Notorious for their unethical labor practices and short sale cycles that feed into the latest fleeting fads, quintessential brands like Shein and H&M exemplify the pitfalls of fast fashion. But while consumers may associate these ethical shortcomings with fast-fashion brands like Shein, the same problems remain prevalent among luxury brands. These more expensive brands use marketing and higher prices to disguise the fact that they too operate with fast fashion practices and are equally as corrupt as brands more accepting of the label. Thanks to the abundance of fast, cheap clothes, individual fashion has transformed from an outlet of individuality into a series of microtrends that fill people’s closets and empty their wallets at the expense of their ethics.
Many companies do not want customers to perceive them as fast fashion brands and avoid negative consumer reactions like the Shein boycotts, but for several companies, this distinction from fast fashion extends only as far as their reputation. At the end of the day, more expensive brands like Urban Outfitters and Hollister utilize the same unethical practices, showing that they lack true morality and are simply trying to save face as well as money with their unfulfilled promises to consumers.
In July, Hollister launched their newest line that brought back old styles like bootcut jeans and babydoll tops in an attempt to distance themselves from their prior microtrend persona. But while they may have brought back some classic styles shoppers wanted, Hollister did not change the physical quality of their products, sticking with cheap materials not made to last. This tactic relies on the fact that people will quickly ditch cheap, tarnashable items for new ones. To brands like Hollister, using longer-lasting material is a waste of resources that hurts their bottom line. This exact mindset continues to grow trash islands and normalizes overconsumption.
Urban Outfitters is another example of a reputable brand that utilizes the same unethical fast fashion practices. Urban makes countless promises about sustainable cruelty-free practices, yet it lacks transparency and action. Despite the company’s promise to offer “repurposed, remade, and one-of-a-kind vintage goods,” Urban Outfitters does not measure their production facilities’ emission rates of carbon dioxide, water waste, air pollution and hazardous chemicals. One of Urban’s goals is to acquire 60% of direct-sourced raw materials more responsibly by 2027. This aspiration does not change the fact that they are currently only at 10% – a shockingly low number. Urban, which uses leather, wool and shearling in their clothes, also claims to minimize animal suffering, but it has no real animal welfare policy in place to ensure ethical practices. People should be able to trust the stores they buy clothes from, Urban Outfitters and many other companies’ failure to follow through on ethical promises shows how they prioritize profit over ethics.
Many more companies that share these high price tags also lack transparency and fail to meet sustainability goals, like Zara and ASOS. For example, Zara uses a vertically integrated supply chain, which allows them to quickly respond to changes in their customers’ interests, but this infrastructure is characteristic of fast fashion. Despite the company’s goal to have “zero net emissions by 2040,” Zara also produces clothes in foreign countries, creating a negative environmental impact due to the carbon emissions from transporting the clothes. In regards to ASOS, there is no evidence the company pays a liveable wage to those in their supply chain. These problems are pervasive in the fashion industry and need to change.
Fashion overconsumption, which both fast fashion and higher priced clothing brands contribute to, is an epidemic that is beginning to leave lasting impacts on the environment. With trends that come in and out each week due to fluctuating social media popularity, it is easy for consumers to think that they need the next best item in order to fit in. Social media causes many to lose all sense of originality when selecting clothes. Instead, others on social media influence consumers’ desires, because it is challenging for them to ignore the same items that influencers constantly romanticize on their feed. The mindless online consumption of clothing has replaced the art of individual fashion. When everyone feeds into this culture of overconsumption, we normalize and justify unethical labor and manufacturing practices, further allowing these expensive and manipulative companies to take advantage of people's desire for convenience.
Next time you want a new item of clothing, try not to open your laptop and buy it online or drive to a strip mall. Instead, go to a Goodwill or local thrift store near you. I like Last Chance Thrift Store and Rag-O-Rama near Emory University because of their proximity to campus and their wide variety of options. And instead of trying to select what is trending at the current moment, find pieces of clothing that interest you. Style is something that should be individual and forever evolving. Do not be afraid to wear something that others may not like or that is not trendy. It is time to embrace the originality that fashion has lost over the years and lean away from the microtrends that sustain unethical clothing companies.
Contact Shila Gill at shila.gill@emory.edu
