Introduction:
The passion or attitude people have towards clothing changes every second. Due to which one of the biological needs of people like clothes has seen a great change. As a result, fast fashion plays an important role in this regard. In keeping with the current era, people of all ages are leaning towards this fashion. The spread of fast fashion has the effect of making oneself attractive quickly over time.
What is Fast fashion?
Fast fashion can be associated with the latest fashion of the era. Various fashion catwalks or runway models or celebrities transform into clothes inspired by the lifestyle, and produce clothes at a fast and furious pace to meet consumer demand and sell them cheaply in high-end clothing stores. This aims to get new clothes onto the market as quickly as possible and rip off customers from the peak of popularity. Sadly, this goal led to the dress being scrapped shortly after.
Characteristics of Fast Fashion:
- Must be cheap.
- Must have many collections.
- There must be customer demand.
- Clothes are designed according to fashion trends.
- Time should be very short.
- People will buy even when they don’t need it.
Factors that Affect Fast Fashion:
Just as quickly as this fashion rises, it fades away. Yet there are many factors that have a huge impact on fast fashion. This connection is discussed below:
1. Customers demand:
Fast fashion is usually low rated or cheap clothing. As a result, these cheap clothing designs fulfill the lack of new fashion trends of people. The common people feel attracted to this fashion to keep pace with the era. Nowadays people are very fashion conscious. They want to make themselves more attractive. And that’s why people are turning to fast fashion. But before this fashion became available to the masses, it was reserved for the upper class in the past and there were certain rules to follow this fashion. Nowadays fast fashion has created a demand among people of all ages so everyone is adopting it more or less.
2. Duration:
The duration of fast fashion is very short. This fashion goes away very quickly. Many people do not understand when it came and when it left. Sometimes it can last as long as 7 days. If this fashion lasts long, it is no longer fast fashion.
3. Gaining popularity:
Many brands are following fast fashion to peak their popularity. In order to increase their popularity in addition to providing biological needs such as clothing, currently retail bands such as H & M, Just jeans, American Eagle, Li and Fung are constantly introducing new apparel in the fashionable clothing market. Models are most interested in fast fashion. After they upload a picture of an outfit on social media, they no longer want to wear it. Even if the stars wear the same dress twice, it becomes ‘news’! Thus, the fashion industry has fallen into the fallacy of fast fashion. The sales of the brands have increased by leaps and bounds.
4. Gain recognition:
Many companies are adopting fast fashion as a tool to increase their visibility. Through this, they are helping to increase the demand for clothing as well as easily presenting themselves to people. There are many new companies whose first priority is recognition before gaining popularity. And they do this through fast fashion. This is also one of the most important aspects of fast fashion.
5. Earning profit:
Many big clothing bands are adopting the fast fashion approach to generate more profits. They bring such a large quantity of new design clothes for a short period of time which easily attracts the buyers. Companies such as Zara, H & M are constantly emphasizing fast fashion and bringing new designs to the market.
6. Seasonal difference:
As fast fashion is for a very short period of time, there is very little chance of bringing different fashions from season to season. Because it comes for a much shorter period of time. Yet many companies are now emphasizing on seasonality to increase their popularity and recognition. Fast fashion is now based on different seasons like summer, monsoon, winter and it is also a challenging issue for the retail giants.
But this excessive production and consumption is making the fashion industry the world’s biggest polluter. Although fast fashion brings clothes to people cheaper and faster, its harmful effects are increasing day by day. For example, polyester is a widely used fabric that is mainly derived from fossil fuels and contributes to global warming. In addition, during washing, its microfiber mixes with the water, increasing the plastic pollution of the sea. Besides, the manufactures are using a lot of raw materials. As a result, a huge amount of waste is generated which poses a threat to us and our environment.
But the light of hope is that fast fashion companies are focusing on sustainability. Eco friendly steps are being taken which will be very beneficial for us.
Conclusion:
Our apparel industry is now passing through this Fast Fashion using trend replication, rapid production, relatively low quality materials. People are turning to this fashion to satisfy their ever-changing clothing preferences. As a result, the demand is spreading among the customers day by day. Therefore, considering all aspects of its use, its speed should be reduced – increased. It should be seen that the present generation does not become too dependent on it. As many collections are seen in fast fashion, it is popular everywhere.
References:
- https://textilelearner.net/fast-fashion-problems-and-solutions/
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fast-fashion.asp
- https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/2/3/21080364/fast-fashion-h-and-m-zara
Author of This Article:
Nazifa Tabassum
Clothing and Textile
Govt. College of Applied Human Science, Dhaka
Email: [email protected]
Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.
