The Truth About Fast Fashion, And How It's Hurting Our Planet

You might want to think twice before buying your entire summer wardrobe at H&M.

Fast fashion is appealing because it allows consumers to hop on ever-changing trends without making a big dent in their wallets. It is easy to forget, when browsing the racks at stores like Zara and Forever 21, that while the effect on your wallet is low, someone -- or rather, something, is paying a much steeper price.

A new video by AJ+, which came out on Fashion Revolution Day (April 24), serves as a reminder and a lesson about where our clothes come from and the repercussions of offering such inexpensive clothing in bulk.

The sobering numbers explained here -- including the fact that secondhand stores process up to five tons of clothing everyday and textile dyes make up 1/5 of water pollution -- provide the opportunity to think twice about the amount of clothing you buy, and where you buy it. As Dena Takruri explains, "Fast fashion is like fast food. It's the cheap version of the good stuff, sold in huge quantities."

Check out the video above, which includes tips on how to shop more sustainably, and to read more about Fashion Revolution Day, click here.