(COLORADO SPRINGS) — With more than 50 microtrends and microseasons every year, fashion trends are constantly changing and companies trying to keep up with the demand are cranking out billions of pieces of clothing every year. "We're buying way too many clothes. There's 100 billion new items of clothing every year, and there's roughly eight to 10 billion people on the planet. So like, the math doesn't add up," said Jo Peppin, a Slow Fashion Stylist. "Fast Fashion" focuses on producing as many garments as possible as quickly as possible, but there can be many negative impacts when it comes to the environment and to the people making these pieces. "My life was forever changed when I watched the documentary called 'The True Cost,' and it zoomed in on the problem of fast fashion and the actual humans that are making our clothing in the factories. I assumed because clothing was turned out so quickly and at such massive volumes, machines had to be making it," said Peppin. "It's exploitation. And we're using humans in desperate situations, paying them pennies. They're working 17 to 20 hours a day, needing to finish 500 to 600 items of clothing by the end of the day, like finish sewing them. So, that stopped me in my tracks." Peppin immediately changed her shopping habits and now she's helping others do the same. "At the end of that documentary, they give you practical steps on what to do and how to stop feeding the fast fashion giant, and one of them was shopping secondhand as much as possible, using what you already own, also plugging into your local community, shopping local rather than the big chain stores," said Peppin. As a Slow Fashion Stylist, Peppin urges people to slow down and consider their fashion choices. "Social media is probably one of the biggest contributors to the fast fashion crisis," Peppin said. Peppin said fast fashion pieces are usually poor quality. "Polyester, nylon, any kind of synthetic brands like Rayon." And while these items are often less expensive, that's not always the case. "Just because it's a higher price tag doesn't mean it's ethical and sustainable," she said. Peppin said one way to tell if what you're buying has been ethically or sustainably made is through an app called "Good on You"--"You download it and you type in the name of the company you're looking at and it will rate it from one to five stars," she said. Ethically made pieces do tend to cost more, but Peppin said there are ways to shop sustainably that won't break the bank. "The average American buys 57 new items every year, and if it's from an ethical company that's very expensive," said Peppin. "But if you take it and you slow down and you think, how can I invest in five pieces a year, five pieces, and then supplement those pieces with thrifting consignment." She suggests shopping your own closet first. "I love trends," she said. "I just did someone's closet and it was so fun because I proved that you don't have to go shopping for the trends that come out on the floor every single season." "Go into your closet and just spend a little time and look for the trends that you, I guarantee you already own in your closet." And when it comes to social media, Peppin said unfollow anyone who pressures you to over-consume. "Unfollow the influencers who do weekly, bi weekly, monthly fashion hauls and unfollow everyone who you notice like, 'oh, they wear something new every week or every day.' We don't need influencers telling us what to buy and when to buy it. I want to make that choice for myself and I think everyone else should." She knows it's not an easy switch and stresses progress not perfection. "Listen, you are not a bad person if you shop fast fashion. I don't make the perfect choices, but I am more aware. And that's the difference. I think the more aware you are, the more your choices will change," said Peppin. "I'm not going to sit here and judge anybody because I used to be that person and I make exceptions from time to time. It's not about perfection... it's about awareness and just taking the next right step that you know to do."