Fast fashion is a relatively new category that mainly corresponds to low-priced, mass-produced clothes and accessories sold in specialized stores. Companies in this sector generally focus on using economical production processes and often cheaper materials to produce trendy items with shorter production cycles than mid-range/high-end brands.
Fast fashion is a concept that affects the textile and clothing industry around the world, but it also extends to categories such as footwear, leather goods, jewelry, etc.
Fast-fashion brands often react quickly to the latest trends, producing items in limited quantities and selling collections based on the current season's fashions.
They also rely on designs, colors, textures, and details inspired by the latest catwalks and trends on social networks. They are known for their inferior products in terms of quality and durability, but at rock-bottom prices and with trendy designs.
There are many advantages to fast fashion: it meets consumers' need for fashionable products at affordable prices. When managed correctly, fast fashion allows consumers to both keep up with fashion and spend less on new products. Companies can also generate profits more quickly by reacting to fashionable collections, responding instantly to market demands.
The term is often used pejoratively to describe companies that make up an unethical fashion industry, using processes linked to environmental pollution and the depletion of natural resources (such as excessive water consumption in cotton production, the production of non-recyclable synthetic fibers, etc.).
There are a number of hidden costs associated with fast fashion, such as greenhouse gas emissions and harmful chemicals associated with large-scale manufacturing and the consumption of discount products.
What's more, fast fashion's production cycles are so short that outsourcing and the constant updating of collections can lead to excessive wear and tear and exploitation of workers.
Companies therefore need to look for ways to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly as well as ensure that workers receive appropriate wages and benefits, along the lines of upcycling.
