In an era where newer is better and the timeline for what is considered “in style” keeps getting shorter and shorter, clothing retailers often transform to the trendiest fashion to maintain profits high. Clients seek the latest fashion trends and are delighted to bear industrialization costs even though it negatively impacts the environment. However, now, consumers, and even businesses, are learning about the severe environmental impact of fast fashion.
The fast-fashion industry does not contribute in the slightest to the promotion of sustainable business practices. The question then becomes why consumers keep falling for these promises.
What is fast fashion?
It generally refers to mass-produced, low-priced items styled after current trends and produced rapidly to promote a brand’s hipness to the consumer. The name comes from the industry’s structure, with everything moving at breakneck speed.
It has four defining characteristics: low-priced, easy-to-get, trendy, and mass-produced.
It is predicated on four tenets: low cost, quick turnaround time, modern styles, and mass production. The characteristics work together to help businesses earn fast profits.
Cheap
Manufacturing costs for fast fashion items are minimal. The higher the selling price, the smaller the production costs. As a result, businesses in the fast-fashion industry are constantly on the lookout for new, less expensive methods of manufacturing garments. Companies do this to reduce production costs, and as a result, they employ cheaper labour and lower-quality materials. But this is linked to and causes environmental and human rights violations.
Quick
Products in this fashion industry can be produced rapidly. It has been said before that time is money. That’s because, in the world of fast fashion, the faster an item can be produced, the sooner it will be sold. Once again, its rapid manufacturing is enabled by using low-wage labour and low-quality materials. Producers in this industry can capitalise on the phenomenon by constantly churning out new products before customers have even had a chance to wear out their current “trendy” purchases.
Trendy
Swiftly made garments have recently become a fashion trend. The latest styles are reflected in them because that is what the public wants to buy. Producers can motivate and guilt-trip consumers into purchasing the newest trends because they can accurately reflect those trends in their products. At its core, this is where its influence on society shows. Demand is consistently high because it plays on people’s fears.
Manufactured on a large scale
Production on a massive scale is the backbone of this market. Clothing is mass-produced to achieve maximum profits and minimise expenses. As a result, more resources are expended, and an excess of garments that are not sold at deep discounts are eventually discarded. The speeds needed to keep generating and reflecting these same current trends are aided by mass production.
Interweaving the Four Domains
There is an interconnection between these four aspects of fast fashion. They are great for one another and complement one another. For instance, the speed at which clothing is produced allows the industry to reflect popular tastes accurately. To a similar extent, mass production of apparel reduces prices. Rapid production and distribution of low-priced, fashionable clothing are essential to the system’s continued functioning. It allows businesses to increase their bottom line. But by doing so, its flaws also become more apparent. The four aspects, working together, bring profits to companies.