Fast fashion: Today’s trend is tomorrow’s rubbish

In this article, we will examine the consequences of fast fashion and the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. Will we see a shift in consumer attitudes?

A post by Sinja Schmidt and Sophia Huebl

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

Fast fashion – a term we’ve all heard before. If not, I’m pretty sure each of us has already come across it at some point. It refers to clothes that are manufactured and sold cheaply, allowing people to buy new clothes frequently. It could also be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that takes inspiration from the catwalks and brings these trends to the shops at a rapid pace. Around the year 2000, this reached its peak. Brands such as H&M, Zara, Primark and many others have become synonymous with fast fashion. The reasons why companies opt for fast fashion are very simple: to boost sales, build customer loyalty and expand! Combined with the very cheap production of goods in countries where working conditions are sometimes the worst – the whole concept is designed for extreme profit maximisation. The end consumer buys more than is actually necessary because of the constantly changing range and low prices. Fashion becomes a commodity that can be replaced several times a year.

20 per cent of the clothes in German wardrobes are never worn

To put this fact clearly into figures, fast fashion labels such as H&M and Zara produce between 16 and 24 collections a year. Whilst our consumption in 2000 still stood at 50 billion garments a year, this figure alone had doubled to 100 billion garments a year by 2015! German households spend almost 64 billion euros a year on clothing, which works out at around 780 euros per person. On average, German consumers buy 60 items of clothing per year, but wear them for only half as long as they did 15 years ago. Of just under 95 items of clothing in the average German wardrobe, 20 per cent are not worn.

The chart below clearly illustrates this trend, showing that consumption is increasing whilst the time garments are worn is decreasing.

Consequences

So what are the actual consequences of fast fashion production – apart from enormous waste? Yet behind every T-shirt lies a monstrous industry that devours vast amounts of resources, releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and chemicals into our waterways.

60 million people work in the fashion industry. Many of them are in the Global South and work under inhumane conditions. One example of this is the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh. Tragically, this incident has drawn the world’s attention to working conditions in the fashion industry. Work-related illnesses affect 27 million textile workers every year. This is also due, for example, to the 43 million tonnes of chemicals used in textile production every year, which affect the workers’ quality of life. The fast fashion industry also has many environmental impacts that go far beyond the transport of goods from factories to shops. Every year, the entire fashion industry emits over 1,400 million tonnes of CO₂, far more than all air travel and shipping combined. The production of 10 pairs of jeans generates almost as much CO₂ as a single flight from Berlin to Munich. 522 million kilograms of microplastics end up in the sea each year as a result of washing synthetic-fibre clothing. In addition, approximately 92 million tonnes of waste are generated annually through the disposal of fashion items alone.

Solutions to combat fast fashion

There is no single, definitive solution to fast fashion, but here are some ideas on how each of us can make a contribution:

1. Rethink your consumption: Wear clothes for longer, which means only buying new ones when you really need them.
2. Shop for sustainable clothes: Under the banner of ‘slow fashion’, a number of manufacturers have developed an alternative to fast fashion.
3. Buy second-hand: Sustainable fashion is achievable without a large budget. Second-hand shops are a great way to give a second life to someone else’s discarded clothes.
4. Wash less: Washing at lower temperatures, avoiding the tumble dryer and airing clothes out instead of washing them when they aren’t really dirty are some ways to reduce consumption and wear and tear.
5. Raise awareness: Share the issue within your own social circle to draw attention to it.

Impact of COVID-19 on Fast Fashion

In recent months, there has been growing debate about whether COVID-19 will bring about a change in the fast fashion industry or not. There are two sides to consider, because the massive drop in sales did not only affect the brands!

First of all, the closure of shops and the build-up of unsold clothing have left parts of the fashion industry in financial straits. The situation led some brands to cancel entire collections with their clothing manufacturers, with the result that there was no more work for the tailors there, and their meagre monthly wages failed to materialise at all.

Another consequence is the financial losses and future forecasts: normally, 80 per cent of sales in the fashion industry are generated by high-street shops and only 20 per cent online. That is why the coronavirus pandemic is hitting the fast fashion industry hard. Of course, online sales have risen in recent months and will continue to rise, but this will not compensate for the lack of in-store sales. Another impact of COVID-19 is that many fashion labels have had to slow down their pace. This means launching fewer collections per year and keeping them in shops for longer. Those who produce slowly, in small quantities and with timeless designs are currently among the winners. Ultimately, the pandemic has also led to a rethink on the part of consumers. During the crisis, sustainability has suddenly become in demand and the trend is towards second-hand fashion, as some survey results show.

All in all, fast fashion poses a significant challenge to our society. To date, there is no comprehensive solution to this situation. On the one hand, Covid-19 has slowed down the fashion industry, reducing pollution. On the other hand, curbing fast fashion also means a loss of livelihood for millions of tailors. The fact is, it is unclear who pays the true price for fast fashion.

If you are interested in finding out more about this topic, you can find further information here: https://bit.ly/3h63RL6

Sources for this article:

Brydges, T., Retamal, M. & Hanlon, M. (2020). Will COVID-19 support the transition to a more sustainable fashion industry? Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1), 298–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2020.1829848

Christliche Initiative Romero e.V. (CIR). (2019). Fast Fashion – A three-part review. https://www.ci-romero.de/produkt/dossier-fast-fashion/?gclid=CjwKCAjwg4-EBhBwEiwAzYAlsp9_kTp9EmQ3C0_fQIRX2sSYJ113n39_E4BbHtS5y4yulbQa9_0_xhoCRfYQAvD_BwE

Land, T. & Land, T. (2020, 4 June). Fast or fair – is the coronavirus pandemic promoting sustainability in the fashion industry? swr.online. https://www.swr.de/swr2/leben-und-gesellschaft/fast-or-fair-is-corona-promoting-sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-swr2-money-market-opinion-2020-06-06-100.html

Louven, S. & Kolf, F. (2020, 12 June). Covid-19: The crisis threatens the fashion industry’s business model. Handelsblatt. https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/handel-konsumgueter/fast-fashion-die-coronakrise-bedroht-das-erfolgsmodell-der-modebranche/25905298.html?ticket=ST-3731593-Fydff2PW1YmlsGSytW4W-ap4

Preview image: Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Header: Photo by Nick de Partee on Unsplash