Is Fast Fashion in Latin America Becoming a Crisis?

How many clothes are too many? The answer varies from region to region. For example, U.S. Americans buy more than 50 garments a year—that’s a number four times bigger than what was purchased 25 years ago. In Colombia, people buy half as many—around 25—, and 28% of Mexicans shop for clothes two or three times a month. 

The Fast Fashion phenomenon has played a big part in today’s consumer boom, with fast fashion giants like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress. During the first half of 2025, Temu recorded year-on-year growth of 143% in monthly active users in the region, reaching 105 million. This rapid growth set off alarms in the fiscal and commercial spheres throughout LATAM. For example, Argentine authorities reported that 55.5% of imported clothing was manufactured in China, a figure that grew by 229% in volume and 102% in dollars. In Chile, around 70% of clothing and 90% of footwear are imported. This country is also one of the ten largest importers of used clothing: in 2021, it was the world’s fourth largest importer of used clothing and unsold clothing stock, and the largest in Latin America.

Local retail industries find it impossible to compete with such low prices. Still, the nature of fast fashion itself (its speed and overproduction) is what makes it unstoppable in global markets.

From Seasonal Fashion to 52 Micro-Trends a Year

Back when fast fashion didn’t exist, retail stores designed, crafted, and sold clothes in two yearly seasons - Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. This was tied to a logical consumer pattern in which people bought garments based on how hot or cold it was outside, but that doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Worldwide brands are now putting out 52 “micro-seasons” in a single year, with new collections featured in stores every week. Zara, one of the most common examples, manufactures 450 million items of clothing yearly and releases 500 designs each week. If we multiplied this last number by 52 weeks in a year and then divided by 365, we would get approximately 70 people who could wear a new garment each day for a whole year!

Who needs 10 different jackets each winter? Apparently, more people than we might expect. The truth is, we’re buying and selling more clothes than ever before, so much so that we don’t even know where to put them anymore (the 60 thousand tons of garments in Alto Hospicio, Chile can attest to it). We can’t even figure out where to put them on our own bodies, because there simply isn’t enough time in our lifespan to wear all of that.

How Social Media and AI Are Accelerating Overconsumption

The vicious cycle of fast fashion not only includes rapid production, but also the quick assessment of trends on social media, which plays a vital role. Let’s take the infamous Labubu monsters, for example: all it took was a photo of K-pop star Lisa and a doll on Rihanna’s Louis Vuitton bag to create immediate demand (how much money were they paid to promote the Labubus?). We’re only talking about an accessory here, but fashion brands have non-stop, unlimited consumer feedback to know whether their product is trending on Instagram or TikTok. 

But we’re missing a huge part of fashion trends,one that shapes the way we buy clothes: algorithms and artificial intelligence. Having access to this endless flow of consumer data can help brands like Shein predict which styles will trend in the near future, and thus manufacture pieces in a matter of days. This is what “ultra-fast fashion” is all about—reacting to what works well online and placing its products on the market as quickly as possible so as not to lose potential buyers, even though the clothes are of poor quality and will be out of style in a matter of weeks.

How Consumers Can Push Back Against Fast Fashion

Pretending that we can fight multinational corporations as isolated individuals is nearly impossible. If you want to be more conscious about how you consume clothing, here are a few suggestions:

Resist The Urge To Buy More Clothes

The economy has to keep moving for the world to function, but we're not going to keep turning the wheel like hamsters, trapped in the same aimless patterns. Don't worry: your hand won't fall off if you don't use your credit card this month. Make do with what you got and wear what you already have! Learning how to style basics, using accessories to enhance a 'look' and more.

Repair, Repurpose and Reuse

In the world of FOMO or feeling outdated, it is sometimes cheaper to buy something new than to repair what has broken... but if you can afford it, try to fix your clothes to extend their useful life. Sometimes it's just a loose button or a small seam, things you can do without a sewing machine.

This is the time to get crafty, creative and channel our inner art-class kid! Those of you who know how to use a sewing machine know what we mean: cut up some jeans to make shorts, use old clothes to make yarn for weaving a rug, embroider a flower over a wine stain... the possibilities are endless! A good tip is to take sewing classes or join mending communities on TikTok

Buy Second-Hand, Good Quality Clothes

As Business Insider puts it, “thrifting has gone from ‘ick’ to ‘cool.’” If you have no choice but to buy something, try to buy natural fabrics that are not derived from petroleum or durable materials that will last over time. Remember: just as trends change, they soon come back (hello, low-rise jeans?), so buy timeless pieces that you can mix and match to create versatile looks. Accessories help with this, too! But be careful not to buy too much—you already have enough sunglasses, trust me…

Shop Latino and Local Brands

If you have already exhausted the options above and still want to buy something, avoid multinational brands and prioritize local producers to promote quality design that is environmentally conscious and free from exploitation. In our previous article, we mentioned some stores that may pique your interest.

Don’t Turn Ethical Fashion Into Moral Superiority

Buying from multinational brands does not make you a bad person; it just makes you like the vast majority of the population. If you don't have the resources to buy good, expensive clothes, no one is going to judge you for shopping online and you shouldn't judge others either.

Resumen en español

Este artículo analiza cómo las grandes empresas de fast fashion (como Shein, Temu y AliExpress) están afectando negativamente a las marcas latinoamericanas. Explica que la producción masiva y los precios extremadamente bajos vuelven imposible la competencia local. Además, describe cómo las redes sociales, los algoritmos y la inteligencia artificial aceleran las tendencias para fomentar el consumo excesivo. Finalmente, propone alternativas para reducir el impacto del fast fashion: reparar y reutilizar ropa, comprar de segunda mano, apoyar marcas locales y organizarse comunitariamente para promover una moda más sostenible.