ARTS
Can Consumers Stop Fast Fashion? ANNA GRAHAM “1 in 6 people on the planet work in the fashion industry and only 2 percent receive a living wage.”
This is, unfortunately, the sad reality we face today. Fast fashion is all consuming, and not partaking in it is nearly impossible. Whilst the new, trendy, and brightly coloured, cheap clothes conceal the harsh reality hidden beneath, we are conditioned to believe having the latest clothes is of utmost importance... but this is far from the truth. With the influence of social media, popular online influencers are constantly promoting the latest brands, whilst simultaneously placing the blame on consumers for allowing the practise of fast fashion to continue... but is fast fashion really something we, as consumers, can fix?
Fast fashion started to gain popularity with the rise of celebrity culture, monetised by BIBA. BIBA opened in 1964 and focused on making clothing widely accessible being affordable to the general public and advertising their new clothing through the exploitation of celebrities like Twiggy to sell ‘not just clothes but a lifestyle’. The idea of wearing new, celebrity endorsed clothes caused BIBA to rise to mainstream rapidly, developing into a multi-story store. However, the profits were inadequate to support their work and in 1975 it finally shut down... but this was not the end – it was only the beginning.
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