fast fashion

noun

: an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers

For many shoppers, Primark has an irresistible offer: trendy clothes at astonishingly low prices. The result is a new and even faster kind of fast fashion, which encourages consumers to buy heaps of items, discard them after a few wears and then come back for another batch of new outfits.—

The Economist

Competition is fierce at every end of the fashion spectrum from luxury to fast fashion.—

Nedra Rhone

In 1985, we bought roughly 31 clothing items per year; now [in 2012] we snap up twice that many thanks to "fast fashion."—

Azeen Ghorayshi

—usually hyphenated when used before another noun

fast-fashion chains/retailers

Examples of fast fashion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Remember, fast fashion makes older items less competitive for buyer's attention. —

Nafeesah Allen, Parents, 16 May 2024 While the criticisms of fast fashion are warranted, data shows that fast fashion brands are admittedly surpassing sustainable or eco-friendly retailers with more robust plus-size offerings. —

Ruth Etiesit Samuel, Essence, 15 May 2024 Brands that teens once heralded as the epitome of trendy and fast fashion—think Abercrombie, Forever 21, and Shein—are now tapping into the $14 billion bridal gown market. —

Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 14 May 2024 According to ThredUp’s 2022 research, the US secondhand clothing market is projected to be worth $70 billion by 2027, and even traditional big name fast fashion brands like H&M and American Eagle are developing in-house resale programs. —

Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2024 By Cady Lang April 12, 2024 1:47 PM EDT What's the true cost of fast fashion? —

Cady Lang, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024 The company may reflect broader patterns of exploitation in fast fashion. —

Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024 The filmmakers shrewdly incorporate timely topics like fast fashion, food insecurity, toxic masculinity and privilege in a humorous, intelligent manner. —

Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024 The Asia Future 30 companies focuses on public firms, but excitement is also brewing in the IPO market, with big names set to go public in 2024: fast fashion platform Shein, logistics network Cainiao, and EV scooter firm Ola Electric. —

Fang Ruan, Fortune Asia, 20 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fast fashion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.