“Fast Fashion” – one of the most used terms in 2019: but what exactly does it mean? What is tied to buying a piece made by a fast fashion brand?
First, what is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is a term for clothing designs made with an unsustainable method that produces inexpensive clothing rapidly in response to the latest style trends. Practically, Fast Fashion brings the latest trends at a fast pace to the shops and allows mainstream customers to purchase trendy clothing at an affordable price.
Here an overview of what are the main aspects of fast fashion:
In fast speed from the catwalk to the shop
Fast fashion chains like H&M and Zara introduce new styles approximately every two weeks. After a new trend has been created (e.g. an expensive designer piece is worn by one of the top influencers, and the internet goes crazy about it) the fast-fashion chains rush to duplicate the trend, and you can find it for €40 in the shop instead of €1000.
Low prices, but also low quality
Due to the fast speed of production, the items are lacking in quality and the cheapest materials are used (also harmful toxins, etc.).
You can say roughly: “If a piece of clothing costs you $19.99, that means the person who made it was paid 19 cents”. (Dana Thomas)
Environmental Impact And Human Rights Violations
This brings us to the next problem: most of the products are produced under bad conditions in developing countries, often involving child labour. And most labour workers can earn as little as $10 a month for intensive work and long working hours. Hand in hand with it goes the negative impact on the environment (e.g. the toxic dye colours used to end up in the rivers of India).
One last thought about fast-fashion to take on your way:
“Buying clothing, and treating it as if it is disposable, is putting a huge added weight on the environment and is simply unsustainable,”
Elizabeth L. Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.
If clothing feels cheap, fast, and disposable, that’s how we treat it.
Low prices and fast trends have made clothing become throwaway items. And we stop asking us the simplest questions like “How long will this last?” Or even “Will I like it when I get home?”. When we spend low prices, we don’t think much about what we buy and why we buy such a new garment.
With Stor-ey we believe that society needs to go back to the so-called Slow Fashion (you can read here more about it). We need to become more aware about the hidden costs of every garment (“How much does your €10 dress really cost”)
