South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily – until a US$1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.

While looking at the ultra-cheap padded jacket at an H&M shop in the United States, where she was working at the time, Lee asked herself how any item of clothing could be sold so cheaply.

The 30-year-old embarked on a deep dive into fast fashion production methods and was horrified at the human, social and environmental toll hyper-consumerism is taking on the planet – and on the mental health of women who make and buy cheap clothes.

“I used to buy one new outfit each (working) day of the week,” Lee says, adding that each item from major high-street retailers would typically cost less than US$1.

But the reason the clothes are so cheap, Lee learned, is because the women who sew for companies are paid little, while the business model itself is causing significant environmental harm.