Fast fashion – love or hate?

To me, ‘fast fashion’ is a dirty term.. I associate it with huge amounts of pollution and waste as well potentially poor working conditions and badly treated workers.

Consumer spending seems to be fuelled by the ‘need for new’ (that’s not really a thing I just made it up but it’s fitting) and constant urge to be ‘on trend’. And what’s so frustrating is it’s the fast fashion brands which are fuelling it – obviously from a business perspective this is great, it’s clearly a very effective strategy for their sales and profits BUT it’s having a huge negative impact on the environment (by pollution waters, causing rivers and seas to dry up etc) as well as many other (smaller and more independent)  brands.

Workers decontaminating cotton before it is processed at an Indian spinning mill

Because there are so many ‘fast fashion’ brands around these days, other brands often feel the pressure to keep up with the low pricing and vast amounts of promotions in order to remain competitive. Of course these brands attract a certain consumer which is different from other brands – but retail in general at the minute is very trend focused and when trends change so quickly, many consumers would rather buy into these trends at a lower price point in order to keep up with the everchanging landscape of trends.

Brands which offer a portfolio of ‘staple’ pieces tend to be of a higher price point and therefore are often aimed at a different market – that of a higher income and who are potentially older in age, ie not students. But as gen-z are steadily taking over the consumer landscape, being a successful brand aimed NOT at the younger generation may prove to be tough as the majority of students have limited funds. Brands I would say who fit the idea of selling ‘staple’ pieces which you would buy into and invest in rather than simply buy, wear once, then throw out would be brands like All Saints, French Connection and Ted baker to name a few. These are just a few high street brands I had in mind when writing this but of course there are hundreds which fit a similar idea. In the grand scheme of things, yes they are still big brands who are successful but they tend to be popular with slightly older generations, who in general have different mentalities when it comes to shopping as they buy less often and typically invest in pieces they know they will get plenty of wear out of.

In my opinion, brands like this need to come up with ways to engage with the younger consumer and encourage them to invest in more staple pieces, rather than buying cheaper items of more ‘on trend’ clothing more regularly.