fast fashion

noun

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of fast fashion

: 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

Recent Examples of fast fashion from the Web

Guararapes Confeccoes SA, the family’s conglomerate, entered the fast fashion market and sped up store openings since 2011 and now has over 300 stores in Brazil.

— fabiola moura, Bloomberg.com, "Billionaire Retailer Wants to Wake Up Brazil With Presidential Bid," 3 Apr. 2018
The costume design is especially egregious, as Senna’s style as a designer seems culled straight from fast fashion stores at outlet malls.

— teo bugbee, New York Times, "Review: Sharon Stone Stars in ‘All I Wish,’ a Lukewarm Romantic Comedy," 29 Mar. 2018
Forever 21 isn't the only brand that's come under fire as of late — in fact, many fast fashion brands have been under the microscope lately for a number of issues.

— rosemary donahue, Allure, "Instagram Users Think Forever 21 Copied This Indie Brand's T-Shirt Design," 29 Mar. 2018
Like fast fashion for snacks, Nestlé can bring some new Kit Kats to the Japanese market in weeks.

— erika fry, Fortune, "The Bizarre, Innovative World of Japanese Kit Kats," 22 Mar. 2018
For those looking to transfer out of the fast fashion cycle and nab some jeans that will last for ages, this basement hideout in River Market should be your next stop.

— kansascity, "Meet the underground denim shop selling jeans beneath the River Market’s streets," 8 Feb. 2018
Like many other of our favorite brick and mortars from the last two decades, Claire's seems to be struggling to find their place in the now heavily saturated world of fast fashion and internet shopping.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Claire’s Accessories Prepares to File for Bankruptcy," 9 Mar. 2018
What are the effects of the rise of fast fashion on local and national retail?

— isa giallorenzo, Chicago Reader, "Style Anastasia Chatzka is closing her Ukie Village boutique this weekend but shall return," 9 Mar. 2018
The purveyor of fast fashion is being squeezed from all directions.

— anna molin, Bloomberg.com, "H&M Writes Off Hopes of 2018 Recovery as Markdowns Mount," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fast fashion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.