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July 18, 2024
Is Slow Fashion in the Slow Lane?
Several Democratic representatives have introduced a Slow Fashion Caucus initiative aimed at limiting waste and pollution from the fast-fashion industry.
At a launch event on June 27, three U.S. representatives — Chellie Pingree (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (California) — noted that fast fashion, which “relies on cheap manufacturing, frequent consumption, and short-lived garment use,” has caused the rate of textile waste to increase “tremendously” over the last two decades.
According to a statement from Pingree, the founder and chair of the Slow Fashion Caucus, textile waste is now one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the U.S., but only 15% of clothing in the U.S. is recycled or reused. The statement also claimed that fast-fashion items are responsible for up to one-third of microplastics released as well as the loss of “hundreds of thousands of fiber and textile jobs” to less-expensive sourcing overseas.
The founding principles of the caucus included:
- Bringing textile production back into the U.S.
- Incentivizing the apparel sector to promote the reuse, repair, and recycling of textiles
- Supporting the increased use of sustainable fibers
- Building public awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion
- Expanding initiatives across federal agencies to encourage textile sustainability
The slow fashion trend was first pointed out in the earlier part of the century, with a Wall Street Journal from 2014 indicating that many consumers were adopting a “Buy Less, Spend More” mentality. The WSJ spotlighted several companies in particular, including Zady and Everlane, that were “encouraging shoppers to build simpler, smaller and longer-lasting wardrobes.”
Beyond any environmental reasons, the article pointed to Millennials entering their professional years seeking more sophisticated outfits than those available at H&M, Zara, and Forever 21; a moral discomfort from consumers over having so many clothing options; and the exhaustion of having to adjust to the quickly rotating trends made possible by fast fashion. Concerns that disposable clothing repurchases support sweatshops were also cited.
Forever 21’s bankruptcy filing in September 2019 had some fashion experts predicting the industry had reached a “tipping point,” with surveys showing young consumers increasingly interested in secondhand clothes and sustainability. However, a strong shift away from disposable fashion never happened thanks to the popularity of Chinese platforms like SHEIN and Temu, leading to articles on how to break consumers’ addiction to fast fashion.
ThredUP’s Gen Z Fast Fashion Report from 2022 found that while a majority of Gen Zers said they want to shop more sustainably (65%), one-third said they feel addicted to fast fashion.
A Business of Fashion article from this past June noted that inflation had played a role in the recent closing of several smaller sustainable-focused labels.
The Slow Fashion Caucus comes as countries in the European Union, especially France, have introduced legislation to encourage fashion brands and consumers to adopt more sustainable practices.
When asked by the Washington Post what it will “take for people to break this addiction to fast fashion,” Pingree emphasized the benefit of raising awareness. She said, “Plastic straws is one of those examples. I never thought that getting rid of plastic straws was going to reduce the real impact of climate change. But it was interesting how quickly, when that became a topic in conversation, places moved to paper straws or reusable straws. Fashion is a little bit that way — putting pressure on those companies.”
Discussion Questions
What needs to happen to break consumers’ addiction to fast fashion?
Why has slow fashion failed to gain much traction?
Why are surveys detailing an increasingly eco-conscious public at odds with fast fashion’s popularity?
Poll
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Liza Amlani
Principal and Founder, Retail Strategy Group
Allison McCabe
Director Retail Technology, enVista
Bob Amster
Principal, Retail Technology Group
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Just like a highway, fashion has many lanes. There is a growing lane which is interested in slow fashion. There is a lane for circular fashion, including resale and rental. There is a lane for premium fashion. And there is a lane for fast fashion. There are other lanes too. And again, similar to a highway, consumers change lanes – a lot. Consumers concerned with sustainability shop on Shein. Consumers with more limited incomes will occasionally venture into premium fashion. This choice creates a very vibrant industry. The debate is really around how to ensure there is fair competition – which opens up debate around things like the de minimis rule – and that there is some recognition of the importance of sustainability. What regulators must not do, however, is strangle fast fashion completely. I am completely opposed to politicians making life worse and less affordable for the average consumer.
