Fulfilling Our Fast Fashion Fix : 1A - NPR

A woman walks by an H&M clothing store at a shopping area in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Pandemic lockdowns didn't affect our shopping habits when it came to if we wanted to buy clothes. But it did change where many consumers wanted to buy clothes. Instead of spending time and money at the mall, many turned to online retailers for their fashion fix.

Chinese clothing giant Shein had its biggest year of sales during the pandemic. Last month, it overtook Amazon as the most downloaded shopping app in the iOS App Store.

The company is following in the cheaply made, quickly produced footsteps of competitors H&M, Zara, and Forever 21. Shein and its contemporaries prioritize convenience. And just like traditional fast fashion, the ethical implications and low costs are hard for consumers to reconcile.

What defines ultra-fast fashion? And how will it redefine how we think about buying our clothes?

Dana Thomas, Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, and Alden Wicker join us for the conversation.

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