Fast Fashion, Everything You Absolutely Must Know " Vesti La Natura (2024)

What is Fast Fashion?

Fast Fashion is a term used to indicate garments that go directly from the catwalks to production quickly and economically. It is a manufacturing strategy used by large distribution chains such as H&M, Primark, Zara, Topshop, Xcel Brands, Peaco*cks, etc.

Fast Fashion is often associated with the concept of 'disposable': it does not pay much attention to a long-lasting use of clothing, but sees production as something that must be worn for a season and then changed.

Is it really so? From our point of view it is all too general to call it disposable fashion.

Many items of clothing purchased by large retail chains last for years, and it is by no means certain that they are of poor quality.

But it is absolutely true that the Fast Fashion contributes toenvironmental pollution caused by the textile industry, making this industry the second most polluting in the world, as well as among the first for energy consumption and natural resources.

However, pollution is only one of the problems related to Fast Fashion, since it is also to be evaluated very carefully the social aspect of low-cost fashion production: it goes without saying that the exploitation of human beings, discrimination, colonial slavery, child labor, and many other decidedly negative factors.

How was Fast Fashion born?

La Fast Fashion it developed from a conception based on the object to one based on production. Zara is said to have been the architect of this trend, closely followed by Benetton and other distribution chains. The main goal of Fast Fashion it is producing clothes or accessories quickly, even at the cost of passing on the idea of ​​“disposable fashion”.

To meet the needs of this production model, and to increase the earnings of the brands, trends change quickly and so the tastes of consumers, therefore, even the items on sale undergo continuous transformations, precisely to accommodate the evolution of fashion and trends. of the moment.

Trends that are often dictated by the brands themselves, thanks to well-studied marketing strategies and the support of influencers and public figures.

All this means, producing nuove collections (there are those who reach over 50 collections in a single year), entice consumers to visit the shops more often and consequently to buy more.

Obviously, at an ever lower cost.

La Fast Fashion it is often associated with poor quality: mostly they are used synthetic fabrics low cost, extremely light, which often tear in a few washes, not to mention the quality of the seams and finishes in general, which sometimes leave something to be desired.

When we talk about fast fashion we also talk about production processes that are implemented in a few weeks, or even days, and it is natural that at certain levels there is no time to think about the quality of the products. Hence the low cost of the garments, which unfortunately have only the appearance of the glories of catwalk fashion.

Try to put two ends together, one Fast Fashion and the other of higher quality. Turn them backwards and notice the difference in the seams: while the first will be a tangle of threads and crooked seams, the second will also be wearable from the wrong side. When the seams are made to trade, we think about the quality and longevity of the product.

But as we have already said previously, this statement on quality is very generalized, the large chains have in fact tested production systems for years that can guarantee good quality of their products, so this will not be the focus of our article.

Environmental impact of Fast Fashion

The textile industry occupies the second step of the podium as the most polluting industry in the world, and this mainly because of Fast Fashion. It is now clear to everyone that Fast Fashion uses production methods that are not very inclined to safeguard the environment.

But how do these big brands get away with it? Simply because they have such vast supply chains spread across dozens of countries around the world that it is impossible for anyone to track them. Almost no one produces at home, otherwise it would be easy to control them. In fact, most entrust orders to other companies, companies which in turn entrust orders to smaller companies, creating a supply chain made up of hundreds of micro and small companies.

Imagine how this system is completely out of control, which is why the textile certifications which we often praise lose effectiveness when applied to the large distribution chains of Fast Fashion.

As for the "how they pollute" just think of the dyes containing highly carcinogenic components for humans (nickel, chromium, etc.), or the raw materials of dubious origin used for the production of garments, or the production methods too often not in accordance with the law. For more information, we recommend that you read our article Toxic Substances in Clothes

Among the most used materials in the world is cotton, which has a devastating environmental and social impact; and polyester, a highly toxic synthetic material derived from petroleum, not biodegradable, and difficult to recycle when mixed with other fibers such as cotton. Both materials are decidedly polluting during the production phases, but also during and after daily use (at the end of their life).

The toxic substances used during the production of these materials are absorbed by the human body: recent studies show that more and more people are suffering from "accumulation allergy" and that also because of these the human race will soon undergo unpredictable genetic mutations. These toxic substances present in all our garments are released into the water with each washing of the same, and subsequently into the ground when these end up in landfills.

Fast Fashion owes its global success thanks to the reduction of the costs of "trendy fashion", for consumers it is wonderful to wear garments similar to those of the most famous brands on the planet, being able to buy them at flea market prices.

