Since the 1990s, fast fashion has allowed ordinary people to buy the latest catwalk trends, but clothes that are mass-produced, sold, and quickly discarded are contributing to a global sustainability crisis.
Now, at a time when the fashion industry needs to wake up and get out of this vicious cycle, it is going in the opposite direction. We are in a downward spiral from fast fashion to ultra-fast fashion. The amount of natural resources consumed and waste produced is snowballing.
Ultra-fast fashion is characterized by ever-faster production cycles, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trends, and poor labor practices. Brands like Shein, Boohoo, and Cider are free from the notion of seasonal collections. Instead, they churn out clothes at breakneck speed, creating their own micro-trends like balletcore, Barbiecore, and even mermaidcore. At the same time, there’s limited transparency and accountability around the clothing supply chain.
Overproduction and consumption of clothing cannot continue. If left unchecked, the fashion industry will account for 26% of the global carbon budget to limit global warming to 2°C by 2050. The fashion industry must take responsibility for its actions. Policymakers also have a key role to play in enabling the necessary transition to a more responsible and circular fashion economy. And let’s not forget the power of consumers.
The dark side of Shane’s success (China Tonight, ABC News)
Read more: To make your wardrobe sustainable, you need to buy 75% less new clothes
How much do cheap clothes cost?
It was once thought that the pandemic would be a catalyst for a shift towards a more sustainable fashion industry. Unfortunately, in reality, the fashion industry is getting worse, not better.
Most of the ultra fast fashion brands emerged in the late 2010s, with the most famous, Shein, founded in 2008. These online D2C brands exploded in popularity during lockdown, with Shein taking the title of the world’s most popular brand in 2020.
A big brand like Gap launches 12,000 new products a year, while H&M launches 25,000. But Shein has listed 1.3 million products in the same period, far outstripping Gap. How is this possible?
The ultra-fast fashion model thrives on data and addictive social media marketing, creating insatiable consumer demand.
But SHEIN’s incredibly low prices (its website features thousands of items priced at under AUD5) come with a human cost: The company’s own 2021 Sustainability and Social Impact Report (which was later removed from the site) found that only 2% of its factories and warehouses met its worker safety standards, and the rest were in need of corrective action.
The brand also does not employ in-house designers, instead working with independent suppliers who can design and manufacture clothes in two weeks.
The result has been an incredibly profitable business model: Shain filed for an initial public offering last year, and the brand’s valuation has risen to $136 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2018.
How Shein Built a $66 Billion Fast-Fashion Empire (WSJ)
The shift from fast to ultra-fast fashion has serious environmental and social impacts, including more exploitative labor practices: Shein garment workers reportedly work 75-hour weeks and warehouses operate 24/7.
Ignoring this change isn’t just a fashion faux pas: doing so jeopardizes national efforts towards a more sustainable fashion industry.
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A seamless transition to sustainability
A national product stewardship scheme called “Seamless” promises to transform the fashion industry by 2030.
The idea is to bring fashion into a circular economy – ultimately that means zero waste, but for now it means eliminating and minimising waste by design, with raw materials being kept in the supply chain for as long as possible.
Members will pay a levy of 4 cents for each item of clothing they produce or import.
These funds will be used for clothing collections, research, recycling projects and education campaigns.
BIG W, David Jones, Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, RM Williams, THE ICONIC, Sussan Group and Cotton On are members of the Seamless Foundation and have each donated A$100,000 towards the development of the scheme.
As one of the world’s first industry-led collaborative product stewardship initiatives for apparel textiles, Seamless offers a unique opportunity to drive change towards a more sustainable and circular fashion industry.
But there is a risk that ultra-fast fashion brands will act as free riders on Seamless, benefiting from their investments and efforts but not contributing meaningfully. Shein and other brands will continue to bring more products to market, but at the end of their short lifespans they will need to be addressed. But if they don’t commit to this plan, it won’t be them who bears the costs.
Seamless needs to also acknowledge ultra-fast fashion as it addresses the industry’s environmental and social sustainability challenges. At the moment, the company only talks about fast fashion and ignores the rise of ultra-fast fashion. For example, their global scan includes a discussion of fast fashion but does not mention ultra-fast fashion.
This also points to a lack of data across the industry, but in Seamless’s case, ignoring this growing market segment could have huge implications.
Shein and Temu serve customers from all walks of life and are expected to generate combined revenue of $2 billion by 2024.
Read more: Recycled textiles could solve fast fashion’s waste problem, but brands need to help increase production
Critical crackdown
Some brands are actively involved and working towards a more sustainable future, but others, such as Temu, are learning from Shein and trying to emulate its business model.
The transition to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry requires a greater understanding of ultra-fast fashion, urgent systems change, and collaborative effort.
The Institute for a Sustainable Future, where I work, is a founding member of an international academic research network that aims to address the complexities of ultra-fast fashion. This includes highlighting how it impacts the lives of garment workers, how it increases textile waste, and the industry’s struggle to embrace circular economy principles. We are also investigating how to change consumer behavior, especially among Gen Z consumers, from social media-driven shopping to more sustainable consumption.
Last month, Federal Environment Minister Tanja Plibersek announced possible interventions, such as introducing minimum environmental standards and a clothing tax by July.
The clock is ticking. Now is the time to lay the foundations for a more sustainable and fair fashion industry. Australia has a rich fashion history and is home to many leading local brands, many with global reach. These brands show what’s possible when good design, sustainability and innovation drive the industry.
Ultimately, the choices we all make wield enormous power. By understanding the consequences of our fashion habits and advocating for change, we can all be drivers of a more sustainable and fair fashion industry.
Correction: An earlier version of this article said the Seamless effort is being led by the Australian Fashion Council and that Seamless is government-funded. The AFC led a government-funded consortium that designed the plan, but Seamless is now an independent organisation funded by its members.
