As someone who often spends their free time getting lost in the “For You” page on TikTok, I am no stranger to the millions of videos featuring people showing off their latest outfits, often incorporating the latest trends in fashion. 

The influence of social media has grown significantly in recent years, and part of its success is due to its accessibility—both for creators and audiences. As a result, pretty much anyone has the opportunity to become a trendsetter: their content can easily reach thousands and even millions of people. And with that, the micro-trend phenomenon comes in.

Micro-trends are defined as a fashion trend, a particular style or clothing item, that quickly gains popularity and quickly loses it. When it comes to the fashion industry, clothing companies that are able to keep up with the rapid speed of these trends such as AliExpress, ROMWE, and SHEIN have seen remarkable growth in popularity in recent years. This is primarily due to their cheap clothing, both in terms of price and quality, that are on-trend with the latest fashion craze. 

Micro-trends directly contribute to these fast fashion corporations. SHEIN, for instance, drops “700-1000 new styles daily” according to an interview published by Forbes. The clothing sold by companies like SHEIN are not meant to be worn many times, resulting in a constant cycle of consumers purchasing low quality items to replace the old worn out pieces, driving overconsumption.

In fact, “by 2030, global apparel consumption could rise by 63%, from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons,” according to the Pulse of Fashion report. 

Not only do micro-trends impact fast fashion, but they also raise the issue of sustainability. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, fashion industries account for 10% of global carbon dioxide output. Additionally, they produce an approximate 60 million tons of plastic globally each year, and materials such as polyester and synthetic fibers are a main source of microplastic pollution, according to Bloomberg. 

And with fast fashion companies gaining massive popularity, there is excessive waste as the clothing items produced are not meant for long term wear. 

As stated by The New York Times, “60% of fabric fibers are synthetics, derived from fossil fuels, so if and when our clothing ends up in a landfill, it will not decay.”

Even with all these sustainability concerns, the micro-trend and fast fashion dilemma has a more positive side too.

“Although micro-trends and fast fashion are contributors to the increase, demand, and exploitation of child labor and sweatshop workers, they can be beneficial to lower income families who can’t afford luxury items but still want to keep up with the latest trends,” said Arcadia High School senior Tiffany Valmocena. 

With micro-trends driving fast fashion and overconsumption, there will likely be dangerous consequences for the environment.

Photo courtesy of Rio Lecatompessy