Fast fashion brands make clothing that are cheap, trendy, and readily available to everyone. One minute you can be scrolling through Instagram and in the next, you are filling your wardrobe with the latest outfits of numerous celebrities.
Many brands have tapped into the rising needs of customers desiring trendy and exclusive clothing, but at an affordable price. Hence why they rapidly produce and circulate low-quality versions (fast fashion), which don’t last long. Purchasing fast fashion products is a drain on your wallet, as you constantly have to replace the clothing, not to mention the unsustainability of the environment.
In this article, you will learn how to identify fast fashion brands, popular fast fashion and non-fast fashion brands, and how to make sustainable fashion choices.
How to Identify Fast Fashion Brands
Fast fashion brands are pretty easy to identify. These are the most obvious signs to look out for:
- They usually make clothing from cheap materials like acrylic, polyester, nylon, rayon, polyamide, polyurethane, and so on.
- They produce new collections weekly or daily, with a large volume of clothing that are focused on latest trends and styles.
- They offer trendy clothing at suspiciously low prices.
- They don’t disclose information about their manufacturing and labor practices.
- They have several supply chains that are not certified by labor standards.
Famous Fast Fashion Brands
- H&M: Established in Sweden in 1947, H&M has grown to be a major force in the fast fashion industry. They frequently collaborate with excellent designers to bring runway clothing to the masses at a low price. This is one of the fast fashion brands to avoid, as they often use low-quality materials, which have a short lifespan and contribute to environmental pollution.
- Zara: Established in Spain in 1975, Zara has skyrocketed to a leading fast fashion brand that rapidly introduces new styles to stores in as little as two weeks. They sometimes release limited edition collections, which creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity among customers.
- Shein: Established in China in 2008, Shein has taken the fast fashion industry by storm by investing heavily on e-commerce and social media marketing. It stands out with its online-only model and extremely cheap prices. Shein conveniently produces 10,000 new products everyday, outpacing its competitors.
- Fashion Nova: Established in the USA in 2006, Fashion Nova has become one of the big fast fashion brands due to its effective social media marketing and partnership with top influencers. This fast fashion brand is praised for its body-conscious styles and capitalization on celebrity looks. Fashion Nova is centered on women’s clothing and accessories.
- Boohoo: Established in the United Kingdom in 2006, Boohoo is an online fast fashion brand that’s very popular among younger shoppers. It offers a wide range of clothing and accessories, with more focus on casual, plus-size, and curve-friendly wears.
Most Expensive Fast Fashion Brands
While fast fashion is often associated with affordable prices, some brands offer more expensive products. This is often because they use better materials and ethical practices. The top 3 most expensive fast fashion brands are:
- Topshop: This is one of the big fast fashion brands in the UK that offers a range of premium denim and leather clothing, which are more expensive than their regular counterparts. Asides from being made with top-quality materials, they feature intricate details and look real. Expensive Topshop fast fashion products averagely cost $80-$150.
- Zara: While Zara is renowned for replicating runway trends into cheap clothing, they also offer collections that are made with high-end materials and processes. These products feature top-notch fabrics like leather, wool, and suede, which are more expensive than their regular fast fashion items. Expensive Zara fast fashion products averagely cost $50-$150.
- Bershka: This Spain-based fast fashion brand occasionally releases limited edition collections that are made with high-quality materials and trendier designs, thus making them costly. Expensive Bershka fast fashion products averagely cost $60-100.
What is Considered NOT Fast Fashion?
This refers to the direct opposite of fast fashion, which is “slow fashion.” It emphasizes quality over quantity, ethical manufacturing practices, and timeless designs.
- Quality over Quantity: Slow fashion prioritizes the use of high-quality materials, resulting in clothes and accessories that are durable and last long.
- Ethical Manufacturing Practices: Slow fashion promotes ethical sourcing of materials, fair labor practices, and environmentally-friendly production techniques to reduce waste.
- Timeless Designs: Slow fashion focuses on creating extremely beautiful and classic clothing that can be worn for years without depreciating. Thus, eliminating the need for frequent change of wardrobe.
Affordable Non-Fast Fashion Brands
Here are some non-fast fashion brands that offer cost-friendly prices:
- Girlfriend Collective: Has a large collection of clothes, especially workout sets made from recycled water bottles. They often come in extended size ranges to flatter and support different body size and shape. Girlfriend Collective apparels are produced in SA8000-certified Fair-Trade factories and the recycled fabric is certified Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex. You can get high-quality Compressive High-Rise Leggings for $27.
- Everlane: There’s no need to buy fast fashion when you can grab eco-friendly, responsibly sourced clothing at Everlane for the same price range. Despite being one of the affordable non-fast fashion brands, they use GOTS-certified organic cotton and leather sourced from Leather Working Group Gold-certified suppliers. You can get a premium Waffle-Knit Hoodie for $38.
- Reformation: The list of celebrity fans of Reformation is quite long, starting from Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Emma Watson, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendall Jenner, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jisso. This Girlie brand has dresses, matching outfits, and jumpsuits for every occasion. They use certified carbon neutral, blue-sign System partner, and Fur Free Alliance retailers. You can get a beautiful Jamie Knit Dress for $98.
Make Your Choices Sustainable
As a result of the several disadvantages of fast fashion, it’s recommended to always invest in more sustainable options, such as:
- Ethically Manufactured Goods
Buying ethically manufactured goods is the best, especially when it comes to items that are worn directly on the skin, such as undergarments and jewelry. Choosing fast fashion for these items can cause skin reactions or impact your health because of the unprofessional manufacturing practices.
Make your research and opt for brands that care about human rights and follow standard labor practices. All manufacturing information should be on the brand’s websites; if they aren’t, the products are probably not ethically manufactured.
Also, check for certifications like Fairtrade and Certified B Corporation on items when shopping. Every brand, particularly smaller businesses might not be able to afford these certifications, so endeavor to make more enquiries (like visiting their factory) to verify the production and supply practices.
- Recycled/Recyclable Materials
Help get rid of waste and make the environment sustainable by using recycled/recyclable materials instead of virgin fabrics that cannot be reused. Choose clothing made from biodegradable materials that do not contain chemicals.
Biodegradable materials return to the ecosystem within a short period, which naturally reduces waste. For instance, while organic linen will decompose in two weeks, polyester will take 20-200 years to fully decompose.
Some biodegradable fabrics to choose:
- Organic linen
- Organic or recycled cotton
- Wool (merino, cashmere, and so on)
- Organic hemp
- Silk
- 100% recycled plastic
- Tencel
- Recycle/Thrift Your Clothing/Accessories
Transform old clothing into new items. For example, a worn-out shirt can be repurposed into a tote bag or even a cleaning rag. And jean trousers can be turned into shorts or used for craft projects. Recycling your clothes ensure they serve multiple purposes before disposal, minimizing waste or the need to buy new clothing.
Another option is to buy second-hand products. This reduces the use of manufacturing resources that usually make the environment unsustainable, such as water, chemicals, and raw materials). Thrift shops, consignment stores, and online platforms like ThredUp, Depop, or Poshmark are wonderful places to find affordable, unique, and vintage clothing and accessories.
Key Takeaway
Fast fashion brands’ productions are growing day-by-day and causing excessive havoc. By checking how often they produce items and their improper manufacturing & labor practices, you would be able to identify them.
Above all, it’s essential to avoid fast fashion brands and make sustainable choices not only to keep the society livable, but to reduce the need for frequent clothing replacement.
