The many influences of fast fashion
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Release: August 24, 2022
Credit: PixieMe/Shutterstock.com
Mike Redwood addresses the impact fast fashion has on society, the environment and the young designers that the leather industry seeks to support.
A recent Wired headline described the fast fashion industry as “fast, cheap and untouchable.” In April, China-based fast-fashion company Shein secured a US$100 billion valuation following its latest funding round.
Through areas such as the use of the earth’s resources, the production of carbon dioxide, the production of carbon dioxide in transport, the waste and the damage to nature in modern slavery and supply chains, fashion and clothing have become an integral part of all of us. Large companies in this sector are under constant scrutiny given their inevitable large contribution to social problems.
Shein, in particular, has a dark history after being founded in Nanjing in 2008 to produce affordable fashion before being recreated in 2012 after a split. Few people had heard of this company until it came to the fore and caught my attention after a young Scottish official discovered that her designs had been stolen.
A Dundee student, she laser cuts jewelry and sells it online, initially borrowing equipment from the university to process it. When her pandemic began, she invested her earnings to set up a small workshop in her home and continued the business during her lockdown. Towards the end of 2020, she noticed that her Shein was copying her own designs.
Shein now appears to have admitted that the company’s policy of using outside designs has led to the plagiarism of numerous designs from Instagram and Etsy posts. In places like the U.S., where Shein has offices, a handful of designers have filed lawsuits and received limited financial compensation, but the only option is to afford this route and complain on her social media. There are very few young designers who cannot.
A relative of mine wrote: Its only me. And this is the same for so many creatives. We design, handcraft, package orders, post orders, organize admins, photograph works, maintain websites, and run social. So much of my heart, soul and time has been dedicated to making this truly special. This is a creator’s worst nightmare. “
Her kitschy angel earrings were copied in detail, but with low-quality craftsmanship and hypoallergenic metals, and Shein’s sheer volume and very low prices meant consumers weren’t too fond of them. All are heavily discounted because you don’t expect them.
Copying designs and circumventing patent and IP regulations, as well as ignoring environmental and labor regulations, are perceived ways to reduce costs and undermine markets. According to Wired, a survey of his Shein suppliers in China found that about 85% had significant problems, many at a “zero tolerance” level. There are other clever ways Shein keeps costs down through the use of automated computing systems and international parcel shipping. This is below the level of tax and scrutiny that containers receive.
Wired author Vauhini Vara bought 14 items of women’s clothing for US$80.16. Of this, the dress cost him US$2.50 and the pullover cost him US$4.50. In the early days of fast fashion 20 years ago, the cap on a night out was the cost of takeout, but Shein cut it “cheaper than her sandwiches at the deli,” she writes.
Fossil fuels are key to fast fashion
What is often overlooked is that the key to this fast fashion is fossil fuels. Cheap synthetic fibers produced from fossil fuels have been declared the ‘most It has enabled the creation of super cheap garments that struggle to withstand washing. They fill our landfills and our wardrobes with tons of waste. This is a situation never seen before in the history of our planet.
When attacked for environmental reasons, companies like Shein are defended with the argument that it’s important for consumers to have access to affordable goods during difficult times. No concept of value is taken into consideration, nor is the damage done to the lives of other people working in intolerable conditions elsewhere to achieve falsely low prices.
The numbers that claimed that synthetic fibers were better for the environment than natural materials are now shown to be wildly wrong, but they were always intentionally contextually restricted. It neglected its fossil fuel origin, low durability in use and short service life. Recently, I have been surprised to learn about the damage caused by microplastics in our oceans. clothing.
Companies like Shane remind us of what a mountain we must climb.The poorest and cheapest garments ever made in nearly 30 years, based on a complete misunderstanding of quality and value. have been made over the years, but we are still a long way from learning to change our ways.
We want companies like Shein, through our Romwe subsidiary, to give away iPhones and tripods to young influencers, earning more than a week’s worth of hard-working and dedicated young designers from Dundee for one TikTok video. Live in the moment that gives you the charge. people who make their own products. That’s exactly what we’re trying to encourage.
Mike Redwood
mike@internationalleathermaker.com
Follow Dr. Mike Redwood on Twitter: @michaelredwood
“Redwood Comment” is published and copyrighted by International Leather Maker publishers. Articles may not be reproduced in any way without the express permission of the publisher.
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