“All hat, no cattle”? Too carbon-intensive for you(?) then how about (sentiments) “a mile wide and an inch deep”?(I’ll not provide metric equivalents – another it’s coming! moment from generations back – since there are apps for that now) Or to put my half-dozen years of post-high school education to work and put it in more formal terms: externalities…until all the bad things that fast fashion is responsible for – is accused of – are fully embedded in the price, it will be “over-consumed”.
“…until all the bad things that…….fashion is responsible for are FULLY EMBEDDED IN THE PRICE, it will be over-consumed.” Best summary statement of the problem…ever.
But how is this to be calculated and how will it be monitored? It would fast turn into a dystopian nightmare with a massive dose of government monitoring, administration and taxation.
Agreed. Messy and complicated. But that can’t be a reason to do nothing. And I’m not a fan of more taxes, but they do have a way of incentivizing behavior. At a minimum, we could start by dealing with the disparities in the de minimis rules and regulations. It’s a little crazy that we all sit here looking at the most obvious of problems and solutions, and all we can come up with is hand wringing.
I think tackling the de minimus rule is reasonable as it’s about a fair playing field. Not sure about wider taxes; I think we’re already over-taxed and over-regulated.
Find a gorgeous outfit, buy it for $27, and wear it a week later? Fast fashion doesn’t have to be bad fashion and it doesn’t need to be worn only once.
I guess it depends how alarmed the next generation gets over heat, wildfires, floods, blizzards, etc. we have found in our research that consumers talk a good game around environmental concerns but push comes to shove, it’s all about price.
this will be challenging to unwind, but it has to happen
I am with you on this Paula. What people say, and even what they may genuinely believe, is very rarely completely reflected in their behaviors.
Fast fashion will continue to win over consumers and the Slow Fashion Caucus is not going to sway shoppers from abandoning their carts.
While teaching Gen Z at FIT a few months ago, students that valued sustainability also shopped thrift/resale and bought from SHEIN and Temu. They were influenced by social media, the pressures to stay on top of trends and didn’t have a lot of money to spend. Fast fashion was part of their wardrobe. And it’s not just Gen Z shopping these ultra-fast fashion brands. All age groups and demographics are gravitating towards the accessible price points and trend that fast fashion can give them.
Amazon fashion influencers and TIkTok shop communities are also growing with dupes & trendy clothes that are made by many of the same factories as fast fashion. This is also a big part of the problem. Excess inventory across all types of fashion tells us that all retailers are overproducing and over-assorting their collections. There is an inventory issue and it’s across ALL fashion verticals and lanes. Perhaps there has to be governance on how much a brand or retailer are allowed to have in their assortment. More supply doesn’t equal more demand but more supply means more excess and waste. Something needs to be done but a Slow Fashion Caucus won’t deter anyone from buying fast fashion.
“More supply doesn’t equal more demand but more supply means more excess and waste. “I don’t think buyers understand this truism.
Funny thing… as I was commenting on this discussion, TEMU ads kept popping up on this website. I have never shopped at TEMU 😉
I don’t think we can solve this dilemma by pitting fast fashion against slow fashion. Shoppers are addicted to fashion of any speed. We need a new context, a new perspective. I vote for “smart fashion”. Fashion that is smart at the yarn and fabric level. At the dyeing level (pollution and water consumption). At the manufacturing level (humane conditions and pay). At the planning and distribution level (the 5R’s of Right Product, at the Right Price, at the Right Place, at the Right Time, and in the Right Quantity). Right Quantity is tough. It’s about demand forecasting and it turns out that data has a shelf life. Data on basics and key items can indeed predict demand on a rolling calendar that factories can live with. Data on fashion is only good within the season, but most manufacturing cycles can’t respond in season. So fashion bought 6-12 months out is dumb, meaning it’s not data driven. It’s not bad fashion, it’s just based on a lot of guessing. Guessing leads to over buying, and therefore waste.
