WTFF - What the Fast Fashion?
A Sustainability Inc. Worldview Critique from an Ex-Sustainability Fashion Soldier
After researching last month’s edition of The Crisps — an independent, collaborative anti-greenwashing newsletter for the fashion industry — I feel compelled to adopt a writing style devoid of concessions or comfort. While I'm often told that I'm an inspiring speaker and mobilizer (acknowledging herewith that organizing is what makes a difference), writing has never been my preferred suit. However, I am eager to learn and unlearn — moving away from academic writing that mostly lacks heart and the very necessary interconnections we so desperately need to embrace the complexities of the problems we are collectively facing. So, here is my personal take on the misuse of the term “fast fashion” and other thoughts that have been wobbling in my mind for some time. This experimental piece and first newsletter issue may further confuse, provoke, or shed light on this matter.
The Misuse of “Fast Fashion”
A lot has already been said on the term “fast fashion” and it’s absurd that we’re constantly engaging in problem-shifting narratives (myself included) by hunting for the latest scapegoats to shame, rather than addressing the multi-layered issues at hand.
“Fast fashion” is conventionally understood as mass-produced, low-cost clothing designed to align with fleeting trends and rapid consumer turnover.1 Institutions like the EU (mis)utilize — in my opinion — the term to address environmental concerns, yet struggle to establish clear frameworks that precisely define what fast fashion entails.2 This ambiguity is so clear and so evident, that it fuels the disillusion in dismantling the oppressive fashion system in order to reclaim a justice-centered approach. Upon closer scrutiny, these characteristics3 are not exclusive to “fast” fashion alone. Rather, they pervade all facets of industrialized fashion production.
A Systemic Issue
In confronting the challenges posed by the misleading use of the term “fast fashion,” it is imperative to recognize that our current predicament is not a recent development. Instead, it is the culmination of centuries of structural violations against both human and nature rights, perpetuated under the guise of "industrialization."4 The noticeable focus on new "ultra fast fashion" brands like SHEIN often veers into sinophobic outrage (recognizing in the same breath the detrimental business model and hyperscaled lobbying the organization performs5), singling out these brands as the primary culprits of the fashion industry's ills. The Western fashion world, which grapples with its own complicity in harmful practices, appears almost relieved to have a new scapegoat — an easy, successfull ultra-capitalist "misfit" at the party to deflect attention from its overall systemic flaws. These long-standing abuses predate the advent of the fashion industry and points to a far deeper and more insidious problem: our political and economic system's fundamental design. The frenetic pace of industrialized fashion is synonymous with tailored and scaled production, in most cases mass production.
Whether it's couture garments or budget-friendly basics, the pressure to churn out higher volumes at breakneck speed permeates every tier of the industry. The lead times may vary a bit (but from my personal experience so-called “slow fashion” is not inherently “slower” from a supply-chain perspective than production planning within super-mass production), but the hegemony exerted by fashion buyers remains constant.
This relentless pursuit of quantity over supposedly quality fuels a cycle of overproduction, hyperconsumption, overconsumption and “waste”, where garments are swiftly discarded or further capitalized and re-sold in favor of the next trend or season — yes, you read right, most fashion resale in the year 2024 is part of the harmful industrialized fashion cycle.6 Behind the allure of industrialized fashion lies a vast web of global, exploitative supply chains and webs, spanning continents and intertwining diverse man-made systems.7
Persistent Flaws of Industrialized Fashion
At the heart of industrialized fashion are market pressures that dictate its rhythms and realities. Industrialized fashion dressed as “ultra fast fashion”, “fast fashion” and all other fashion(s) emerges not in isolation but as a symptom of broader market mechanisms inherent in capitalist economies. These mechanisms prioritize profit maximization and perpetual growth, at the expense of environmental and social justice. The rise of industrialized fashion epitomizes capitalism's contradictions. While it promises affordability and accessibility, it externalizes costs onto marginalized communities further destroying ecosystems. This exploitative cycle perpetuates environmental degradation and cycles of dependence and inequality — we all know that. By scrutinizing these market dynamics, I somewhat have the cynical hopes high to come closer to uncovering the systemic drivers behind fashion's adverse impacts — are you with me?
