That's largely the fault of fast fashion, writes Dana Thomas in her latest title, Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, which she's promoting at the Hong Kong Literary Festival (from November 1 to 10). It's a follow-up to her previous bestseller, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster. Complicit in the rush of fast fashion's grip has been ourselves – as unquestioning consumers.

Writes Thomas in her introduction: "As I sit here and write this, I'm wearing a black cotton jersey dress with a white pointed collar and shirt cuffs, made in Bangladesh. I spotted it on a Facebook ad, clicked through, and within days it was delivered to my home. It is flattering and fashionably on point. But did I think hard about where it came from when I ordered it? Did I consider why it only set me back 30 bucks? Did I need this dress? No. No. And nope. I am not alone."