What is Fast Fashion? Is it feasible for fashion designers to create high quality, sustainable clothing in a timely fashion? Is “fast” really a keyword? Is fast fashion a contradiction of terms? And if so, what does it mean? In this article, we’ll take a look at the answers.
The short answer is yes. For instance, Instagram, a popular picture-sharing site and the hottest new social networking site, has spawned many fast fashion brands. Fast fashion is simply a buzzword used to describe any encapsulating aspects of an innovative business model, most often based around imitating and emulating high-end fashion trends worn by celebrities or spotted on the catwalk, and the subsequent effects resulting from those… Whether the fashion brand is aware of this or not, they’re taking full advantage of the phenomenon of social media marketing.
As mentioned above, the idea that fast fashion brands can be sustainable is part of the reason why so many are seeking social media tips to help them launch their own Instagram store. There’s no denying that Instagram has a lot of potential as a marketing platform. It’s free, it allows users to upload pictures and share text, it’s accessible to anyone, worldwide, almost constantly – and it can reach a very targeted (clicking target) audience. But what makes Instagram different from traditional marketing tools like television or newspapers? The key difference between Instagram and other forms of online advertising is its immediate relevance. Here, a user might be following a recent celebrity fashion story, seen wearing a new outfit; that person may click-through to a clothing website where he or she can buy that garment, thus helping that website create its sustainability impact.
But can a fast fashion brand survive on such a tiny amount of social network traffic? The sustainability of an Instagram account can be gauged by looking at how many posts are followed, how many people “like” or comment on them, how many people return for more information… A company with a small network of followers, on the other hand, might find itself quickly dying out. It would make far more sense to build a large social circle as early as possible on a brand’s Instagram account, rather than waiting until it’s too late to make changes.
Can a Sustainable Fashion Business Model Really Be Effective? At the end of the day, answering the question posed in the title can depend on a number of factors. In the short term, it seems that a brand could opt to limit its promotional activities on social networks, limiting its direct interaction with users to just a few selected groups (such as its Instagram account). If the sustainability goal of the fast fashion brand is not met solely through Facebook and Twitter, then what other avenues could it use to increase its audience reach and sustainability? The answer to this really depends on the company’s own objectives – if it wants to create a buzz and attract followers, then a platform such as Instagram could be useful, but if it’s all about providing detailed information and engaging with consumers than any mainstream media outlets are unlikely to be of much help.
So can fast fashion retailers truly call themselves sustainable? It’s hard to say. It depends on what exactly you’re looking to achieve. For some, sustainability is linked to reducing their overall environmental footprint, while others want to improve their social and community impact. However, even if a company chooses not to focus on these issues entirely, it’s important to recognise that improving its environmental footprint remains an important aim.
