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Mason Goolsby
Prof. Dempster
UNIV 112
10 November 2015
When you walk out of H&M with your hands full of bags filled to the brim with trendy,
discounted clothing, you don’t think to yourself, “will this be the same shopping experience I
will have throughout the coarse of my lifetime?” Stores such as H&M, Urban Outfitters, Forever
21, Zara, Walmart, and Target are all examples of businesses that are a part of the “Fast Fashion
Industry.” Corporations such as these make their capital by producing discounted and stylish
clothing that is endlessly shifting with popular trends. The rapid production of cheap garments
has created a variety of complications such as the maltreatment of factory workers, small
designers being run out of business, and strain on natural resources. Many consumers choose to
give these corporations their business without being aware of what fast fashion even is. In the
future companies like H&M might cease to exist due to a lack of resources, or consumers will
become aware of the deplorable practices that are implemented in the industry. The fast fashion
industry does not take the factory workers’ health and safety into account. The abundant amount
of clothing that the fast fashion industry produces requires a large quantity of resources, which
could pose an issue for future sustainability. “Slow Fashion,” a method of production could end
up replacing the fast method all together. Despite its culpabilities the popularity of the industry
might cause fast fashion to sustain itself. The future of the fashion industry might be the best
merits of both the fast and slow methods of production combined. With all of the problems that
accompany the fast fashion industry,” does it have the capability to sustain itself for the
foreseeable future?
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The fast fashion industry is focused on satisfying the desires of its consumers, not the
people who actually construct the garments that are sold. A primary example of this being the
case is the Rana Plaza Complex disaster. Dr. John Hobson, a specialist in occupational health
with over twenty years of experience, from the journal of Occupational Medicine, states, “The
death toll from the building collapse at the Rana Plaza complex in the Savar district of Greater
Dhaka, Bangladesh stands at more than 1100 making it the world’s worst industrial accident”
(317). The factory located in the Rana Plaza Business Complex supplied clothing to U.S
retailers. Prior to the collapse of the building, the factory owners were repeatedly asked to close
the factory due to cracks found in structure of the building. A day before the collapse a bank on
the second floor of the complex sent its workers home because of their unease over the cracks
(317.) The factory owners did not do the same.
Retailers do not care about employing factories that look out for the well being of their
laborers. They only care about how quickly they can produce their products. After the Rana
Plaza disaster, some fast fashion brands responded by releasing bans on different factories.
Elizabeth Cline, a New York-based journalist, wrote in Nation, after Rana Plaza, Walmart sent
out a list of 200 factories that would no longer be making their products for their stores. A little
less than a month later it was made known by ProPublica that Walmart stores were receiving
“massive shipments” from two factories on their ban list (20). This shows consumers that
corporations can make promises to stop hiring inhumane factories to produce clothing, but do not
keep them. The Fast fashion industry runs on giving consumers a large quantity of discounted
and stylish clothing. If the Fast Fashion industry continues to exist for the foreseeable future, will
they still continue to hire factories that put their workers’ lives at risk? Or will they make an
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honest effort to be an advocate for the workers. This could factor into the survival of the fast
fashion industry.
A large quantity of natural resources are expended by the fast fashion industry, this could
prove to be an issue for the sustainability of the industry in the future. Elizabeth Cline states in
Nation, “H&M is now the largest consumer of organic cotton” (21). How did H&M, a clothing
company, become the largest consumer of organic cotton? This is could be attributed to the way
that the fast fashion industry functions. Kate Fletcher , a professor of fashion and design at
London College of Fashion, explains in Fashion Practice, “Low price has overseen a change in
purchasing and wearing habits. Garments are often bought in multiples and discarded quickly for
they have little perceived value. Fabric quality is poor and garment construction often fails to
withstand laundering, promoting rapid replacement” (262). Therefore H&M’s procures so much
cotton because it is needed to constantly create more cheap garments that break down and need
to be replaced. So is why is this an issue? Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin and Deniz Atik, two
economic professors from the Izmir University of Economics, wrote in the Journal of
Macromarketing, that textile waste from the fast fashion industry has contributed to a rise in
overall textile waste that harms ecosystems and depletes natural resources (55). The carbon
footprint of a garment is based on its journey from being created and when it is worn out and
discarded (57). The fashion industry is reliant on the environment to get resources such as cotton
to create garments. If the fast fashion production process damages the very same environment
that produces its vital resources, how could it sustain itself for an extended amount of time. The
production process and the large quantity of resources that are used by the fast fashion industry
will pose a problem for future sustainability.