There is a lot about fast fashion that could be smart. Hugely condensed production cycles are exactly what the apparel business needs right now. But using that condensed calendar to make cheap, disposable products is pouring gasoline on the problem. The fact that the de minimis rules and regulations have not been addressed, and continue to allow for a ridiculously imbalanced playing field, is the most absurdly DUMB thing in the apparel business right now. Fast and DUMB and cheap is what’s sending so much product to landfills. How about fast and SMART and fairly priced as an equation? Fairly priced meaning that all the costs of the full life cycle of the garment are captured and put into the margin and pricing calculation. (Yep, complicated and messy.) Right now, the overwhelming majority of customers have an “out of sight/out of mind” view on apparel waste, fast or slow. The addiction to fashion is powerful, enabled by factory direct channels that enjoy imbalanced pricing. It’s a simple problem with a simple solution. Not solving it is profoundly DUMB. We need SMART fashion and a level playing field.
“Shoppers are addicted to fashion of any speed. ” Fast Fashion didn’t suddenly create a sustainability problem. The waste in fashion existed way before Fast Fashion became a thing.
Government needs to keep its nose out of private sector companies and brands.
Furthermore, a growing number of the population doesn’t trust government anymore to regulate sustainability because of special interests, politics, contradictions, inconsistencies, and lack of actual recycling. Db
Fashion doesn’t need to be “slow” to be more sustainable.
Consumers buy products they want at the price point they will support. Some care more about the environment and sustainability than others, or, they care more or less at different times. Government regulation of fast vs slow fashion is not the answer, however tighter regulation and compliance of any manufacturing operations relative to pollution and environmental impacts are critical.
Shouldn’t we also be discussing the over investment of retailers/manufacturers in product? So much product that some is never purchased by a consumer but launched into the endless piles of rejected inventory. Regardless of fast, slow, circular…there is too much stuff. More is not more. It’s a drain on profit and the environment.
Why is it so hard for retailers to understand that discounts to rid themselves of excess stock and the dumping of excess stock drain profit?
There are lots of great systems out there with ever improving AI which are very effective tools in determining the right merch in the right place in the right quantities at the right price. Low hanging fruit.
Fast Fashion isn’t the real problem. The real problem is the fashion industry as a whole. Solve the real problem, and you will solve the Fast Fashion problem. Overproducing, over buying, over consuming.
As is typical in business, consumers usually dictate what is attractive, what sells and what sells quickly and what slowly but steadily. The issue is not which – slow or fast – will win because there need not be a winner, but that legislators would get involved. This has been and continues to be a fine line between stability and overreach. Some consumers recycle everything recyclable and some don’t care and the same is true of buying fast fashion versus slow fashion.
“ThredUP’s Gen Z Fast Fashion Report from 2022 found that while a majority of Gen Zers said they want to shop more sustainably (65%), one-third said they feel addicted to fast fashion.”
This is key. What customers say and do will always be two different things. The best the caucus can (and should) do is help change manufacturing and operational practices to be more sustainable. Changing customers mind here won’t be as easy as straws as they are much more personally and emotionally invested in their clothing.
Well, if some of our Federal Representatives are talking about this I am quite confident it will get fixed. Okay, JK. The appeal of fast fashion is obvious-the price points are right and you can revitalize your wardrobe in a way that is easy on the wallet. Slow fashion is not going to succeed because the government and others tell us to change the way we spend money. While this message will probably resonate with some, it is not going to be enough to move the needle away from fast fashion.
I still have pieces like silk knit tops and pure wool sweaters that I’ve been wearing for years – sometimes more than twenty. And they were bought from more mainstream brands like Anne Taylor, not Neiman Marcus. But it’s so hard to find quality clothing now. Most of it is junk. But until the ads and the influencers are promoting “last season’s x with this season’s y” habits won’t change. How do we make mixing and matching pieces from past seasons cool? How do we overcome the highly optimized social media and ad platform algorithms that are so good at pushing the new and fresh, but in an unsustainable way? Our global population is stagnating. Resources are limited. There is no such thing as perpetual growth. We have to find new ways to monetize the apparel industry without destroying the planet.
Slow fashion hasn’t gained much traction because sustainable options are often more expensive and less convenient than fast fashion. Despite surveys showing an eco-conscious public, the allure of cheap, trendy clothes is strong, especially during economic hardships like inflation.
Additionally, the rapid trend cycles and marketing of fast fashion brands keep consumers hooked. To shift this behavior, we need stronger incentives for sustainable choices, better access to affordable slow fashion, and a cultural shift towards valuing quality and longevity in clothing.