Addressing the challenges posed by the misleading use of the term “fast fashion” necessitates a reevaluation of our economic priorities and societal values. I believe that unraveling the market mechanisms that sustain the fashion system is at the heart of this endeavor. Yet, in the discourse around fashion and reform, we often skirt around the most uncomfortable truth: the need to radically decentralize and dismantle the existing global production system — be it fast, ultra-fast or... Because dismantling the existing system goes beyond changing practices; it involves deconstructing the very ideologies that uphold our practices.
Reparations: A Debt Long Overdue
Paying reparations is an essential step in addressing the systemic exploitation embedded in the fashion industry. The Western fashion world, in its relentless quest for fashion dominance, has exploited the Global South, resulting in severe environmental damage and profound social injustices in many production countries. This exploitation demands justice. Reparations must include financial compensation and, more critically, involve restoring autonomy and agency within these communities. This means respecting their rights and control over their own resources, something that policy and certification systems for instance fail to adequately address.8 This shift is not just about correcting past wrongs but about fundamentally rethinking and restructuring the world of fashion crafts(wo)manship for a future.9
The Illusion of Progress
Living in the present, it is painfully clear that we are entrenched in a system that remains fundamentally unchanged. The same detrimental production practices persist, now with new bells and whistles—advanced machinery, fossil fuel-derived chemicals, and synthetic materials. Yet, these are merely superficial upgrades to a deeply flawed system. The fashion industry continues to be driven by the same exploitative mechanisms, masked by a façade of sustainable, green progress.10
Steeping from ongoing colonial exploitation and devastation, I hope that the fashion industry starts becoming really uncomfortable and unfashionable.
No single solution or “savior” will address these deeply rooted injustices misused under the umbrella of “fast fashion.” As this exploration is a continuous journey of trial and error, if my critique of the Sustainability Inc. fashion worldview resonated with you, I invite you to dive deeper. Here’s a reading list to fuel our collective and critical understanding:
Award-winning classic on why we must revolutionize the fashion industry: Hoskins, T. (2023). The anti-capitalist book of fashion (Foreword by A. Pejić). Pluto Press. https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745346618/the-anti-capitalist-book-of-fashion/
A starting point to decolonizing fashion studies not as a destination but as non-linear process, ever revised, re-evaluated, revisited and relived: Cheang, S., Rabine, L., & Sandhu, A. (2022). Decolonizing fashion [studies] as process. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 9(2), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1386/infs_00070_2
Explore other interpretations of fashion globalization in an ongoing search for a diversity of meanings: Cheang, S., de Greef, E., & Takagi, Y. (Eds.). (2021). Rethinking fashion globalization. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Why place dictates strategy (also in fashion): Godart, F. (2014). The power structure of the fashion industry: Fashion capitals, globalization, and creativity. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 1(1), 39-55. https://doi.org/10.1386/infs.1.1.39_1
Fast fashion. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion
European Parliament. (2023, April 24). Ending fast fashion: Tougher rules to fight excessive production and consumption. European Parliament. Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230424IPR82040/ending-fast-fashion-tougher-rules-to-fight-excessive-production-and-consumption
Characteristics such as mass production, low cost, alignment with fleeting trends, and rapid consumer turnover, etc.
Pulos, A. J. (2021). Industrialization and the Good Life. American Design Ethic.
OpenSecrets. (2023, August 2). Shein’s lobbying spending soars amid supply chain probes. Retrieved from https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/08/sheins-lobbying-spending-soars-amid-supply-chain-probes/
McQuillan, V. A. (2021). Exploring circularity in clothing resale: a new materialism and value perspective (Doctoral dissertation, University of Glasgow).
Barthes, R. (1990). The fashion system. Univ of California Press.
Cerchia, R. E., & Pozzo, B. (Eds.). (2021). The New Frontiers of Fashion Law. MDPI.
Ahmed, T. (2023). Decolonizing the Mannequin.
Godart, F. (2014). The power structure of the fashion industry: Fashion capitals, globalization, and creativity. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 1(1), 39-55. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1386/infs.1.1.39_1