(Source: https://www.themds.com/back-stage/global-fashion-drivers-2019-what-keeps-fashion-moving.html)
By now, it is no secret that we are overconsuming fashion products. This has led to extensive air, water and waste pollution for our planet. However, what exactly is driving the consumption?
In this blog post, I will break down the various factors that have contributed to the proliferation of fast fashion consumption. This is a perfect opportunity to reflect if any of these drivers apply to you!
For fast fashion, more is more.
The first and perhaps most important driver behind the overwhelming success of fast fashion is its turnover rates. Afterall, it is what the industry is defined after. Fast fashion revolutionises the traditional six-month cycles, by offering consumers new collections as frequently as that of a weekly basis. The essence of fast fashion lies in the merger of two aspects: (1) an extremely short time gap between production and distribution and (2) fashionable products that are trendy and affordable (Cachon and Swinney, 2011). With a shorter and more flexible supply chain, fast fashion producers are able to produce more and respond rapidly to the shifting demands of the market. This enables businesses to adapt and adjust to the requirements of consumers. As a result, Barnes and Lea-Greenwood (2006) suggest that consumers will then be more inclined to participate and purchase its products.
Alongside this, fast fashion often offers clothes at a low price— a ridiculously low one. By producing high fashion at a low price, it contributes to moving inventories at a faster pace and increasing adaptation rate for young and fashion-forward consumers (Craig et al., 2004). Buyn and Sternquist (2008) also suggests that accelerated rate of turnovers causes consumers’ uncertainty about when the products will be available. This illusion of perishability and scarcity also creates an atmosphere that encourages buyers to purchase what they want, immediately.
Celebrity and Media Influence
A recent research conducted by Michaela (2015) shows that early adopters of fashion trends are heavily influenced by media. With the rise of online influencers, influencer culture and marketing has enabled a niche for fast fashion brands. These brands form a rather symbiotic relationship with popular internet celebrities, like the Kardashians, who have the ability to drive the fashion economy by spear-heading and promoting styles online. Not surprisingly, these brands are also the ones causing the pollution in the first place.
Additionally, through highly visual platforms such as Instagram, it also enables an average person to subject their daily outfits to possible scrutiny. A 2017 study by a sustainability firm Hubbub from London shows that 41% of 18-25 year olds feel pressured to wear a different outfit every time they go out. This sentiment seems to concur with another finding by The New York Times, which shows that Gen Z often look for cute, cheap outfits in order to post photos online. It seems like fast fashion brands know this as well, and they don’t hesitate to leverage on it.
The Emotional Spectrum of Consumption
Lastly, an important motivator behind the overconsumption of fashion goods is the emotional gratification derived from consumption. Gabrielli et al. (2013) examine the way in which an individual constructs meaning around fast fashion products. Through their study, it is revealed that consumers internalise and accept lower quality products from fast fashion brands. This is so as their level of satisfaction is compensated through their shopping experiences which allows them to indulge and experience something new with each collection change. In addition, the proliferation of fast fashion has also created a community which allows individuals to feel a sense of belonging, where fast fashion is a systematic consumption style.
The Wider Implication
So what has all of these got to do with environmental pollution?
Well, as Huesemann (2001) suggests, to begin proper management for pollution issues, it is important to understand the various conditions and factors that contribute to the cause and proliferation of the pollution in the first place — an exercise of prevention is better than cure. The above has shown that we can’t simply ask people to stop consuming, the situation is just not that simple.
I believe it is important to understand the drivers behind the consumption of fast fashion products. By doing so, we can understand consumer mentality and the motivating factors for producers to continue producing these goods. As alluded to in my previous posts, we witness how the intricacies behind environment pollution issues is one that is highly interlinked with various causes. For example, shown above, it is one that is also tied to the emotional experience of consumers. The temporal nature of these pollution problems are also exposed— as our consumption culture evolves with different contexts such as social media, how is the rate of pollution indirectly or directly changed?
What we can understand here is that pollution problems are dynamic. Therefore, it is important to remain critical and relevant as we continue to understand and attempt to solve these problems.
COMING UP
In my next post, I will be conducting a deep dive into a case-study of over consumption of fast fashion. As my posts have remained rather theoretically driven, this gives us the opportunity to understand what the situation is really like on the ground today!
References
Barnes, L., & Lea‐Greenwood, G. (2006). Fast fashioning the supply chain: shaping the research agenda. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.
Byun, S. E., & Sternquist, B. (2011). Fast fashion and in-store hoarding: The drivers, moderator, and consequences. Clothing and textiles research Journal, 29(3), 187-201.
Cachon, G. P., & Swinney, R. (2011). The value of fast fashion: Quick response, enhanced design, and strategic consumer behavior. Management science, 57(4), 778-795.
Craig, A., Jones, C., & Nieto, M. (2004). Zara: Fashion follower, industry leader. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
Elizabeth, P., Isabella, K., & Taylor., L.(2019, December 17). What Do Gen Z Shoppers Want? A Cute, Cheap Outfit That Looks Great on Instagram. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/style/fast-fashion-gen-z.html.
Gabrielli, V., Baghi, I., & Codeluppi, V. (2013). Consumption practices of fast fashion products: a consumer‐based approach. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal
Huesemann, M. H. (2001). Can pollution problems be effectively solved by environmental science and technology? An analysis of critical limitations. Ecological Economics, 37(2), 271-287.
Kwai, I., Lorenz, T., & Paton, E. (2016, October 20). Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula. McKinsey Sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula.
Michaela, E. (2015). Fashion conscious consumers, fast fashion and the impact of social media on purchase intention. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(3 S1), 173.
Ngyuen, T. (2020, February 3). Fast fashion, explained. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/2/3/21080364/fast-fashion-h-and-m-zara.
The Fashion Law. (2018, January 5). The Truth About Outfit Repetition: “There Are Real Issues at Play Here”. Retrieved from https://www.thefashionlaw.com/outfit-repetition-there-are-real-issues-at-play-here/.
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