The paradox of fast fashion business models and ethical practices

The fast fashion business model in 2019 hasn’t changed much in the era of sustainability. At retail level we still see rails full of 5 euro t-shirts, piles of jeans costing less than 10 euros, and printed dresses advertised at 8.99 pounds. Even cheaper goods can easily be googled and purchased online. Fast fashion and ethical trading standards seem to paradoxically lie at polar ends of the sustainability scale, yet retailers of household-named brands are having consumers believe their factories, manufacturing processes and workers are adhering to the standards we expect, but are afraid to challenge or delve into for accuracy.