The Investigations That Fast Fashion Hoped You’d Miss

Most people scroll through fashion hauls and flash sales without thinking twice about where their clothes come from. But there is a very different world with a hidden trail that you don’t see on the tags or the hauls, the conditions fast fashion is built on, the areas where workers are treated unfairly. The side you don’t see in influencer videos. Over the past few years, investigative reports and government probes have exposed the foundations of this industry.

There are factories where people work in overcrowded spaces for wages far below legal standards. Some workers spend 16 hours a day stitching garments with barely any breaks. Sustainability claims have been proven false, and brands fined for misleading consumers about their practices. And yet, despite years of evidence, fast fashion continues to operate with ease. It is a multibillion-dollar industry that thrives on mass production and environmental damage, and somehow, it keeps escaping the consequences. One investigation fades another fine is issued, and the cycle moves on repeat.

Wage Theft and Modern Slavery

In 2020, an undercover investigation brought a revelation that garment workers in Leicester factories supplying Boohoo were being paid less than £3.50 per hour. Many operated in cramped, unsafe conditions during the height of the pandemic. Workers were discouraged from speaking out, and the scandal exposed how exploitation hides behind the labels.

Shein Fined by Italian Authorities

This year, Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) imposed a €1 million fine on Shein’s European operator for misleading environmental claims around circularity and sustainability, particularly in its "#SHEINTHEKNOW" and "evoluSHEIN by Design" campaigns, with the most vague, generic eco claims.

Channel 4 Anti-Slavery Exposé on Shein Supply Chains

Another investigation revealed that Shein workers were paid just £0.03 per item, clocked 16 plus hour workdays with almost no breaks, and often had only one day off per month. The report revealed severe labour abuses within this popular ultra-fast fashion brand, showing that workers were forced to work long hours in exhausting conditions.

Greenwashing Probe: ASOS, Boohoo & George at Asda

The UK Government reported that the Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into whether eco-friendly claims by these brands were misleading. It scrutinizes "sustainable" labels on products, questioning whether they're genuine or simply marketing tactics, exposing greenwashing in fast fashion and its lack of transparency.

The System Was Designed to Hide

You obviously won’t see any of this in an influencer post promoting it. The way fast fashion is set up, it relies on the fact that most people won’t ask questions. The price tags that seem like a good deal, the shopping apps that make it all too easy, and the words like "sustainable" that sound comforting but often mean nothing. If we don’t put pressure on them, this cycle of abuse and deception will continue, creating an even bigger loop that becomes unstainable and harder to break.