The Truth About Cheap Clothes

    Shopping for clothes can be easy if you have a little extra cash. Go to the mall. Pick out low-top sneakers for $19.99. Buy a T-shirt for the price of a fast-food meal. 

    It seems like a great deal. You go to school in cool new clothes—and you didn’t spend much money at all.

    But take a closer look at the denim jacket on your back. There’s a story behind it. 

    That jacket was probably made 8,000 miles away in a country in Asia, like China or Bangladesh. It was probably sewn by young women or men working 12-hour days in hot and crowded factories. These workers often make hundreds of jackets an hour. And they’re usually paid less than $3 a day for their work.

    Shopping for clothes can be easy if you have a little cash. Go to the mall. Buy shoes for $19.99. Buy a shirt for just a few dollars.   

    It seems like a great deal. You get cool new clothes. And you don’t spend much. But take a closer look at your jacket. There’s a story behind it. 

    That jacket was probably made in a country in Asia. Maybe it was made in China or Bangladesh. It was likely sewn by young people working 12-hour days. They work in hot, crowded factories. These workers make hundreds of jackets an hour. Most of the workers are paid less than $3 a day.

    Shopping for clothes can be easy if you have a little extra cash. Head over to the mall, pick out low-top sneakers for $19.99, and purchase a T-shirt for the price of a fast-food meal.  

    It seems like an amazing deal: You arrive at school in cool new clothes, and you didn’t have to spend much money at all. 

    But take a closer look at the denim jacket on your back. There’s a story behind it. 

    That jacket was probably made 8,000 miles away in a country in Asia, like China or Bangladesh. It was most likely sewn by young women or men working 12-hour days in hot and crowded factories, making hundreds of jackets an hour. These workers are usually paid less than $3 a day for their work.

    Welcome to the world of fast fashion. That’s a term for how clothing is often made and sold today. The latest styles are manufactured quickly and cheaply—then appear in stores a week or two later. They’re sold at very low prices. 

    Fast fashion is a huge business. And it allows you to pay less for clothes. But cheap clothing has a hidden cost. 

    One way to make clothes cheaply is to pay workers less. So most clothing is now made in countries in Asia where wages are low. 

    The garment, or clothing, industry provides 75 million jobs. But many workers are in their teens or younger. Their working conditions are often dangerous and unfair. 

    In many factories, garment workers breathe in air filled with dangerous chemicals. They earn barely enough to survive. And if they get sick and miss a day, they can lose their jobs.

    Welcome to the world of fast fashion. That’s a term for how clothing is often made and sold today. The latest styles are manufactured quickly and cheaply. The clothes go to stores a week or two later. They’re sold at very low prices. 

    Fast fashion lets you pay less for clothes. But cheap clothing has a hidden cost. 

    One way to make clothes cheaply is to pay workers less. So most clothing is now made in countries in Asia where wages are low. 

    The garment, or clothing, business has 75 million jobs. But many workers are kids and teens. Their working conditions are often unsafe and unfair.

    In many clothing factories, workers breathe in air filled with bad chemicals. They earn only enough to survive. If they get sick and miss a day, they can be fired.

    Welcome to the world of fast fashion. That’s a term for how clothing is often made and sold today. The latest styles are manufactured quickly and cheaply—then appear in stores a week or two later for sale at very low prices. 

    Fast fashion is a huge business that allows you to pay less for clothes. But cheap clothing has a hidden cost. 

    One way to make clothes cheaply is to pay workers less, which means most clothing is now made in countries in Asia where wages are low. 

    The garment, or clothing, industry provides 75 million jobs, but many workers are in their teens or younger. Their working conditions are often dangerous and unfair.

In many factories, garment workers breathe in air filled with dangerous chemicals. They earn barely enough to survive, and if they get sick and miss a day, they can lose their jobs.

    Most shoppers didn’t worry much about who made their clothes—until April 24, 2013.

    On that day a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,100 garment workers died. About 2,500 more were injured. The workers had been making clothes for brands like Benetton, Joe Fresh, and Mango.

    After the accident, about 200 clothing brands promised to make the factories they use safer. They hired people to check the working conditions. They also trained about 2 million workers on how to stay safe at work.

    Still, many workplaces are unsafe. Last summer, fires struck three garment factories in Bangladesh. Nineteen people died and as many as 71 people were injured. 

