3 Ugly Truths About Fast Fashion

Our closets tend to be filled with mass-produced, fast fashion items that we reach for on any occasion.  Having moved away from the 4-seasons-a-year fashion cycle to churn out up to 20 collections a year, high street brands such as relentlessly feed our appetite for newness. And the temptation is arguably hard to resist. But these clothes often come at a much higher cost than what you’ll see on the price tag. 

Fast fashion is responsible for vast amounts of waste, major pollution - ranked second largest polluter after the oil industry! - and heavily relies on cheap labor.  As consumer awareness is growing on the issues of climate change and social responsibility, the “slow fashion” movement emerged as a response and brands committed to ethical and sustainable fashion are gaining momentum.  We’re proud to be at the forefront of this increasingly conscious movement and hope you’ll join us once you realize how fast fashion is hurting us all.

FAST FASHION IS LIKE FAST FOOD: CHEAP AND UNHEALTHY

Let’s start with the basics and explain what we’re talking about. Coined in the 2000s, the term “fast fashion” refers to fashion that is produced very quickly in order to get new trends to the market as quickly and cheaply as possible. Life fast food chains, fast fashion brands are often found in malls and high traffic locations and their business model is entirely built around the ability to deliver high volumes of products in as little time as possible. It can take as little as a week from a specific style to be designed and hit stores. Something “[un]heard of before” according to Clara Vuletich, a TEDx speaker, designer, researcher and creator of a sustainable design methodology used by brands such as Gucci. These brands often replicate the latest runway trends at low prices, encouraging a constant cycle of buying and discarding clothes as the trends dictate.