photo courtesy of @thesewinglabs on instagram
BY BIANCA BILLONI, STAFF WRITER
We live in a world where social media tends to dictate what we say, do and show interest in.
Trends hit us quickly and are gone before we can even hop on the bandwagon. Sometimes these trends can be harmless; however, this is not always the case. Fast fashion is a form of clothing production based upon creating new items quickly and for a low cost to meet the latest trends. Zara, H&M, Forever 21 and SHEIN are just a couple of the brands out there that follow this model.
Suppose a girl finds a pair of pants she really likes and films a video of herself wearing them. Within a day, her video goes viral, and millions of people are wondering where they can find the same pair of pants. Now, it is up to the fashion industry to respond to the wants of its consumers.
Instead of taking the time to construct a product of fine quality, a fast fashion brand will have such pieces put together in weeks or days. The items can be inexpensive because of the low-quality materials, and then everyone will buy them because they’re so cheap.
I’ll admit, I’ve purchased from such brands before, and some are worse than others. My biggest issue lately hasn’t even been the general business model, but the stealing of designs from independent creators.
Cassey Ho, known as Blogilates on social media, recently came forward with her story of SHEIN producing a knock-off of one of her original designs and selling it for a much lower price. She even showed how they used an Asian model for that product, so consumers would subconsciously associate the product with her.
This is not the first time this has happened. Ho brought forward examples of many creators who have had their designs stolen and mass-produced at a lower quality for a lower price.
I don’t want to say buying from these brands is fully good or bad. I know, especially for plus-sized individuals, finding clothes that are affordable and appealing can be very difficult, and sometimes fast-fashion brands are the only options for people.
I just think it is important to understand the danger that some of these platforms can present.
A great alternative to fast fashion is thrift shopping. You may not always be able to find exactly what you’re looking for, but there is a wide array of options available for low prices. Sometimes it’s fun to make a day out of it and go to multiple stores to see which one has the best finds. If you’re not someone that already goes thrift shopping, give it a try next time you’re looking for a wardrobe change.
billonbd19@bonaventure.edu
