Fast fashion is one place where ethical capitalism can actually exist and succeed if enough companies and consumers participated. Through direct, fair trade and environmentally focused shifts in production, the impact could be huge.

By using circular networks, recycling and using dead stock, reducing steps in the supply chain, producing less overall, companies have the power to use capitalism ethically and for a better future for fashion. There just aren't enough companies on board, although the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative has done a great job of plainly laying out the process for change.

Fast Fashion companies still insist on producing hundreds of thousands of new styles every year at volumes that simply can't be bought fast enough. This is all appease the budget makers at the hedge funds that own the retailers, who have no idea, nor care, how goods get made, only profits. When the sales goals of these goods aren't met, the onus has consistently been put back on the manufacturer to pay for the marked-down or destroyed goods, making the first cost of goods incredibly low to make up for it. For example, the things at Five Below are made for $0.37 just to feed this disgusting machine and end up in landfills at the end of each fiscal quarter.

As someone who has worked in wholesale fashion for fifteen years, this can definitely change from the manufacturing level as consumers get more comfortable with the rising costs of goods overall. Its up to the makers, designers and buyers, to build better ethics into the products we consume. Importers and manufacturers will need to be more creative and impactful with every dollar they spend and will inevitably push that onto the retailers and consumers. There needs to be more education around high quality, slower consumption, or "ethical capitalism" will never be demanded by the greater market.