Everything you need to know about (ultra) fast fashion…
The fashion industry is changing at an ever-increasing pace, and if we really want to understand what's going on behind the scenes, it's important to better understand the fast fashion business model...
Fast fashion brands primarily offer products that are produced quickly and cheaply to further satisfy the demand for ever-accelerating trends. While these clothes are readily available, the price we actually pay for them is much higher in the long run – both environmentally and humanly.
Although fast fashion has enjoyed immense popularity in recent decades, the demand for sustainability is also growing. However, despite all the interest, the ultra-fast fashion phenomenon has emerged, which has accelerated production even further. Thus, collections are often made in a few days, inspired by products from numerous independent brands, taking advantage of cheap labor. Unfortunately, this further increases overproduction and the amount of short-life, disposable clothes, which poses an even greater challenge for the planet.
Their success lies not only in their low prices, but also in the fact that they flood online platforms and web stores with their products almost at lightning speed. In practice, these business models take advantage of the continuous wave of trends and respond immediately to demand.
The fashion industry really started to accelerate in the 1990s, when seasonal trends were replaced by ever-changing fashion. Today, there are up to 52 microtrends released each year, made irresistible by social media, encouraging continuous shopping.
But why exactly is this bad?
According to the 2023 report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, which is an incredibly high rate. The accelerated fashion cycle is harmful in several ways. First, thanks to microtrends, the life cycle of clothes will be extremely short, quickly becoming disposable. In order to produce quickly, cheap, synthetic materials are used, which do not decompose. Also, the underpaid and poor working conditions of workers raise serious concerns. In summary, fast fashion encourages overconsumption, which can also distort the value judgment of customers, as they prioritize quantity over quality. The situation is no better with natural materials, such as cotton, as their overproduction requires extraordinary water consumption and harmful chemicals.
The essence of fast fashion is to always think in terms of current trends, instead of finding and expressing your own style. In this model, variety and quantity become the main considerations rather than quality, which can lead to unsustainable conditions in the long run.
You too can achieve real change with awareness when you choose sustainability as an alternative. You should prefer timeless, quality clothing that ensures a better future for all of us.
When it comes to fast fashion, we often only highlight the cheap prices and trends, along with the environmental impact, but there is also a deeper, less discussed effect: the uncertainty of our identity. Fashion has always been an integral part of self-expression, but thanks to fast fashion, our clothes have increasingly become average mass products rather than expressions of our personality. When we change styles every week, we lose touch with the pieces that can truly reflect us. This fast pace also questions our identity: do we choose the clothes, or does the hype around the trends choose us?
Sustainable fashion then became alluring after the recognition, because it allows you to rediscover the true value of your own style and uniqueness....