It turned out to be a real revolution in the retail sector: producing low cost fashion it offers the possibility to a very large slice of people to be able to buy items just seen on the catwalks. In fact, we should not be surprised when at Zara we find a bag or a dress that closely resembles the model just seen at the fashion show of a famous designer.

Fast Fashion uses production methods outside the rules considered legitimate, as well as raw materials of dubious origin and with a quality control which, although it can be considered up to the standards it represents, is based on principles that are very different from those offered by the textile certifications we are talking about in the appropriate section of this site: evaluation of side effects on human health and the entire ecosystem.

The supply chain of Fast Fashion has caused unquantifiable environmental and social damage in the last 20 years, accelerating frightfully with the advent of massive online purchases.

Tons of textile waste caused by Fast Fashion

Every year tons of textile waste ends up in landfills and that's why unsustainable waste of resources that the movement of the sustainable fashion pushes towards the concept of Zerowaste: many fashion designers design their clothes with the aim of not creating waste during processing, or at least reusing them to produce other products.

Unfortunately, if fashion has become something to wear just long enough to go home after leaving the store, it's easy to see how. the clothes discarded after purchase are in the millions every month.

That of textile waste has become a very serious problem, especially if we think that often we are dealing with non-biodegradable or recyclable synthetic fabrics and fibers, which have a devastating impact on the environment. Clothes take up an important part of the total waste present in landfills and cannot be disposed of in a natural way unlike organic waste.

After occupying space for decades and releasing most of the chemicals into the earth, they will end up in incinerators contributing to the development of nuoenergy and the reduction of virgin energy consumption, but also air pollution, greenhouse effect and climate change.

Fast Fashion and fabric recycling

La Fast Fashion cannot use i ecological fabrics currently on the market for economic reasons (they cost more), but to counter the negative aura that hovers over this sector worldwide, large chains such as H&M have created withdrawal of used clothes in exchange for discounts on purchases.

By handing over a bag of used clothes you have the possibility of having a 5 euro discount for one nuoit must be spent inside the shop, an extra incentive to buy that garment we had been aiming for for some time. With a discount of 5 euros it will be easier to make a decision.

Used clothes collected in stores will be reused to create nuoyou get dressed, while others will simply be disposed of.

These initiatives have met with considerable success for the public, especially since the consumer has the opportunity to buy something nuoat a discounted price, while retail chains place theirs nuove collections allowing to keep in motion a market that has to travel, by its very nature, at very high speed.

The logic of the Fast Fashion it's just this: create in the consumer the desire for garments always nuovi waving in front of his eyes objects and accessories with a really attractive cost.

When we hear about the large distribution chains of sustainable production, or ethics, or greens, we are sure that in 99% of cases it is always about Greenwashing.

Social exploitation of Fast Fashion

Another line of attack against the Fast Fashion it is the phenomenon of social exploitation: fashion production takes place mostly in developing countries with working, hygienic and social conditions, far below normality and legality.

It will have happened to anyone to see photos of online children who produce garments for these big Fast Fashion chains, but this is only a small piece, in fact, with COVID the problems have amplified dramatically until international campaigns have been launched to ask brands to pay their suppliers. For more information read our article PayUp Fashion, against the "Big Brands" who do not pay suppliers

The media interest in ethics in fashion stems from one of the biggest accidents in the history of the textile industry, that of the building Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, where more than 2013 employees died and more than 1000 people were injured in 2500. Although before this another 260 died in the building fire Ali Enterprise in Pakistan.

Il Rana Plaza it was a building / clothing factory where people worked day and night in extreme conditions; Although the employees noticed the cracks in the walls and reported them, the managers made them continue to work by instilling in them the fear of losing their jobs.

The risk that the owners of the factory ran was that of losing the employment contracts signed with the big Fast Fashion chains, and consequently their economic income. It is also true that the owners of these factories are often forced by the governments themselves to accept job orders "to remit". Often they earn little, and would even fail to accept them.

La Fast Fashion manages in one way or another to reduce production costs and consequently the cost of products to the final consumer, who is definitely satisfied.

Compared to other production models, such as the model followed by the movement of the Slow Fashion, the reduced costs of Fast Fashion are therefore mainly due to the production model, which takes place in extremely poor countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India and China, using raw materials not subjected to controls or chemical-physical tests required by Italian laws, or by other European countries (see the European regulation REACH).

There are also international associations such as Fashion Revolution, which has been fighting for years against social exploitation in the textile sector with the campaign Who made your clothes? born on the occasion of the accident of Rana Plaza. Or how Clean Clothes Campaign, also committed since the 90s to a more ethical fashion, and others that you can find in this article.

