How do economic & cultural systems encourage harm in the fashion industry?

Brands profit most by producing more, faster, and cheaper.  It feeds an economic beast that traps us in a cycle of harm:

Every purchase signals demand, feeding the beast.

Companies maximize volumes while paying as little as possible for everything, including workers, working conditions, and materials. The cheaper the material, the more likely it is to fall apart, which encourages us to buy even more.  

The beast is an economic system that wants to be fed. Marketers convince us to help.

They push us to buy things cheaper and throw good things away by tying identity, self-worth, and status to newness. Fast-fashion cycles, social pressure, and media representation all make us feel we need new clothes to be valued. It also links creativity to consumption.  

The beast is an economic system that wants society to be unequal.

It keeps us buying fleeting things, rather than saving to buy homes and build wealth for our families. And it keeps colonial systems intact. Raw materials are often sourced from regions trapped by colonialism, where labor exploitation and environmental damage benefit wealthier nations. Profits flow to multinational corporations and the ultra rich, widening the wealth gap. 

The goal is to stop feeding the beast, by shifting demand to sustainable things and slowing down demand altogether.