Fashion has always been about more than fabric and thread. It reflects shifting economies, technologies, and social values. Each new era has made clothing more affordable and abundant, but at great risk to workers and our environment. Here’s a quick history of modern fashion’s business model, and how we arrived at today’s era of ultra-fast fashion.

Pre-Industrial Fashion (Pre-1750s)

    Before the Industrial Revolution, clothing was a craft and an artform. Garments were expensive to produce, made slowly and by hand, carefully repaired, and often passed down through generations. Clothing was seen as a valuable asset, more often a mark of status representing long-term value rather than a disposable novelty.

    Industrial Revolution (1700s–1800s)

    The Industrial Revolution transformed fashion from art into industry. The invention of the sewing machine and the power loom made it possible to mass-produce textiles and garments at lower costs. For the first time, clothing became widely available beyond the wealthy elite. But as accessibility increased, so did the reliance on exploitation: sweatshops, child labour, dangerous working conditions.

    Fashion cycles became institutionalised: Louis XIV’s finance minister famously mandated local textiles and yearly design changes, effectively creating trend-chasing as an economic strategy. As the fashion industry shifted from craft to commercialism, inequality was woven into the fabric of production.

    Consumer Culture  (1900s–1950s)

    By the 20th century, fashion was tied closely to consumer culture. In the 1920s, marketers tapped into dissatisfaction and fear of missing out, selling novelty as a constant need. After World War II, the rise of synthetic fabrics made clothes cheaper and more disposable.

    The 1960s ushered in an era of democratised style: fashion became fast, fun, and accessible to the masses. Mass-produced garments allowed people to express individuality through style choices, even when millions of others were buying from the same racks. What had once been elite exclusivity became a tool for personal freedom and cultural participation.

    Globalisation and Fast Fashion (1970s–2000s)

    From the 1970s to the 1990s, globalisation accelerated fashion’s reach. The Multi-Fibre Agreement had long limited imports, but once it ended, clothing prices in the United States halved and consumption doubled almost overnight. Global supply chains took shape, often opaque and exploitative, as production shifted to whatever country had the cheapest labour.

    The consumer shift was stark: in the 1950s, Americans spent 12–14 percent of household income on clothes. Today, that figure hovers around 3 percent, but the average wardrobe is five times larger. The cost is not financial but human and environmental, as workers face exploitation and ecosystems absorb the waste of overproduction.

    The Digital Shift (2000s–2010s)

    The arrival of online shopping sped up consumption even further. Brands promised ‘see now, buy now’, delivering runway-inspired pieces in weeks or days. This constant churn encouraged binge-like consumption, with marketing and governments alike promoting buying as part of the ideal lifestyle and norm.

    Ultra-Fast Fashion Today (2010s–Now)

    Today’s ultra-fast fashion giants like Shein and Temu push this to extremes. Using AI to search TikTok and Instagram for microtrends, Shein tests designs in batches of just 100 to 200 items and scales successful products almost instantly. Meanwhile, Temu acts as a vast marketplace, shipping cut-price goods directly from China.

    This model produces unprecedented volume: Shein alone grew its sales by more than 3,000 percent between 2018 and 2024. But the system hides its true cost. Ultra-fast fashion depends on fossil-fuel-based synthetics, huge amounts of shipping, and vast waste streams. It also obscures the human labour at its core, presenting fashion as instant and digital while workers remain underpaid and invisible.

    Access vs. Exploitation

    Across history, each leap in access has been made possible by externalising costs onto workers. The fashion system has relied on exploitation hidden behind marketing and novelty. In the ultra-fast model, social media algorithms obscure the human labour at its core, making consumption feel frictionless and detached from production realities.

    In a recent interview for our Behind the Barcode podcast which unpacks the truth about Ultra-Fast Fashion, Alice Payne, Dean of RMIT Fashion and Textile School, shared how the history and industrialisation of fashion has ‘brought many benefits and employment in different countries. However, it’s also come often with quite significant labour abuses. There’s been modern slavery concerns through many supply chains.’

    Rethinking Fashion’s Future

    The evolution of fashion’s business model reveals a tension between consumer desire and exploitation. We crave expression and affordability, but the industry has been structured to deliver these at enormous social and environmental costs.

    But the story of fashion isn’t finished. If we move beyond disposability and embrace clothing as something meaningful, durable, and expressive, the future of fashion can become one that celebrates both people and planet.

    This blog was adapted from episode two of Baptist World Aid’s Behind the Barcode podcast. To find out more about ultra-fast fashion and its implications listen here!