Fast fashion vs slow fashion

The Slow Fashion movement contrasts the Fast Fashion, we can safely say that they are two real antagonists. Slow Fashion tries to instill one in producers modal“slower” way of packaging clothing, trying to make consumers understand that they don't need to buy nuoclothes you every day.

The promoters of this movement also ask the consumer for an effort. Before buying any type of product, the consumer should ask himself: Do I really need it? Where was it done? Will it last over time? With what material was it made? If the consumer knows how to answer these questions then he really needs to buy the garment, otherwise, relying only on the emotions it arouses, he would make an unaware purchase.

Often the consumer is forced to buy compulsively because of the price it is affordable. Sometimes you fill your bag with useless accessories just because they are on promotion for a few euros.

Ask yourself how many times you have used those products and from the answer you will understand the real need to buy them

The fact is that the big chains of the Fast Fashion they often offer poor quality objects, but thanks to the marketing actions they are capable of, they make them appear beautiful and captivating. As long as this manipulative strategy works, there will continue to be communities of people working in extremely precarious conditions and we will continue to wear toxic-rich clothing.

A high percentage of the clothing that the consumer is pushed to buy on the basis of their emotions ends up in a corner of the wardrobe, or in a drawer of the dresser, until they choose to throw it away even if they have only worn it a few times.

Most famous Fast Fashion brands

There are thousands of brands of Fast Fashion, but among the most famous ones we mention:

• H&M
• Zara
• Topshop
• Primark
• Benetton
• Mango
• Pull & Bear
• Miss Selfridge
• Mind
• Charlotte russe
• Peaco*cks
• Forever21

Forever21 is one of those brands that has repeatedly ended up in court accused of 'copying' the intellectual property of famous designers by basing their collections on the imitations seen on the most important catwalks in the world (in Zara style).

The Fast Fashion phenomenon is out of control in America where tons of garments are produced, so much so that cities are inundated with discarded clothes, mostly non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle.

But it is good to understand that while a good part of consumers buy products of Fast Fashion simply because they do not have the economic possibility to buy garments of another level, another part of consumers buy these products only because they feel the need to change their wardrobe often.

10 Fast Fashion Brands with the Best Quality / Price Ratio

The fashion magazine Fashionista has compiled a ranking of Fast Fashion brands; This is a ranking limited to the opinions of the editorial staff, but it speaks volumes about which brands are most in line with fashion trends and with the need to always keep up with the various changes that it claims there are:

1. In first place among the Fast Fashion fashion brands there is Madewell, a line by J.Crew, especially suited to the younger audience with interesting garments at affordable prices.
2. In second position we find Everlane, an American brand born in 2010. The quality of these garments is clearly superior to all the brands listed so far.
3. In third place Zara, one of the best known Fast Fashion brands on the planet.
4. It follows in fourth position Uniqlo, a Japanese brand that will also open a store in Milan, with minimal and casual items.
5. In fifth place J.Crew, an American chain of superior quality that also ships to Italy through its e-commerce.9 In ninth position we find Urban Outfitters, a chain of stores that sells a bit of everything, including clothing. In Italy there is only one shop in Milan.
6. It follows in sixth position Other stories, the brand that is always part of the giant H&M but which has higher prices and more eccentric collections than what we are used to; quality and raw materials are obviously superior.
7. In seventh position Topshop that we know in Italy through e-commerce.
8. In eighth place H&M that in Italy it has numerous shops and a well-stocked e-commerce; H&M is one of the best known Fast Fashion brands globally. Periodically starts collaborations with famous designers for low cost capsule collections, such as the one with Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, Stella McKartney.
9. In ninth position we findUrban Outfitters, a chain of stores that sells a bit of everything, including clothing. In Italy there is only one shop in Milan.
10. In tenth place there is Cart, a brand belonging to the giant H&M but which has a slightly higher cost. In Italy, physical stores are limited to some large cities in the north-central.

In this ranking some of the brands are missing such as Mango, or Pull & Bear, Esprit, Bershka, Charlotte Russe, Benetton, and it is obviously a very questionable ranking since it is created exclusively by the editorial staff of a trade magazine and does not represent what consumers think of Fast Fashion.

Africa is a prisoner of fast fashion

Yes, even Africa is a prisoner of pollution by the fast fashion.

A study carried out by researchers from WWI (Water Witness International) has recently been published, highlighting the situation of the rivers of Tanzania and Lesotho.

The signs of pollution detected are definitely worrying: a pH of 12 has even been calculated in some water samples taken near some textile companies (we are practically talking about the acidity of bleach, so to speak).

The waters of these rivers are widely used by local communities for the irrigation of their few arable plots, for food and for all daily hygiene practices.

