start realizing that the fast fashion brands that they buy from are contributing to harming our environment and exploiting people, they will begin to reconsider their shopping choices. I think investing in higher quality pieces that last long and overall buying fewer amounts of clothing makes a big difference. Rather than constantly buying and throwing away cheap pieces, investing in staples that work with many different outfit combinations is incredibly useful in the long run. Thrifting and upcycling clothes are a great alternative to fast fashion, and let's be honest, thrifting and upcycling is also incredibly fun! Supporting brands that prioritize ethical labor practices and sustainable production methods is crucial. Consumers should research brands before buying from them, and ensure that they follow responsible business practices.

Q: Do you think there is hope for the future of fashion?

Addisyn Kostzer: As negative my answers have been, yes. However, I do think it will be incredibly difficult with the lack of either knowledge of the negative effects of fast fashion, or the lack of empathy. There needs to be a huge shift in mindset, which I can already see happening. Slow fashion is gaining traction, especially through social media. People have normalized, and even romanticized activities such as thrifting and upcycling. If we collectively, as a society, embrace conscious shopping, we can bring back the individuality and sustainability that used to be the definitive elements of fashion. Some brands are already beginning to make a difference by using eco-friendly and sustainable methods of producing clothing, and creating timeless pieces and collections, rather than quickly disposable trends. If consumers demand better, the industry will have no choice other than to evolve.

Whew, that took forever. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it took us nearly 3 hours to get through the entire process. I also ran it through a word counter, and... it is way over 600 words. It's 965 words. Yeah. I really don't want to cut anything down though, because I'm incredibly proud on how this came out. I feel like it turned out really professional and I'm excited to see how it'll look on the magazine. I will be asking Hailey if she thinks there is anything that should be cut out, because I do think some of Addiysn's answers were repetitive.

While writing this, I also wrote everything Addisyn said exactly, so there are many filler words that I will go through and take out while I'm writing it into the actual magazine.

Anyways, although I'm absolutely exhausted, I'm also extremely proud of how this turned out. The next step is to put all my hard work for the content page and the feature article into my actual magazine. The title page will most likely be the last thing I work on, since it is the easiest and also the most image heavy.

Thanks so much for tuning in, catch you later!