Last week, you just bought that Edikted top that influencers are calling a “must-have”, or one that you “need in every color”. Now, it’s buried under the piles and piles of new trends and it’s already out of style. Sound familiar? That’s the never-ending trap of micro trends: fast, unoriginal, and rips apart your wallet. But the cost isn’t even just your wallet, it’s your uniqueness, confidence, and our planet. You deserve a closet that tells your story—not one written by your feed.

What makes micro trends so toxic isn’t just the toll it takes on the planet and our wallets, it’s also the robbing of our own self-confidence in our originality. As humans, originality is exactly what sets each of us apart from each other, and we can express that through fashion and what we wear on a daily basis. The way these trends come and go at a rapid speed can mess with you. One second, you love the new outfit you just bought and a couple days later, Tik Tok is telling you that it’s “so last season”. It’s absolutely exhausting. Instead of dressing for yourself, you start dressing to keep up with the algorithm—and that’s when your style stops feeling true to you.

Image Citation: Unknown. Person wearing yellow “Brasil” tank top and holding a drink. Pinterest, uploaded by @babygrlcloset, https://i.pinimg.com/736x/03/4b/0d/034b0de35b0df4ef3cf14a05b5bba8ee.jpg. Accessed 5 June 2025.

Beyond the pressure we face trying to find our own style among the hundreds of micro trends, they come with a hidden price to pay—the health of our planet. Most of these trends are made by fast-fashion brands that are constantly pumping out clothes quickly and cheaply (keep in mind, these styles are also barely worn, being thrown out in a short amount of time). This all means tons of material wasted, factories running nonstop, and rising amounts of landfill. All of this, just for a trend that might not even last a couple weeks, say even a month.

Image Citation: SHEIN Logo. StickPNG, https://www.stickpng.com/img/icons-logos-emojis/iconic-brands/shein-logo. Accessed 5 June 2025.

But behind the factory doors, it’s worse than you think. Shein uses unethical ways to create their clothing, including child labor. Issues of lead poisoning have also been brought to light over the years, raising question on the health risks you could be taking just to stay on trend. Secondly, Shein is well-known for stealing designs from slow-fashion brands or small businesses and replicating them almost identically on their website. Counterfeiting is disastrous for artists who make one-of-a-kind pieces and this takes away from the hard work they have put in. Shein is doing this without license agreements or consent. This issue is sadly, not being addressed clearly enough because of the massive empire Shein has built and the laws around this issue that are constantly changing.

After reading all of this slam on fast-fashion companies, it might look like a solution is unlikely. But, there are many solutions to this that you can take part in, if you’re willing to break out of this toxic cycle. It’s actually super simple—shop. smarter. Instead of tirelessly chasing after every single micro trend, build a closet full of pieces that speak out to you and who you are as a human being. Thrift stores, vintage shops, and even hosting clothing swaps with friends are all great ways to get started. Even though your closet may just be another small section of your room, it can be the key to showing off who you are and even what you stand for.

Getting started is super simple! Just by reducing the items made through fast-fashion brands from your closet (and maybe even re-selling on Depop or donating to Goodwill), you’re making quick progress. If you’re clothing-obsessed like me, you can use the empty space in your closet as an excuse to go shopping for unique pieces of clothing that showcase your own personality. Your closet doesn’t need more trends—it needs more of you. Start small, shop smart, and remember that real style isn’t bought, it’s built.

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