The very low cost labor continues to be the "dream" pursued by many fast fashion brands unscrupulous. In Africa, in particular, too little is known about the installations at the mercy of these clothing brands and almost nothing is being done to defend the local populations from social and environmental disasters of great proportions.

Very often, entire villages remain without water resources as the available water is conveyed to the textile plants and is then indiscriminately discharged into the waterways without the slightest purification action.

It is precisely in these scenarios that the brands themselves and all the investors who rotate in their orbit must intervene. The work is obviously underpaid and even this little money can represent a small momentary salvation for these communities. But it is about exploitation and unacceptable and repugnant neo-colonialism.

Also in the same study there are dozens of world-famous brands that produce in African countries. Among these, some did not want to provide statements regarding the names of their real suppliers or any specific actions in defense of the rights of workers and the environment.

Africa sees in the textile / clothing sector a fundamental source of rebirth and of nuove opportunities. Many countries are already "chained" to the problem of the business of second-hand clothes (with the US having already threatened drastic countermeasures several times against those who do not accept certain imposed rules).

It is necessary to make it known that the ongoing exploitation is shameful and ignoble, as well as inhuman.

Sustainable and Fast Fashion

Li Edelkootrt she is one of the most influential fashion commentators on the planet and wrote the "anti-fashion" manifesto, in which, addressing the consumer directly, she asks: how can you think that a "thing" that is sown, harvested, sieved, spun, cut, sewn, printed, labeled, transported .. can cost as much as a sandwich?

These words make us reflect and throw light on the textile supply chain of Fast Fashion. Let's try to imagine even for a few moments the whole production process that leads to the creation of a simple cotton t-shirt, how can it be sold for 5 or 10 euros?

The answer lies in cheap labor, in the use of poor quality raw materials, in the production model that is as fast as it is insensitive. Find out the true cost of a t-shirt

The beauty of sustainable fashion lies in a production with a low environmental impact and which carefully evaluates its social and economic impact, but the term "sustainability" is becoming too inflated and misused.

It would certainly be more correct to speak of "sustainable development" but at this point there would be a risk of undermining a system based on misleading marketing, sparkling advertisem*nts, beautiful images of a green planet and lying and exploitation.

It is now before everyone's eyes that the brands of the fast fashion they are advertising continuous campaigns that show us the use of ecological materials and the possibility of recycling clothing. Unfortunately, in each of these promotions, we always read the term "sustainable".

This magical word, which now seems to be the only argument used to promote one nuoit is collected, it is debased and emptied of its true meanings.

The ecological part is only one section of the global concept of sustainability, but it is certainly the easiest to use because it allows you to hide all the rest of the rot.

Some examples?

The minimum wage for a textile worker in Bangladesh is USD 90 (the minimum threshold for a decent life in this country is USD 250-280). With such a low salary, it is not possible to access adequate medical care; children are left alone for most of the day because parents spend most of their time in factories to supplement.

In Bangladesh there is a specific police force, the "industrial police" which is responsible for controlling and blocking any protest or strike to claim their minimum rights.

Yet despite the beautiful images on billboards relating to the use of natural fibers, on most of the labels we find written Made in Bangladesh.

Another example?

In India, tens of thousands of children are brought from region to region and work on cotton plantations. Through unscrupulous intermediaries, very young boys and girls are brought to work for poor economic rewards to families.

And yet, how many items of clothing fast fashion are they accompanied by the Made in India label?

In Uzbekistan, it is estimated that thousands upon thousands of children aged 11 to 17 harvest cotton in forced labor conditions (often paid only with food). The Uzbek government has also introduced the total closure of schools, hospitals and offices, for three months, in order to have labor available for harvesting cotton in the areas adjacent to one of the most polluted lakes in the world (the Aral Sea).

In Myanmar, big high-sounding brands have produced millions and millions of clothing items for years, but now that the country is experiencing a coup and the workers, who have produced that mountain of clothing, and have fattened the coffers of the brands, now they are asking for help, fashion brands flee and move to Vietnam, Bangladesh or other countries where they can still find human beings to exploit.

The time has come to expose this shame and leave the king naked. Those described are just a few very simple but extremely real examples. The list would be very long and it would make you shiver.

It is time for awareness.

The consumer has the most important weapon on his side, which is worth more than any bullet: his wallet. Our purchasing choices can affect the behavior of brands that hide behind the blades of grass of fake ecological sustainability.

Let's start selecting local brands; brands that offer us a real guarantee of respect for human rights; the brands that we might even get to really know and, why not, contact and visit.

It is we consumers who can bring about the change. Faced with each label, we begin to reflect: let's not be fooled anymore.