The Fast Fashion Crisis
Fast fashion is a subject you might have heard a lot about in recent years. But maybe you aren’t sure exactly what it is and why it is such an issue. Fast fashion is the industry idea of mass producing clothes that are designed to be discarded. Fast fashion is typically focused on producing mass quantities of clothing as cheaply as possible.
When it first appeared, fast fashion seemed like a positive revolution within the fashion industry. It made clothing more accessible for the working classes and created thousands of jobs. But the truth of the matter is that fast fashion is seriously harming our planet. The fast fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the planet’s global industrial pollution. And is also responsible for 15% of global commercial plastic use.
The general public are becoming more aware of the dangers of fast fashion and have been calling out for the nations of the world to act! But how have the different nations of the world responded?
France
It is no surprise that France has been one of the most vocal nations in the fight against fast fashion. Being the fashion capital of the world. The French government recently proposed new legislation to tackle the issues presented by fast fashion. And these legislations were met with a positive response in the French parliament.
One of the key measures they are looking to introduce is the banning of fast fashion commercials. Marketing plays a huge part in the spread of fast fashion. The hope is that, but stemming the advertising potential of these industries, it will help shift consumer focus towards a less wasteful mindset.
The proposed legislation also looks at improving education surrounding the subject. They claim that the main issue is a lack of consumer awareness in regards to the damage that fast fashion is causing to the planet. Social media is one area that the French government is looking to try to regulate in this regard.
One of the main issues that France, and many other nations, have been facing is that there is no strict legal definition of fast fashion. At the moment it is merely a social term used to describe a style of production. And this makes it difficult for nations to stem it as companies often find creative excuses to bypass any real scrutiny.
France is looking to change this though. As part of these legislative changes they are looking to create a legal definition for fast fashion, focusing on the production means and advertising practices, and will work from there to stop the tide of clothing that is ending up in landfills.
America
The United States is quite a tricky one to examine since it is one of the biggest consumers of fast fashion. And, as it stands right now, it seems the nation isn’t doing much to deal with this. And it is understandable. The nation has been facing a lot of tough political and social issues in recent years.
But what we are seeing come out of America is a huge shift in independent businesses trying to fight against fast fashion. Numerous independent fashion companies are using technological innovations to create a more sustainable fashion scene within the states. And they have also been using social media to spread awareness of the dangers of fast fashion.
Companies like Gem Transfers are a prime example of how technology is being used to shift the industry away from fast fashion. The primary idea behind their custom DTF transfers is to shift consumer focus away from the idea of disposable clothing. DTF transfers are patterns that can be applied to almost any fabric. Allowing people to create their own clothing designs. This is a fun idea to be sure. But it is also helping consumers move away from a reliance on fast fashion companies.
Patagonia is one of the most recognizable US clothing brands on the planet. They are renowned for producing outdoors wear and sporting gear. And they have also been leading the charge in regards to shifting consumer ideology.
Back in 2013 they released a marketing campaign that said ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket.’ An extremely bold move in a commercial sense. But the message it was sending was vitally important. They wanted customers to really think about their purchasing habits. To only buy what they really need. This campaign was released during the Christmas season. Many market experts were shocked. The idea that a company would try to adversely affect their own sales in this way was unheard of.
Patagonia has continued in this vein for over 50 years. They are one of the driving forces in the sustainable clothing initiative globally. And they are constantly sharing news and information regarding the detrimental effects of fast fashion.