Fast won’t last: the past, present and future of fast fashion
Cheap, on-trend, disposable. That’s fast fashion. It’s not new, but it’s not going away. In fact, it’s only getting worse.
The concept was first written by The New York Times when Zara first opened a store in New York in the 90s. The company was described as “fast fashion” after bragging that they can take an item from a designer’s mind to the shopfloor in just 15 days. This time frame isn’t much different now, but the sheer volume of designs major brands put out on a regular basis is astonishing. Live Frankly estimate that Zara produce 500 new designs each week and deliver new stock to stores twice per week. Online-only retailer, Shein, can reportedly add between 2,000 and 10,000 items per day. The fashion industry is the second biggest consumer of water according to the UN Environment Assembly.
But how did we get here?
Before industrialised machines made the 15-day turnaround possible there was a long progression starting with the first sewing machine. It was patented in the 1840s, leading to a rapid fall in prices and increase in scale of clothing production. However, the earliest concept of a sewing machine can be traced into the previous century during the Industrial Revolution. During the Second World War, there were restrictions on fabric that meant for eight years from 1941, there were rationings on the amount of new clothing that could be bought. This prompted an increase in standardised production of clothing. Customers were pushed to get used to and be more accepting of mass-produced clothing. In contrast to dressmakers making clothes to fit the customer, the mass production of garments endorses a ‘one-size-fits-all’ attitude that, even though a variety of sizes are sold, that doesn’t take into account the range of body types, shapes, and styles.
Moving towards the fast fashion brands we know today, both Zara and H&M were set up in Spain and Sweden, respectively, in the 20th Century. However, their combined value is still no match for the online giant that is Shein. The company generates astronomical profits, the environmental and human impact of their production is also tragically high. Untold: Inside the Shein Machine, a Documentary on Channel 4, claims the company is paying unfair wages, which they deny, however, they do admit to major working hour violations. One site reports staff were working 13.5 hour days with two or three days off in a month. Formed in 2008, the company has had a torrent of bad press, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Influencers and celebrities choose to remain ignorant of the harm in favour of partnerships with the brand. This far into sustainable movements with resources just a click away, it’s harder to ignore the information than it is to find it.
Greenwashing is another major problem. Whilst shopping sustainably – charity shopping, upcycling, and shopping with ethical brands – is becoming a trend in itself, larger companies are jumping on the trend too, or trying to. In the form of campaigns that look as though they’re sustainable. Several companies have been guilty of this very recently, but it doesn’t stop consumers from turning a blind eye.
One of the other big issues of fast fashion is the unfair working conditions workers are subjected to. In 2013, over 1,100 people tragically lost their lives and a further 2,500 were injured in the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh where a building housing a number of garment factories collapsed as a result of negligence. “Preliminary findings suggest vibrations from four giant generators on the compound’s upper floors triggered the collapse,” found the BBC. As well as the impact on people, fast fashion has an equal, if not bigger, impact on the planet (which will of course, in turn, impact us) In 2019, the UN Environment Assembly found that the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Nowadays, social media plays a huge part in what we wear. While some can be good, like the major part it’s played in encouraging and explaining slow and sustainable fashion, it also influences the way we shop negatively. Some of my favourite social fashion content is discovering sustainable brands, creators teaching you how to style basics, create capsule wardrobes – really, it has taught me a lot about sustainable fashion, a personal favourite is Louise May (@loumayyy on TikTok) she says she only works with brands she believes in and I would wholeheartedly trust her with my wardrobe.
Arguing against the harm of fast fashion, it won’t last long I promise, stay with me, shopping sustainably can be expensive. Findings from research carried out by UWE students said that 56% of people agreed that price prevents them from shopping sustainably. But sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be expensive. Admittedly, I have just dropped over £50 on a cardigan, yep, one, 1, a single cardigan from Lucy and Yak – entirely influenced by Louise May. But I’ve spent three months thinking this purchase through, from a brand rated ‘good’ by Good on You. It’s not a secret or even a bad thing that slow fashion is generally more expensive, it’s because their workers are paid an actual wage, their materials are sourced correctly, and their clothes last. You pay for quality and ethics. On the other hand though, doing your bit doesn’t need to be expensive. I’ve also just dropped £50 on five separate second-hand pieces (total) from Vinted, it’s a Treat-yourself-Tuesday kind of week. Sustainable fashion can be pre-loved clothing, even your own, if you can dig it out, is slow fashion.
Microtrends, often described as fad trends that drop off as quickly as they started have a lot to answer for. Maggie Zhou, writing for Good on You, a sustainability rating site that claims to do “the work to read between the seams” for the consumer, found that “when Euphoria character Maddy Perez wore a black cut-out dress, there was an 890% increase in demand for the trend search.” How many of those dresses are now a crumpled mess at the bottom of a wardrobe, tags intact? Franny Collingham, a fashion sustainability expert, and owner of sustainable clothing brand Wild Clouds, told Vice that “microtrends encourage overconsumption when we should be future-proofing our wardrobes and not buying for the short term.” This mindset encourages thinking about the environmental impact of our wardrobes. Good on You, found that “videos tagged #haul on TikTok have cumulatively been viewed over 49 billion times.” These ‘hauls’ are, admittedly, a lot of fun to watch, but at what cost? See above.