5 Popular Fast Fashion Brands To Know About!
Are Fast Fashion Brands Reliable?
There are times where we have to buy clothes to wear for an occasion or any special event. However, it would be best for everyone and our environment to be conscious of what you are buying and whom you are buying from. Some may not know that brands like Uniqlo, H&M, and Zara engage in fast fashion. But not all of them are bad. Uniqlo has shown effort to reduce waste, and they utilize sustainable fabrics. Also, buying from other brands with poor and unethical practices is acceptable as long as it's occasionally and in small amounts. Shopping for clothes from Shein, for example, that is worth thousands of pesos shows that you support them considering the issues with their production. Without further ado, let's learn more about five fast fashion brands popular in the Philippines.
The Pretty Planeteer. https://theprettyplaneteer.com/fast-fashion-brands-to-avoid/
Brand #1. Shein
Since the pandemic started, the rate of online shopping increased as well as Shein's popularity. It's one of the most-talked brands in Tiktok and other social media and one of the most-visited apparel sites worldwide. They have various clothing designs, accessories, and even bed sheets for you, your younger sibling, and your dog. This comes with a cheap price and quality, so the garments from Shein may or may not last very long in your closet. Also, Shein has plenty of issues regarding its production and packaging. If you have experienced buying from them, did you also notice that each item is individually wrapped in its own plastic ziplock? Moreover, in about 70,000 tops available in stock, only a hundred are produced from recycled polyester. They are not only environment-friendly, but some of their designs are also not original!
However, last 2020, due to their popularity, they raked over $10 million, which means that their production of cheap clothing won't stop because many people, even big influencers support them.
source: Fitzgerald, S. (2021, December 27). Fast fashion is harmful to both environment and
mental health[Image]. Northern Star. https://northernstar.info/91300/opinion/fast-fashion-is-
harmful-to-both-environment-and-mental-health/
Brand #2. Zara
Zara is based in Spain and is one of the largest fashion retailers in the world. Its parent company has admirable practices and programs to promote sustainable fashion, such as Closing the Loop. Instead of throwing their unused garments, which will eventually end up in landfills, the customers can drop them off in the store for the clothes to be used again or gain a second life. Also, unlike Shein, Zara utilizes recycled packaging. However, this does not exempt the brand from other unsatisfactory practices that promote fast fashion and unethical labor.
The brand releases 500 new designs every week and produces about 450 million items yearly. Zara is still damaging the environment with this amount of production by the amount of energy used and chemical waste discharged to the surroundings. Also, with the large volume of clothing, the company earns plenty of money, but the garment workers are still not paid a livable wage considering that they work about 11 hours per shift. Zara executes more effort to minimize waste than Shein, but it's not enough to save the environment as well as give the workers more credit than what they deserve.
source: Zhang, N. (n.d.). Zara online shopping redesign [GIF]. Dribbble.
https://dribbble.com/shots/6645436-Zara-online-shopping-redesign
Brand #3. Forever 21
Forever 21 is one of the old brands in the fast fashion industry. However, the number of years serving shoppers and manufacturing garments does not guarantee ethical practices and sustainability. For example, it is one of the only brands in fashion to refuse to sign the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. This agreement requires brands to ensure a safe working environment for their employees. Brands like Shein and Zara also do not provide garment workers livable wages. In 2016, the workers only earn an average of 4-7 dollars an hour. On the bright side, Forever 21 does not condone animal cruelty, but they still use wool and exotic animal hair. In conclusion, Forever 21 has been contributing to the fashion industry for over 30 years, yet until today, they continue to provide us customers reasons why we shouldn't support them. If you're interested to know more about Forever 21's journey, watch this video!
source: Business Insider. (2019, September 13). The Rise And Fall Of Forever 21 [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzcS4XYW6Is&ab_channel=BusinessInsider
Brand #4. H&M
In SM Iloilo, H&M is one of the stores with about a hundred visitors every day. Since this brand launched its first store in the country, Filipinos have been fond of its products, especially their black boots and sophisticated apparel. However, aside from its sustainable quality, is this brand eco-friendly and ethical? In terms of being environment-friendly, the brand shows some efforts to minimize their waste and utilize sustainable fabrics. In fact, 65% of the materials used are recycled and organic, and they even implemented a recycling program in their stores. Moreover, it currently has a Re-Made collection, which features old clothes upcycled to create a new masterpiece.
However, there are still downsides. The company sells about three million garments every year, which means that the whole process of production discharges toxic chemicals and dyes and contributes to carbon emissions. Also, last 2018, H&M pledged to improve the wages of their employees, but research found that workers in India and Turkey only get paid a third of a livable wage. The company failed to fulfill its statements, and it is also not acceptable to let their employers work beyond their limits. H&M has made commitments to further improve its practices and services, but we cannot be so sure.
source: Cline, E. L. (2018, April 5). H&M’s woes mean fast fashion is getting worse, not better [Image].
Los Angeles Times. https://latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-cline-hm-fast-fashion-20180405-story.html
Brand #5. Uniqlo
Among the five brands mentioned, Uniqlo has the least issues, and it's one of the recommended fast fashion brands to buy from. Instead of releasing trendy designs, they focus more on the basics, such as plain tops and bottoms. To manufacture these garments, recycled materials are utilized, brought home by shoppers using eco-friendly bags. Uniqlo also has made some efforts to minimize the waste produced from the manufacturing process, especially when making jeans. They developed a technology called BlueCycle, which reduces water consumption to 99% and replaces manual sandpaper fading with laser technology.
In terms of labor, the company promotes equality by employing people of any gender as well as those who have disabilities. However, when two of its Indonesian facilities unexpectedly closed, the company was guilty of withholding $5.5 million in severance pay from its workers. Aside from this, they also make their employees work overtime, sometimes without pay, in an unsafe working environment, such as extreme temperatures, poor ventilation, and insufficient and appropriate gear. The high-quality products from Uniqlo continue to attract customers from all over the world, but the company may not realize that their success comes from their employees' hands.
source: Brasor, P. (2015, August 8). Uniqlo can’t survive on bargains alone [Image]. The Japan Times.
https://japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/08/national/media-national/uniqlo-cant-survive-bargains-alone/
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