The global fashion industry produces over 100 billion garments each year, spanning luxury, high-street, independent, and fast-fashion brands. Within that, fast fashion—built for speed, low cost, and rapid trend turnover—drives much of the industry’s overproduction and the rise of disposable, single-wear clothing. Its push for constant newness fuels overconsumption and strains supply chains through waste, resource use, and labor exploitation.

The music industry is part of this dynamic—and here’s how.

Did you know? A 2019 study found that about 7.5 million outfits are purchased each year for music festivals and worn only once. Most are fast-fashion pieces made from synthetics that linger in landfills and leak microplastics into our oceans. Behind the sparkle lies a hidden cost—paid by people and the planet.

Fashion accounts for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A single T-shirt can use 2,700 liters of water; dyeing and finishing contribute an estimated 20% of industrial wastewater; and synthetics shed microplastics with every wash. Every second, a truckload of clothing is dumped or burned.

Meanwhile, many workers face low pay and unsafe conditions to meet relentless demand—seen clearly in festival fashion, where single-wear looks are pushed over pieces that last.

So the question is: Are we ready for a change?

Good—because live music events have the power to spark a cultural shift. By choosing how we consume, rewear, repair, and reimagine what we own, we can make style last longer than a setlist and turn fashion and music into a force for connection, not consumption.