Why Are Fast Fashion Trends So Popular?
A generation recognised as leaders in climate activism and social justice is driving the growth of fast fashion giants such as Shein and Boohoo.
I Saw It First, a UK-based online fast-fashion brand that has been able to transform at lightning speed from outerwear to tie-dye activewear as the world shuts down and returns to normal. That becomes a reality once restrictions are relaxed. The company even managed to sell bikinis, shorts, and figure-hugging dresses from its “Love Island” collection this summer, when many UK customers weren’t allowed to travel outside their backyard. The brand also got off to a strong start during the pandemic: despite the company announcing losses, sales for the full year ending October 4, 2020, rose 62% to £53.9 million (about $73.5 million USD).
Because of its success during the pandemic, it was first apparent that, alongside competitors like Boohoo and Shein, Gen Z was the one driving these gains. The younger generation of consumers can’t live without cheap disposable clothing. Every year or two, a new e-tailer rises to the top and seems to not exist—recently, Shein has been known for creating thousands of new looks every day. According to Google, the top four fashion brands among American Gen Z consumers as of early September were all companies based on the Chinese fast-fashion retailer’s model: Edikted, Cider, Verge Girl, and Adika.
However, shoppers in their teens and 20s also have a reputation for ethical consumption. Emma Chiu, global head of Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, said Gen Z is “driving accountability for sustainability and climate change and leading brands to do better.” They helped promote recycling and reselling used clothing, which is expected to become a $51 billion business by 2025, according to GlobalData.
Few brands can cater to the entire population, from fast fashion addicts to environmentalists. Increasingly, they seem to be polarized into one pole or the other.
01. Buyers from birth
Generation Z grew up in a world where fast fashion, the internet, social media and economic uncertainty were the norm. Some cultural commentators argue that it is difficult for young consumers to access it, regardless of their relevant values.
Additionally, Tahira Hairston, fashion and beauty director at Teen Vogue, says Gen Z has largely associated itself with fashion in a different way than their generational predecessors. While older millennials are exposed to aspirational brands and products through print magazine ads, today’s younger generation of consumers see influencers watching them. They enjoy using them in ephemeral content designed to scroll through Instagram.
02. Sustainable fashion for everyone?
There's another reason why many Gen-Zers prefer fast fashion over greener alternatives: it's cheap.
An I Saw It First dress can cost £15, even before the discounts applied from regular flash sales. Sustainable brands – which, to do justice to that label, must make clothes from low-waste, low-impact materials and manufacture under fair working conditions – are rarely able to price their clothes that low.
Even some of the brands that have long catered to youth with fashion that seems out of reach for teens have failed. Acapella, one of the sustainable brands available in Mexico that is a hit with a broad audience, sells a set of three T-shirts for 1,700 Mexican pesos.
03. The credibility gap
Fast fashion retailers are increasingly looking to position themselves as sustainable. In September, Boohoo revealed the names of its 1,100 suppliers and announced its intention to enter into a legally binding international agreement on health and safety in the textile industry. This follows allegations of poor working conditions and low minimum wages at the group’s supply factories in Leicester, England, at the height of the 2020 coronavirus lockdown.
A month ago, Primark and Asos pledged to cut carbon emissions by 2030 and switch to more recycled materials and packaging in the coming years. Asos said it will have to link chief executive pay to achieving environmental, social and governance targets, which are still relatively rare in the fashion industry. Primark, which has promised to make all clothes “recyclable by design” by 2027, has hammered home its sustainability message by promising to keep prices low.
The question remains as to exactly how some retailers achieve their goals, or how ambitious they are. For example, Asos has pledged to be net-zero by 2030, but its carbon ambitions are tied to variables such as the number of customer orders and the company’s profitability, which is expected to grow in recent years. (A spokesperson for Asos told Business of Fashion that its emissions reduction targets have been independently verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative, an organization that monitors climate commitments for the private sector and enables the company to account for future growth.)
For the sustainability of existing businesses, a Primark spokesperson said they have set “deliberately stretched” targets based on sustainable performance. This will take time and collaboration with stakeholders such as suppliers, NGOs and industry partners.
However, these developments make sustainable fashion seem like a viable option for the average consumer.
04. An untapped market
In some cases, Gen Z trends lend themselves to resale and experimental personal style, an alternative to mass-market products and constant novelty at a similar price point. The rise of Y2K and 70s-inspired silhouettes has helped increase demand for vintage finds at affordable prices.
But fast-fashion brands remain a go-to source for current trends, even among Gen Z consumers who engage in ostensibly more sustainable shopping habits like reselling. A search for Shein on Poshmark returned more than 5,000 results, while brands like Missguided and Boohoo-owned PrettyLittleThing rack up tens of thousands of search results on Depop.
05. Evolving values
As Gen Z matures and enters the workforce, many of those interested in sustainability will be able to purchase clothing based on their values.
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