The effects of fast fashion in the world of eCommerce

Fast fashion is a particularly hot topic at the moment amongst the retail and eCommerce industries, and for good reason.

Over the years, and since the slowing down of high-street shopping, fast fashion has become widely promoted by large, mostly online eCommerce and retail companies and we wanted to talk about the devastating impact it is having on these industries and the environment.

At the moment, the likes of Missguided, PrettyLittleThing and Shein have been in the media due to their negative influence on the public’s shopping habits, specifically young people.

History behind fast fashion

There are reasons as to why so many people buy from companies like those mentioned above – the main one being the price-point. ‘Fast fashion’ clothing is usually cheaper, on-trend, and easy to get your hands on, and is considered a “quick turnover of designs that move from the catwalk to current fashion trends”. However, this usually results in the clothing being poorly made, workers being underpaid due to the low-cost of making the garments, and as clothing comes in and out of fashion, these mass-produced items usually end up being binned, or ending up in landfill.

Affordability and convenience definitely play a part in why people buy fast fashion, and we can understand that the fear of judgement is to blame for people choosing quality over quantity.

It is said that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions each year according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and produces a gigantic 80 billion garments a year – 400% more than 20 years ago.

Death to fast fashion in the eCommerce sector

We are seeing a lot of progression with slow-fashion (exactly what is sounds like – the opposite of fast fashion) thanks to brands and celebrities showcasing their capsule wardrobes. Fashionistas are beginning to buy staple pieces that will never go out of fashion and eCommerce companies are beginning to follow suit by producing higher-quality garments made from sustainable fabrics – a step in the right direction.

We took to LinkedIn to ask our eCommerce and digital connections whether they think that fast fashion is becoming a thing of the past, and this is what we found!

Our results were pretty equal across the board, and we can conclude from this that we are starting to see some change, but there is still a long way to go to reduce the amount of online fast fashion in the eCommerce and retail sectors. Here's to a more sustainable eCommerce future!

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