-Mehak Sejwal, Editorial
“People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. When they buy fashion, they’re buying a story, an identity, a movement.” — Joseph Pine.”
Fashion is not only a piece of cloth, but rather it is an intricate pattern of culture, self, and purpose.However, the industry has undergone transformations in quite the past years, mainly because of the incessant need of the consumers and the age of social media. One swipe on their smartphone, and the crazes start, grow, and vanish in a heartbeat, changes that are unnatural to the annual cycles of fashion. Many consider the advent of fast fashion embraced by internet sensations as a good thing, for it conveys style to the masses, but some will argue that then the beauty and integrity of fashion has most definitely been for gone, in exchange for instant satisfaction.This article explores how influencer marketing and fast fashion work together to shape the current fashion scene, asking
whether they foster creativity or only serve to reinforce a cycle of excess and short-lived trends
Changes in the Transformation of the Fashion Cycles
Not long ago, the fashion world functioned on a seasonal schedule where designers would showcase their creations long before the seasons changed. However, a season change has taken place within this model in the last few decades. We have been witnessing the emergence of fast fashion with the likes of Zara, H&M, and Shein, thanks to their innovative and efficient manufacturing processes enabling them to keep up with changing consumer needs.
For example, Zara’s ability to produce new designs in only two to three weeks is remarkable given that a company’s ideal lead time is six months.
Estimates indicate that Zara has about four hundred and fifty million articles of clothing per customer each year or about eight hundred and fifty-six per minute. Within that duration, the global clothing market managed to increase its output from 50 billion to 100 billion, while the lifestyle changed so that each person used to wear them less frequent than ever. Unsurprisingly, around sixty percent of garments made today are composed of synthetic fabrics, and the trend leads to even worse outcomes, as 87% of used textile gets burnt or thrown away in the oceans or landfills (World Bank).
This concept appeals to stakeholders like millennials and the new generation (Gen Z) who seem to rely on such concepts due to their need for diversity over sustainability.
Nowadays most fast-fashion providers offer more than 52 seasons for their stocks, making the one season a year concept somewhere in the past. In what has become disposable entertainment—fashion—people are purchasing more and more, or retraining their style to a new one every couple of weeks!
Nonetheless, this means that there are also downsides such as waste, pollution, and the risk to health that comes with the herd mentality that embraces change for the sake of it and not the quality in the end.
-Ethical and Environmental Implications
Fast fashion is however not without its ethical issues even though it allows one to satisfy a personal urge with fashion items that are within reach. The quality of products is almost always left behind in these production chains and as a result, the life of the clothing items is extremely short. In the words of Ellen MacArthur Foundation, over 85% of textile substances are wasted every year already, and a sizeable amount of that ends up in rubbish dumps and in the sea.
In addition, such brands also become the subject of controversies for unfair labor practices as they tend to manufacture the products in poorer nations where the local workforce lives in abject poverty and works for an extended amount of time under terrible circumstances. This area of the industry raises the difficult question of how much more clothing one really needs to buy in exchange for ever increasing cruelty inflicted upon others.
-Influencer Marketing and Fast Fashion’s Intersection
The connection between influencer marketing and fast fashion has become very tight. Brands are more and more working with influencers to release new lines or create special collections, taking advantage of influencers’ power to set trends. This teamwork creates a constant need for new styles, as influencers promote a “see now, buy now” attitude typical of fast fashion.
For instance, brands like Fashion Nova and PrettyLittleThin
– A New Era of Consumer Trust
Over the years, marketing is one area that has continuously remained relevant regardless of numerous technological advancements including the case of the internet. Perhaps, at no other time has influencer marketing been so embedded in branding strategy. Influencers, including famous people and social media figures, serve as connectors between brands and buyers, providing a relatable kind of advertising. With sites like Instagram and Youtube shorts helping reach active audiences, influencers are important in changing fashion styles and how consumers shop.
Influencers have built a special trust in their groups. Followers often see them as friends instead of far-off stars, and this connection makes it more likely that followers will act on their recommendations. This relationship is beneficial for both influencers and brands; influencers earn trust and money through partnerships, while brands reach specific markets that might ignore traditional ads.
Sources
https://earth.org/fast-fashion-quotes/
https://custommapposter.com/article/20-fast-fashion-quotes-to-inspire-you-into-action-earth-org/1337
https://www.guyvernes.com/fashion-quotes/
By the Numbers: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of “Fast Fashion” | World Resources Institute
Fast-fashion giant Zara faces a huge challenge in the climate crisis. Can its heiress-turned-leader make the brand
fast, cheap, and green? | Fortune
H&M, Zara Fast Fashion Waste Leaves Environmental Impact – Bloomberg
Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact in 2024 | Earth.Org
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