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

The fast fashion model, characterized by rapid production and low-cost items, not only depletes resources but also fosters a culture of disposability among consumers. —Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

The artistry of couture is the antithesis of fast fashion. —James Fallon, WWD, 22 Feb. 2025

Winning consumers over in-store High prices for luxury products and economic insecurities have aspirational luxury consumers choosing between fast fashion or high-end luxury, Cheris said. —Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025

It’s become less about long-term tips to feel better and more like fast fashion trends that come and go with little research and even less follow-through. —Sue Williamson, Allure, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fast fashion

• compassion
• ashen
• passion
• ration
• aurignacian
• internation