There has been a lot of negative talk about fast fashion lately - articles, documentaries, tik tok, but the reality is the purchasing has not actually slowed down.
According to an LA times, McKinsey the research firm shared that 40% of US consumers have shopped at Shein or Temu in the 12 months.
Why would we want to slow down fast fashion? The fashion industry over the years has had a huge negative impact on the environment and society (think low living wages, bad work conditions, etc) and fast fashion has only sped up those negative impacts. Per the LA Times a typical brand may launch 1000 styles a year, where Shein/Temu can be close to $1.5MM!!
This article highlights some recent legislation that may slow things down?
In France, they recently passed a bill to to ban advertising on fast fashion and have penalties per piece of clothing sold. In addition, they proposed for a ban on used clothing exports across the EU, so less goods would end up in foreign landfills. We've all seen the images of landfills FULL of clothing.
In the USA- NY lawmakers are crafting a bill that would make fashion brands in the state disclose supply chains, hoping to curb exploitation and environmental impact.
Brands are also trying to get ahead of regulation by adding second hand options or pledging and planning to move to more sustainable options. This could be just for show, but hopefully will have an impact.
We’ve also seen consumers making statements they want to purchase more ethically and responsibility. I think a lot of consumers didn't understand the impact (myself included) and now that we are learning, we want to help curb the problem, but it can be hard to make the swap. First, we are almost trained to think clothing should be cheap, i've literally asked myself...wait should it really cost $10 to make a shirt if everyone along the supply chain is being compensated and treated fairly? There is also price sensitive consumers who do rely on cheaper brands, although moving to second hand could be a good option here. 2. I've seen that because of the ability to move so fast, some fast fashion brands offer more inclusive sizing that may be very hard to find at "regular" or "slow" brands. I think made to order (in a sustainable way) could be a good option for brands to offer more inclusive sizing. 3. It's hard to know what is "good". There is a lot of green washing and it's hard to understand what really is better. As a small brand, it can be hard to vet suppliers and ask the same questions of "is this really better."
So what do you think will legislation, consumer behavior, brands… or all three put the breaks to slow down fast fashion?
Source: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-09-12/can-anything-slow-fast-fashion-down-lawmakers-are-giving-it-a-go