Is Fast Fashion Heading for a Slowdown? There is speculation brewing in the apparel industry that consumers are getting tired of fast fashion, especially in the US, preferring instead to pay a premium for garments made from better quality fabrics that last longer. “People are not buying just to buy anymore”, said Nate Herman, vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Euromonitor International’s sales data for the US does not entirely support this argument, though. Indeed, last year, retail volume sales of apparel and footwear grew faster than retail value sales for the first time since 2007. This would suggest that US consumers are spending less, not more, on their garments.
In truth, what we are actually seeing in the US is something more complex than a consumption shift from fast fashion to ‘slow’ fashion, or indeed the other way around. Yes, this has narrowed the gap between designer fashion and fast fashion, enticing more people to trade up. Fast vs Slow Fashion « Vivienne Westwood: Everyone buys too many clothes. Dame Vivienne Westwood has made a plea to the public, especially "poor people", to buy fewer and better quality clothes as she showcased her latest designs at London Fashion Week.
BY News agencies | 16 September 2013 Photo: FRANCOIS COQUEREL The eccentric designer sat among celebrities and fashion journalists in the front row for the show at the German Gymnasium in north London, instead of waiting backstage as usual. It meant she had pride of place for the dramatic opening, which saw supermodel Lily Cole performing an interpretative dance while wearing a flowing, Grecian-style gown. Speaking after the show, Dame Vivienne said: "Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. "I mean, I know I'm lucky, I can just take things and borrow them and I'm just okay, but I hate having too many clothes. "It doesn't mean therefore you have to just buy anything cheap. "I just think people should invest in the world.
"Start building different values, where you engage with the past, with the human race. " Gill Linton: Why Fast Fashion Is On Its Way Out [PSFK 2013] As part of the run-up to PSFK CONFERENCE 2013 in New York this April, PSFK will be publishing a series of short interviews with speakers to give a taste of what will be discussed in this meeting of creative minds. Gill Linton has worked for several start-ups in London and New York and is the founder of Byronesque, a website focused on vintage fashion in both an editorial and e-commerce perspective.
She caught up with PSFK about her venture and her thoughts about the vintage clothing space. Since you last spoke as an advertising strategist, you have gone on to launch your own start-up Byronesque. Why did you feel this was the right time to take a leap into business? The timing was right in terms of vintage fashion — it’s one of the fastest growing categories in fashion and people’s attitudes towards it have changed dramatically, but really it was a personal decision to get out of advertising and do something I really cared about.
The new service explores the business of vintage clothing. 'Slow fashion' is a must-have ... and not just for this season | Business | The Observer. The credit crunch has put paid to high times on the high street, but retailers are reporting the rise of 'slow fashion' as consumers think harder about what they buy. Fast fashion, its antithesis, has had the clothing industry in its thrall for much of this decade, with customers seduced by cheap versions of styles that had graced the catwalks of Milan and Paris weeks previously. But with disposable incomes on the wane, even clothes at disposable prices are losing their appeal; the new must-haves are 'made to last' or, better still, 'made in Britain.' Internet fashion retailer Adili is at the forefront of the 'slow fashion' movement.
In fashion-speak, it sells products that are 'trans-seasonal' and made to be kept, with all materials organic, recycled or fair trade. 'Slow fashion is not just about responding to trends,' says Adili chief executive Adam Smith. Smith agrees: 'People are prepared to pay a higher price for something that is perceived to be good quality.' Are consumers done with fast fashion? Editor's note: This article originally appeared at BSR Insight as part of a series on the tragedy in Bangladesh. In the wake of the recent calamity in Bangladesh, approximately 1.1 million people signed on to a campaign run by the advocacy group Avaaz pressuring retailers to invest in worker safety. Soon afterward, H&M, one brand targeted by the campaign, decided to sign a landmark fire and building safety accord. More than 40 global companies also have signed the accord, and activists are continuing to push the brands that have been reluctant to sign it.
The recent participation in these campaigns seems to indicate a shift in how consumers are thinking about the origins of their clothes, but when they actually enter the dressing room, will a company's social and environmental track record determine their choice of jeans? On the one hand, studies point to a rising consumer consciousness. This survey echoes another report published by WRAP U.K. on sustainable fashion consumption. Fast Fashion: Too Much of a Good Thing | Arbitrage Magazine. Consumers unconsciously squander money with big-name fashion retailers who introduce new designs every few weeks. Betty Yan, Staff Writer Too often, I stand in my jam-packed closet at a loss for what to wear. The excess of clothing that I’m faced with seems inefficient and lacks standout pieces; it also means a lot of money wasted.
Among the items I have amassed, there are only a number of pieces I wear regularly. The rest of the clutter is made up of impulse, discount, and overlapping purchases. If your closet is the same, you are likely a shopper stuck on the fast fashion train. The fast fashion concept emerged in the late 20th century and changed the way we consume fashion. Shorter production time means higher turnover of products, and leads to greater profits.
We are buying more trendy clothing at lower prices. The revamped fashion retail industry is designed to encourage consumers to buy far more than they need. Fast fashion induces people to continuously replace discount wardrobes. The Future Of Fashion Retailing: The Zara Approach (Part 2 of 3) Seasonless Fashion - the Fashion Spot. A Seasonless Era Approaches July 1st, 2008 - Global With its autumn/winter and spring/summer collection cycles, fashion has always been fast-paced. And in recent years, retailers have been upping the ante by rearranging their store's offerings with increased frequency in order to keep customers engaged. The result has been an even speedier industry, in which only the most agile labels—typically the blue-chip brands—can compete.
A growing number of designers, however, are beginning to question this headlong pace and its relevance to the way we live, instead promoting flexible, seasonless collections. Karlo Steel, proprietor of Atelier New York, the thinking man's multi-label store in Nolita, says, "I think fashion is way, way too fast. Brian Janusiak and Elizabeth Beer of Project No. 8, a discerningly merchandised fashion and design outpost in New York's Chinatown, also believe in seasonless garments. For Mary Ping, turning the dictates of fashion on their head is nothing new. Jcreport.com.
Unveiling Fashion: Business, Culture, and Identity in the Most Glamorous ... - Frédéric Godart. For most people, fashion can daze and confuse. It is, however, a fascinating phenomenon that is key to how we define our identities, and it plays a central role in our lives. Proposing a comprehensive and accessible account of the global fashion industry, this book aims to present fashion in all its diversity and richness, to 'unveil' its mysterious mechanisms. Drawing on six core principles from the industry, Frédéric Godart guides the reader through the economic, cultural and social arena of the world's most glamorous industry.
First, in the everyday-life game of identity-building, where fashion is deployed, between the individual and society. Secondly, the convergence of trends reveals how social influence is played out; likewise, fashion as an art, and how this is characterized by a creative and aesthetic autonomy. Fashion is a rich symbolic world, and its 'empire' is spreading.