    Most shoppers didn’t think about who made their clothes until April 24, 2013. 

    On that day, a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,100 workers died. About 2,500 more were hurt. The workers had been making clothes for brands like Benetton, Joe Fresh, and Mango. 

    After the accident, about 200 clothing brands promised to make the factories they use safer. They hired people to check the working conditions. They also gave about 2 million workers safety training. 

    Still, many workplaces are unsafe. Last summer, fires hit three clothing factories in Bangladesh. Nineteen people died. As many as 71 people were hurt.

    Most shoppers didn’t worry much about who made their clothes—until April 24, 2013. 

    On that day, a factory building in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,100 garment workers died, and about 2,500 more were injured. The workers there had been making clothes for brands like Benetton, Joe Fresh, and Mango. 

    After the accident, about 200 clothing brands promised to make the factories they use safer. They hired people to check the working conditions and trained about 2 million workers on how to stay safe at work. 

    Still, many workplaces are unsafe. Last summer, fires struck three garment factories in Bangladesh. Nineteen people died, and as many as 71 people were injured. 

    Fast fashion isn’t just hard on workers. It also harms the environment. A lot of cheap clothing is made from a material called polyester. Polyester is made with oil. The process of making it pollutes the air. 

    Even clothing made from cotton can cause pollution. Farmers use a lot of pesticides to protect cotton crops from insects. Pesticides can  harm other animals and pollute drinking water.

    But the worst damage may happen after the clothes are made. Cheap clothing can be replaced easily. So it gets thrown out quickly. 

    The average American throws out 76 pounds of clothing a year. That trash piles up in landfills. It stays there for hundreds of years. 

    Fast fashion isn’t just hard on workers. It harms the Earth too. A lot of cheap clothing is made from a material called polyester. Polyester is made with oil. Making it pollutes the air. 

    Clothing made from cotton can cause pollution too. Farmers use lots of pesticides to keep bugs off cotton plants. Pesticides can harm animals. They can pollute drinking water.

    The worst damage may come after the clothes are made. It’s easy to replace cheap clothing. So it gets thrown out quickly. 

    The average American throws out 76 pounds of clothing a year. That trash piles up in landfills. It stays there for hundreds of years. 

    Fast fashion isn’t just hard on workers; it also harms the environment. A lot of cheap clothing is made from a material called polyester. Polyester is created using oil, and the process of making it pollutes the air. 

    Even clothing made from cotton can cause pollution. Farmers use a lot of pesticides to protect cotton crops from insects. Those pesticides can harm other animals and pollute drinking water. 

    However, the worst damage may occur after the clothes are made. Because cheap clothing can be replaced easily, it gets discarded quickly. 

    The average American throws out 76 pounds of clothing a year. That trash piles up in landfills, where it remains for centuries. 

    Fast fashion may be changing—slowly. Many big brands are trying to improve factory conditions. Some companies are also working to protect the environment. For example, H&M will help you recycle your old clothes. 

    Experts say that shoppers need to be part of the solution too. A lot of fast fashion clothes are bought by young people. That means shoppers like you can have a big impact. 

    How can you help? Find out where your clothing is made. Look up the brands online. See what they do to make sure their clothes are made in a safe, fair way. 

    And if you find brands that don’t do anything to help their workers, write to those companies. Let them know it matters to you. •

    Fast fashion may be changing. Many brands are trying to make factories safer. Some are also working to protect Earth. H&M will help you recycle your old clothes.

    Shoppers can help too. A lot of fast fashion is bought by young people. That means shoppers like you can have a big impact. 

    How can you help? Find out where your clothing is made. Look up the brands online. See what they do to make sure their clothes are made in a safe, fair way. 

    If you find brands that do nothing to help their workers, write to those clothing companies. Let them know it matters to you.

    Fast fashion may be changing—gradually. Many big brands are trying to improve factory conditions, and some companies are also working to protect the environment. For example, H&M will help you recycle your old clothes. 

    Experts say that shoppers need to be part of the solution too. A lot of fast fashion clothes are purchased by young people, which means that shoppers like you can have a big impact. 

    How can you help? Find out where your clothing is made by looking up the brands online. Research what these companies do to make sure their products are made in a safe, fair way. 

    And if you find brands that don’t do anything to help their workers, write to those companies and let them know it matters to you.