Boohoo x Jordyn Woods
FASHION
Fast-fashion
drives us furious
BY Kelly Lauriente
20 April 2021
In a world where cancel culture is questionably efficient yet widely used, what may strike the most is how fast-fashion keeps getting away with its misdeeds. With about 3 trillion dollars of global worth, fast-fashion is indeed the biggest driver of the industry. Jokes aside, it’s about time we have a conversation about it.
Roughly, the business model of fast-fashion hinges on producing designer-inspired goods at a higher pace and at a higher rate, hence the low prices. When it usually takes 6 months to produce a collection, it’s now a matter of weeks.
From Zara to Prettylittlething, it has become nearly impossible to shop without stopping by those brands of ever more and ever cheaper garments, but at what cost ? For such an exponential growth to happen based on 15-dollars dress, there must be a trick, and not a magical one. Indeed, profit is made out of underpaid workers, environmental degradation and “occasional” CS2 poisoning. Nothing new, really.
While we can argue about whether it’s possible or not to be completely ethical in a capitalistic system, the issue with fast-fashion is that it’s comically out of proportions.
Judging by the line at Zara during seasonal sales, the demand for new clothes remains pretty high, even in a pandemic. Still, we aren’t wearing half of our wardrobes on a regular basis, studies say (Movinga, 2018). Though it might be unclear as to why the lifespan of a garment is now ridiculously low, there are at least two factors we can act on : trends and quality. It would be easy to blame it on social medias once again. Facts are that it’s quite rare to catch an influencer more than twice in the same outfit. On the other hand, we are responsible human beings. The key would be to think by ourselves again and eventually control those induced urges.
Fashion Nova x Cardi B
Is it possible for us to consume in a more responsible way, then ?
Boohoo x Jordyn Woods
There are plenty actually. Becoming a qualitative customer, first of all, by focusing on your appreciation of the actual product rather than the trend of it. Odds are high that this Fashion Nova top won’t survive next summer. Second-hand is also a great solution, as you may wonder why one would prefer a 150-dollars Zara coat over a vintage Saint Laurent’s under 200. On top of that, you can invest in premium designer brands, whose prices and production are lower than luxury houses, with good -if not better- quality.
Boohoo man x Quavo
Nevertheless, it seems quite unrealistic to demand the complete erasure of an industry. Especially since many people rely on it. And though fast-fashion deserves some backlash, fashion as a whole must do better.