The popularity of fast fashion has caused a lack of demand for natural fibers. Farmers in Texas are speaking out about the industry’s impact on farming and why consumers should choose natural fibers — for the sake of the planet and local economies.
What’s happening?
Consumers have embraced fast fashion due to the ease of ordering, social media trends, and inexpensive pricing, regardless of how it affects their local economies.
Fast fashion giant Shein had $38 billion in sales in the USA in 2024. To put that in perspective, it’s almost double the 2024 sales of long-time department store Macy’s .
“Farmers want everybody to wear cotton here in Texas,” Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller told Everything Lubbock . “It’s our number one crop. We have seven million acres of cotton.”
Why is avoiding synthetic fabrics important?
Synthetic fabrics shed microplastics into our waterways every time they are washed and discarded. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down, whereas natural fibers take only a few months…