Fast Fashion: Is it Becoming a Problem?
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Fast fashion is a modern term used in the fashion industry to describe inexpensive clothing that is produced quickly in response to the latest trends. Fast fashion is usually based around fashion trends present at fashion week in both Spring and Autumn, but can also relate to the clothes celebrities’ wear.
When celebrities such as Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and the Kardashians wear a designer dress, you can almost guarantee it will appear, in some shape or another, in multiple retail stores within a few days.
Fast fashion brands such as Zara, H&M, Missguided, and Pretty Little Thing optimise certain areas of their supply chain to make sure they are manufacturing the clothes as fast as possible at affordable prices.
While this looks like an ideal situation for consumers from the outside, the effects of fast fashion is recently undergoing a lot of criticism. Just as fast fashion moves from the runway to retail stores quickly, it also moves to the bin just as fast. It contributes more to climate change than air and sea travel combined.
In response to fast fashion, the slow fashion movement has been developed. It blames fast fashion for pollution because of the way the clothes are both produced and disposed of quickly. It also emphasises the lack of quality in comparison to the trends or clothing items they are copying, and the contributions it is making to poor working conditions in developing countries.
Sustainable clothing and reused clothes are also popping up in response to fast fashion. Consumers are buying second hand clothes from sites such as depop and eBay, but also from retailers such as ASOS, Topshop, and Urban Outfitters who are stocking pre-loved clothes. Fashion retailers looking to expand their offering in the future should watch this space.
Looking for more retail insights? Visit our September show Autumn Fair and take part in our free workshops and seminars. If you are looking to expand your fashion and fashion accessories offering, visit the Fashion sector in Hall 9.
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