As Gen Zers begin to embark on professions and venture out into the real world, their influence on fashion and daily life also grows.
In the realm of fast fashion, which is a commercial strategy centered on generating large quantities of fashionable apparel rapidly through the use of inferior materials like polyester and other microplastics, companies are observing that the younger generation is becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability, reported NBC 7 San Diego.
Thirty-six percent of Gen Zers purchase new fast fashion items at least once a month, and on average, they spend $767 annually on such items.
The effects of all that consumption are seen in the environment.
The business consulting company McKinsey & Company estimates that three out of every five clothing produced wind up in a landfill. Furthermore, the study discovered that the burning of textile waste in the fast fashion industry releases 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually.
Brands are able to draw in Gen Z customers with flair and affordable costs, even in spite of the waste that comes with rapid fashion.
Professor Sheng Lu of the University of Delaware teaches fashion studies. "Fast fashion brands intentionally try to influence these, you know, Gen Z students through these social media," she added. "When you're still in school and you want to dress differently, look differently, and be trendy, you know, it's more affordable for you monetarily. And this is precisely how these fast-fashion retailers appeal to Generation Z with their wares."
But some Gen Zers are attempting to defy the wasteful tendency by advocating for eco-friendly apparel in a number of ways.
The CEO and creator of Viviene New York, Estella Struck, has collaborated with NYU, Microsoft, and TikTok to develop long-term marketing strategies aimed at young adults.
"The huge problem that Viviene New York is trying to help is helping these brands to target young people more effectively because people do not know where to start," Struck stated. "We are trying to build between those who want to, you know, contribute positively to our society and planet and future and the brands that are out there and are actually, you know, creating that future where that can happen."
While social media may be the source of much of Gen Z's fast fashion addiction, it may also be the means by which it is curbed.
Jasmine Rogers is a Mexican-American Black content developer that specializes in eco-friendly clothing and lifestyle. Rogers' passion for thrifting and upcycling clothing to create unique looks evolved into a profession.
Rogers created the That Curly Top Instagram feed, where she shares her experience through sustainable fashion. There are currently over 111,000 followers on her account.
"I've been able to find a community of people who really gravitate towards this optimism, and this colorful-ness and joy in the fashion space," Rogers stated. "But also bridging that with people who also care about the planet and people, and I think it's my same ethos, where now I've been able to have a community of people who care about style, but don't think that they have to compromise their values."
Lu predicts that the fast fashion sector will produce more sustainable items as a result of Gen Zers' increasing efforts to spread awareness of the sustainability of apparel.
Lu stated, "The Gen Z students." "I'm sure they will apply their value in selecting their products, in driving the changes of these fashion companies, you know, to intentionally source more sustainable products or to pay more attention to the environmental impact of apparel production and consumption."
Gen Z will contribute to less waste ending up in landfills by doing this. An action that will benefit future generations.
"For humans to survive, and our ecosystems to survive, and for our planet to survive, it's absolutely necessary for us to do this," Rogers stated./BGNES