Why we secretly love fast fashion: Fast fashion exists to serve the disparity in class.

How fast fashion is helping during the cost of living crisis.

Can We Afford To Dress In 2023

There has always been societal pressure to maintain one’s appearance, particularly in
regards to the way we choose to dress. With the cost of living crisis, most are struggling to
afford daily essentials. Meaning that the average person in England can no longer afford to
shop luxury fashion, consequently, most are now turning to ultra- fast fashion or charity
shops.

Fast Fashion is no longer affordable

Stores like Zara, & Other Stories, and Jaded London are notable fast fashion stores with the
price tag of a sustainable brand. These brands often market themselves to seem more
sustainable and use creative direction to mimic the aesthetics of luxury brands. Through
doing so, brands are manipulating the consumer into spending a greater amount of money
for a piece of clothing that is unethically made and uses low-quality fabrics. This attempt of
fast fashion brands rebranding to create a sustainability facade is having a negative effect on
the working and middle class communities that no longer afford these brands. For example,
Zara was a fast fashion brand renowned for their low prices (especially during their sales),
however, now the average coat will cost you over £100. Wages are not increasing, and the
cost of living is rising, thus, leading many Britons to turn to ultra-fast fashion.

The shame with ultra fast fashion

Everytime I purchase from ultra fast fashion stores like Primark I feel a sense of guilt and
embarrassment. The stigma around purchasing ultra fast fashion has risen significantly over
the past year, especially with Gen-Z. Although this can be seen as a positive movement, we
must acknowledge that only a few can afford to shop from the high end fashion market.
Brands like Shein should be held accountable for their human rights violations, however, as
a society we shouldn’t shame working class people from buying from such brands.
Moreover, the increase in prices for fast fashion brands is forcing more people to purchase
ultra fast fashion.

Even though I do not promote purchasing from fast fashion brands — there are ways to get
the same products for cheaper. Companies like eBay and AliExpress have sellers that sell all
the current trends for a fraction of the price.

Is there a possible solution

As someone who can not afford luxury fashion, I turn to charity shops for my wardrobe. The
act of charity shopping and thritifing has been popularised and romanticised by Gen-Z.
However, for Gen-Z, charity shopping is used as a means to make more sustainable
choices, rather than for the low prices. This thrifting movement has been popularised to such
an extent that charity shop prices in cities like London are rising. Fashion is something that is
becoming increasingly unaffordable in 2023. There is a newfound difficulty in affording to
manage one's identity through the way they choose to dress.

Although prices for thrift shops are going up in London, there are still sustainable and
affordable ways to shop. Apps like Vinted have everyday Britons selling their wardrobe for
fairly cheap prices. There is little doubt that the future of fashion will be that of sustainable
second hand buying and that of repurposing clothing items. Fast fashion is not a business
that will be able to sustain itself as society becomes more socially aware of its impact. I too
have recently noticed the change in my shopping habits to make it more sustainable. There
is certainly a sense of achievement in purchasing a ‘one of a kind’ piece of clothing from a
charity shop for an affordable price.