Global retailers like Zara and H&M, and even newer entrants like Shein, have maximized the advantages of fast fashion. Take note that fast fashion is a business model that replicates the most recent catwalk trends and haute couture designs using low-cost mass production. The entire process benefits both fashion retail brands and the average clothing and apparel consumers. However, despite its advantages, the purported disadvantages of fast fashion have been documented and scrutinized.
The Upsides and Downsides of Fast Fashion Business Model
Pros: Advantages of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion grew around the late 20th century due to the emergence of cost-efficient clothing manufacturing. These efficiencies stem from more interconnected global supply chains, new manufacturing methods and processes, the availability of outsourcing or contract manufacturers, and greater access to low-cost labor in developing countries. Cost-efficient clothing manufacturing has become a competitive advantage for fast fashion retailers and has also flooded the clothing and apparel market with more affordable and diverse clothing items. The following are the specific advantages of fast fashion:
1. Democratization of Fashion
The market for haute couture is limited to luxury consumers who have cash to spare for a clothing item. Hence, before the arrival of fast fashion retailers, the average clothing and apparel consumers would have to settle with limited clothing choices or wait for design trends to become accessible to the mass market.
Retailers like Zara and H&M have democratized fashion because they have made the most recent trends available to the mass market. Furthermore, apart from making fashion more mainstream, these companies have made fashion more affordable, created a more diverse selection of clothing and apparel, and made these products more disposable.
2. Quick Response to Trends
The processes within the fast fashion business model have enabled retailers to adapt to the latest fashion trends. These companies can bring new designs to the market within weeks after specific trends appear on fashion shows. The production capabilities of fast fashion retailers are better than couture houses and other traditional retailers.
Responding to trends as fast as possible fosters competition in the market and benefits the consumers. It also produces varied styles that cater to diverse preferences or individual styles. There are also benefits to retailers. Frequent product updates keep inventory fresh and encourage repeat visits and purchases to physical and online stores.
3. Globalization and Experimentation
Another advantage of fast fashion is that it has contributed to the globalization of fashion trends. Remember that prominent retailers or brands have a global presence or have a market presence in different regional markets. People from different parts of the world can access and wear similar styles. This can foster cultural exchange.
Furthermore, related to how it has democratized fashion, the business model has also enabled consumers to feel more comfortable experimenting with new styles they might not normally try because of the accessibility and affordability of fast-fashion products. This can help in promoting more design exploration and individual expression.
4. Positive Economic Impacts
The business model has resulted in the emergence of large and profitable companies. Take note that Zara is one of the largest companies in the world. Amancio Ortega, the founder of Inditex, the company that owns the Zara and Bershka brands, has been one of the wealthiest people in the world due to the success of his retail businesses based on fast fashion.
The specific industry has also created employment opportunities and has supported other industries and companies. It has specifically spawned opportunities for contract manufacturers and laborers in developing countries. The business model also lowers the entry barrier to the clothing and apparel retail market. The success of Shein is a prime example.
Cons: Disadvantages of Fast Fashion
The aforementioned advantages of fast fashion collectively represent benefits to retailers or brands and the greater consumers. However, despite these benefits, there are notable tradeoffs. The business model might be efficient but problems as regards product quality become unavoidable. It also produced negative externalities that demonstrated the ills of a linear economy and modern consumption while running against the principles of a circular economy the cradle-to-cradle concept of production, and the principles of sustainable fashion. The following are the specific disadvantages of fast fashion:
1. Short Product Lifespan
Quality is an often-cited problem with low-cost and mass-produced products. Fast fashion retailers tend to depend on low-quality materials such as synthetic fabrics and poor production processes such as the absence of stringent quality control to keep costs down, shorten the production time, and increase the production output.
The same retailers have also been criticized for being intentional when it comes to shortening the lifespan of their products. Critics believe that these products are designed and manufactured to be worn for a short period or discarded after a couple of use. The faster wear-and-tear helps in creating and sustaining current and future demand.
2. Environmental Impacts
Fast fashion also has a negative impact on the environment. Remember that retailers promote excessive consumption and a disposable mindset. The rapid turnover of design trends or styles and the short lifespan of clothing items contribute to a higher waste generation. Discarded products often end up in landfills or waste incinerators.
Some have also argued that contract manufacturers operate in an unsustainable manner through the use of harmful chemicals and the generation of excessive textile wastes. It is also important to highlight the fact that the textile industry is one of the largest consumers of water in the world. Mass-produced clothes also contribute to microplastic generation.
3. Notable Creative Concerns
Companies that have used this business model have been accused of infringing the intellectual properties of designers and couture houses. Remember that the model involves drawing inspiration from the latest design trends exhibited in major runway shows or other channels. Some products are direct replications or have minimal design alterations.
The industry has also been criticized for cultural appropriation or for appropriating traditional designs and cultural elements without giving proper credit or compensation to the communities from which these designs originate. The impact of fast fashion has also undermined traditional craftsmanship and skills in favor of low-cost mass production.
4. Labor Rights Issues
Another purported disadvantage of fast fashion is that it can foster exploitative labor practices. Most brands outsource manufacturing capabilities from contract manufacturers in developjng countries where labor cost is low. Some manufacturers have been slammed for poor working conditions, excessive overtime, and lack of safety measures.
Brands may not be at direct fault but they lack a suitable level of transparency and accountability. The large, complex, and opaque nature of their respective supply chains has made it difficult for those who advocate for sustainable fashion to ascertain whether their products were manufactured using fair and humane labor practices.
