Why does fast fashion still exist?
Fast fashion is a boon for business. The constant introduction of new products encourages customers to frequent stores more often, which means they end up making more purchases. The retailer does not replenish its stock—instead, it replaces items that sell out with new items.
Fast fashion describes cheap, stylish, mass-produced clothes that have a huge impact on the environment. These garments appeal to shoppers because they are affordable and trendy. But because they aren't built to last and quickly go out of style, these clothes are quickly discarded, piling up in landfills.
There are some indicators that fast fashion is decreasing but as long as corporate social and environmental initiatives are enforced by retailers and high consumer demand remains, fast fashion will continue to be a business model for the foreseeable future.
Despite users flooding the comment sections of videos of Shein hauls about these rumors, the company claims it “never engages in child or forced labor.” In addition, its website states: “We regularly evaluate and address human trafficking and slavery risks in product supply chains through in-house inspectors who are ...
Consumers demand new, affordable, and fashionable clothes available in high-street stores every week. The fast fashion industry plays a huge role in the global economy. It employs 300 million people around the world. It offers jobs to farmers and workers in the poorest countries.
An Untapped Market
The rise of Y2K and 70s-inspired silhouettes has helped grow demand for vintage yet accessibly priced finds. But fast fashion brands still remain a go-to source of current trends, even among Gen-Z consumers engaged in ostensibly more sustainable shopping habits like resale.
- Shop from sustainable and ethical fashion brands.
- Buy less often and buy high quality.
- Donate or sell gently used clothing.
- Host a clothing swap.
- Buy or rent secondhand clothes.
- Recycle textiles and garments.
The target audience for fast fashion retailers are largely consumers aged 18 and 24 who are often students with low incomes (Lam etal., 2016). Females of this age group are found to shop in fast fashion retailers more often than any other demographic group.
In the company's report today, Apple says it found no evidence of forced labor or underage child labor.
The Code of Conduct lays out the required minimum standards we expect each supplier factory or facility to meet in producing NIKE products and includes strict requirements around forced and child labor, excessive overtime, compensation, and freedom of association amongst other requirements.
Is Shein worse than fast fashion?
SHEIN's alarming 'real time fashion' model
“SHEIN represents the worst of the worst for large fashion brands on almost every front,” says Kristian Hardiman, Good On You's head of ratings. Largely because of its total lack of transparency.
Environmental impact
McKinsey has estimated that the fashion industry is responsible for 4 percent of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions. According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions from textile manufacturing alone are projected to skyrocket by 60% by 2030.
Fast fashion clothing is made with cheap materials, stitched together in a matter of minutes, and desgined to be out of style by next season. Fast fashion brands make poor quality, disposable clothes and accessories on purpose to keep people buying more.
The benefits of fast fashion are clear: more consumer spending, more profits, and the consumer satisfaction of being able to participate in a trend almost immediately after they see it in magazines or on their favorite celebrities.
