FEATURED ARTICLE
Let ’ s Take It Slow
Raia Gomez
Founder of Relevé Fashion
They say slow and steady wins the race . The notion may seem completely contrary to the current retail landscape and the fashion industry . If anything , more collections , more drops , more selections and more price reductions appear to be all the better . It seems fast and furious isn ’ t just in the movies but , over the years , has also become ingrained within the retail industry , and particularly with fast fashion . However , if the past year has shown us anything , it ’ s that sometimes we have no choice but to slow down .
The term fast fashion was coined in the 80 ’ s by the New York Times to quite literally describe the rapid production of low-quality clothing . Over the years , the fast fashion pace has fueled overconsumption and the perception of clothing as cheap and disposable . However , fast fashion is far from cheap . It ’ s just that someone else is paying the price ( underpaid garment workers manufacturing in unsafe conditions ) and it comes at the cost of our planet ( the carbon footprint of the fashion industry is larger than global shipping and aviation – combined .)
The growing demand for sustainable fashion and conscious consumerism isn ’ t just some fleeting trend . As many reports now show us , fashion is one of the most destructive industries with some reports even citing it as the second most polluting industry in the world . Unfortunately , what these reports and documentaries have also revealed is that behind the gloss and glamour , behind the fast fashion curtain is massive environmental devastation and labor exploitation . To say that I was surprised when I began to learn all this would be an understatement .
26 27TH NATIONAL RETAIL CONFERENCE & STORES ASIA EXPO 2021 AUGUST 12-13 , 2021