Fast Fashion is probably not a term that you've heard before but without knowing it, you are intricately part of the movement.
Let's start with the retailers that are considered to be at the front of the fast fashion revolution and you'll start to see what fast fashion looks like: Zara, H&M and Topshop are some of the largest retailers capitalising on the fast fashion revolution.
What is Fast Fashion?
There are two aspects to fast fashion. The first is the quick progression of fashion trends from catwalk to manufacturing to sale in store for the general public. The premise here is seen as a positive. Fashion labels are moving their hottest designs into the mass market as quickly as they can so that everyone can have access to the latest trends.
The second part of fast fashion involves the slightly less glamorous and publicised areas of quality and sustainability. The nature of fashion has changed immensely over the past decade. If you go into a Zara store today and then revisit the store in two weeks, there will be an entirely different range of items on display. Some see this as a fantastic development of the fashion industry, as consumers are given more and more variety. But with regards to quality, things have taken a drastic turn for the worse. Clothes are made to fail a lot faster, prompting the customer to return more regularly to the store; and for a relatively cheap price, replenish their closet.
The Problems With Fast Fashion
The truth is harsh when it comes to fast fashion. There are many problems such as:
The clothes you purchase are designed to fall apart - Harsh but true. Why would you go back into TopShop twice a month if your clothes weren't falling apart? It's a perfect storm: Badly made clothing offered at cheap or reduced prices incentive customers to purchase the clothing. The clothing fall apart so the customer will return to the store, and continue the cycle of buying cheap but badly made clothing.
Massive wastage is becoming a real issue - Where do clothes go when they die? Probably into a dump somewhere in underdeveloped markets around the world. On top of the sheer volume of clothing being a problem, the other issue with wastage is that most of the fabric used in fast fashion isn't natural or biodegradable. It's polyester or rayon, which are both unkind to the environment. Not ideal.
The industry is trying to make you feel out of trend every week - How does it feel to be lagging behind everyone all the time when it comes to fashion? It doesn't feel great, does it? We agree. Fast fashion forces you to feel like you're being left behind and should rush out and purchase the latest badly made and cheap goods. Always go for quality over quantity like our
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