Fast fashion
Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest.
Retailers who employ the fast fashion strategy include Primark, H&M, Shein, and Zara,[1] all of which have become large multinationals by driving high turnover of inexpensive seasonal and trendy clothing that appeals to fashion-conscious consumers.
Meanwhile, localized dressmaking businesses emerged, catering to members of the middle class, and employing workroom employees along with garment workers,[5] who worked from home for meager wages.
[6] The Cosmopolitan journalist Lauren Bravo sees fast fashion stretching back to utility clothing and tailors who sold mass-produced affordable suits for men.
Established in 1963 in Galicia, Spain, Zara gained prominence by offering affordable imitations of high-end fashion trends alongside its original designs.
[12] Thus, with shorter lead times, the company was able to respond rapidly to fluctuating demand by swiftly halting production of low-demand items and creating a sense of urgency for consumers to purchase in-demand clothing due to the ever-changing layout and stock of its stores.
[16] They emphasize optimizing certain aspects of the supply chain for the trends to be designed and manufactured quickly and inexpensively and allow the mainstream consumer to buy current clothing styles at a lower price.
This philosophy of quick manufacturing at an affordable price is used in large retailers such as SHEIN, H&M,[17] Zara,[18] C&A, Peacocks, Primark, ASOS,[19] Forever 21, and Uniqlo.
[30] The 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse in Bangladesh, the deadliest garment-related accident in world history, brought more attention to the safety impact of the fast fashion industry.
[33] British Vogue explained that the process of designing and creating clothing in slow fashion involves consciousness of materials, consumer demand, and climate impact.
To reach the target goals of consumer demands from the U.S. and Europe, garment laborers in developing countries, on average, are expected to work 11 hours a day.
[48] Quick response is now used to support fast fashion, creating new products while drawing consumers back to the retail experience for consecutive visits.
As a result, the shortened period improves consumer's garment choices and product availability while significantly increasing the number of per-customer visits per annum.
Fast fashion retailers like Boohoo.com realized that social media advertisements could be a great way to reach their target audience, young girls.
[61] For the most part, influencers focus their content on one subject area, like food or fashion[61] and have become their own kind of "internet celebrities" whom followers value and whose opinions they trust.
As a result, when social media influencers post content wearing an outfit from Shein, their followers may feel compelled to purchase clothing from that retailer too.
Social media users, specifically young women, could not go online without seeing something from this fast fashion website, and "Shein hauls" became one of the most popular trends on TikTok, with 4.7 billion views as of March 2022.
In 2004, developing countries accounted for nearly 75 percent of all clothing exports and the removal of several import quotas has allowed companies to take advantage of the even lower cost of resources.
[74] The United Nations estimated that the business of what we wear, including its long supply chains, is responsible for 10 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions heating our planet.
[77] Optoro estimates that 5 billion pounds of waste is generated through returns each year, contributing 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
[85] All aspects of fast fashion have elements that are not environmentally friendly, the amounts of waste from disposal of textiles into the garbage system is increasing beyond the industries capabilities.
[86] As the production increases and charities are beginning to turn away fast fashion for being cheaply made, organizations are struggling to come up with sustainable solutions to continue against the social and soon governmental pressure.
[85] Additionally, the retail and textile chains that encourage recycling or reuse often provide incentives, such as Lindex, which offered a rebate to customers who turned in their clothes.
[92] Companies are helping support the circular system in fashion production and consumer behavior by renting out clothes to customers with recycled or reuse items.
[93] In contrast to modern overconsumption, fast fashion traces its roots to World War II austerity, where high design was merged with utilitarian materials.
[95] In order to fulfill consumers' demand, fast fashion brands provide affordable prices and a wide range of clothing that reflects the latest trends.
[103] In addition, a report that interviewed Sri Lankan women working in export processing zones found that gender-based violence "emerged as a dominant theme in their narratives".
[111] There are many ways to avoid the use and purchase of these unsustainable, non-environmentally friendly, and overconsumed brands that pose many issues towards the environment and economy, as explained in the prior sections.
When uninterested by a piece of clothing, people can donate to companies like Plato's Closet, Goodwill, or local thrift stores rather than throwing it away and contributing to waste.
The athleticwear company, Lululemon, offers complimentary hemming on all tops and pants, so you can get the clothing adjusted based on your needs rather than purchasing a completely new item.
