How fast fashion can affect the environment

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Scroll through Instagram and try not to pay attention to what your friends and celebrities are wearing.  It's not easy to do!

"People are definitely shopping now more than ever," Azadeh Valanejad, a sustainable style expert, said. "I think it has to do with the Instagram effect where you see everybody else is wearing a new outfit every single day, posting it and you kind of fall into that 'Oh no, I need to do that too.'"

Valanejad said that constantly buying new outfits to impress your social media followers comes with a price tag that doesn't just affect your wallet but also the environment.

Reza Moreno is the founder of Sustain the Mag, an online magazine that focuses on ethical and sustainable lifestyle practices.

"Fast fashion basically is the idea of keeping on top of trends and always trying to be fast," Moreno said. "And people want to buy more because of that and then they throw out their pieces because they don't want to wear them again."

And then the items may end up in landfills. Moreno said that fast fashion and sustainability are ironically both growing simultaneously.

"H&M currently has a conscious collection with a few select basics and it's made out of recycled material such as cotton, polyester, et cetera," she said. "It's helping become more conscious of fast fashion and turning it into slow fashion."

Another company jumping on the sustainable bandwagon is Pop Bag. You literally pop different panels of fabric together to customize your own bag. When you want a change, instead of buying a whole new purse, you can just buy different colored panels or straps to swap out and snap on.

Sustainable fashion experts tell us shoppers should try to do research to learn where their clothing is coming from. Also, when you're getting rid of your clothing, do your best to recycle or donate.