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In opposition to the escalation of the fast fashion industry, movements such as “slow”
and “ethical” fashion have arisen in a bid to become the dominant means of garment
production. Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin and Deniz Atik point out that designers and brands
have had to come up with ways to coax the uninformed consumers to more sustainable
clothing possibilities (61). But what is slow fashion anyhow? Kate Fletcher explains, “The
term ‘slow fashion’ is used to segment and differentiate garments produced in the growth
fashion model in a fresh way; to offer a new marketing angle on products and brands that
happen to have a long heritage, durable pieces or classic design” (262). Slow fashion clothing
is more resilient and has a timeless look to them, but what is the appeal of such clothing?
Leslie Deborah a professor from the University of Toronto, Shauna Brail a lecturer from
Innis College, and Mia Hunt a PhD candidate studying at the university of London, point out
that the reason why slow fashion garments are more robust also adds to their appeal to
consumers. The mass-produced garments that fast fashion companies produce are made with
cheap fabrics, but independent designers and small brands create their clothing with higher
quality textiles such as, linen, silk, and cashmere, which also tend to be more durable (229230). Long-lasting clothing also means that there would be less textile waste produced;
making slow fashion options “guilt-free.” Will the expensive nature and eco-friendliness of
the slow fashion movement be able to catch the gaze of the consumers, forgetting about fast
fashion?
Fast fashion brands have become immensely popular, so much so, that the industry could
potentially sustain itself on its popularity. Because of this, smaller brands and independent
designers find it virtually impossible to contend with the fast brands. Deborah, Brail, and
Hunt explain that crucial element in fast fashion companies’ success is their capability to
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employ celebrity designers. A primary instance of this being in 2011, Donatella Versace was
hired to work on a line for H&M (227). They also highlight the point of view from a small
designer, “You can’t produce what they’re producing . . . You have to have a niche market.
You have to go for something unique, whether it’s a particular design or a particular point of
view, which is, in my case, eco-friendly. Cause you can’t compete with H&M” (234). It is
hard to really imagine what smaller designers and brands have to compete with. Kate
Fletcher makes a great statement, “The unbeatably cheap top, dress or pair of jeans, like the
hamburger, is traded in large volumes, is globally ubiquitous, and is homogeneously served
or styled” (260). Stores like H&M can be compared to fast food chains like McDonalds,
which has been a presence in the food industry for decades.
In the future of the fashion industry could be a combination of both the fast and slow
methods of production. Kate Fletcher points out in Fashion Practice, the fast fashion
industry has been “locked in” for so long that it is improbable that it will fade in obscurity.
Slow fashion is often dismissed as just a trend (263). The current objective of slow fashion is
to substitute the fast method of production, a feat that does no seem very probable. Fletcher
makes another valid point; completely abolishing fast fashion isn’t the key to sustainability.
Implementing the best qualities of both slow and fast fashion would solve this dilemma
(265). Some fast fashion brands have made efforts to try to implement aspects of slow
fashion in their lines. Ertekin and Atik point out that H&M released a “Conscious
Collection,” this was launched to avoid public scrutiny but cut out any potential for economic
losses (62). From the actions of fast fashion companies like Walmart not keeping their
promise to not employ inhumane factories, we know that fast fashion companies do not do
things out of being good-natured..
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It has been established that the fast fashion industry has many flaws, such as, its disregard
for the safety of factory workers and the future sustainability of the environment. It seems
unlikely that slow fashion will replace fast fashion due to its immense popularity. Perhaps the
future of the fashion industry lies in the fusion of both the fast and slow methods of
production. It seems that the fast fashion has the capability to remain as a dominant presences
in the fashion industry for the foreseeable future. The question remains, will stores such as
H&M, Walmart, Forever 21, and Zara might become a thing of the past, or it might be the
only shopping experience that consumers will experience.
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Work Cited
Cline, Elizabeth. “ THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MOVEMEMENT.” Nation 297 (2013):
3. EBSCOhost. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Fletcher, Kate. “Slow Fashion: An Invitation for Systems Change.” Fashion Practice 2.2
(2010): 259-265. EBSCO.host. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Hobson, John. “To die for? The health and safety of fast fashion.”
Occupational Medicine 63.5 (2013): 2. EBSCOhost. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
Leslie, Deborah, Shauna Brail, and Mia Hunt. “Crafting an Antidote to Fast Fashion:
The Case of Toronto's Independent Fashion Design Sector. “Growth and change 45.2
(2014): 17. EBSCOhost. Web. 24 Oct. 2015
Ozdamar Ertekin, Zeynep, and Deniz Atik. “Sustainable Markets.” Journal of
Macromarketing 35.1 (2015): 16. VCU Libraries Search. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.